The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-04
He MADE TIE RAIN TO FALL.
HATFIELD CONTACTED TO DO
1T AND GETS REWARD.

Guaranteed ~ Inches In Southern Cali.
fOrnia for 4 lea Months aud Heat Il
Extraordinary Fail Near His Rain.
making PiAnt-shOOts Gases Into Air.
Los ANGELES, Cal, May s.-Merchants
OF this city have just paid over a large
part Of the 81 900 reward offered last De-
oember to Charles Hatfield, q professional
rainnaker, II no would produce bet ween
Dec. IS and May eighteen inches OF rain
In southern California.
The time was up yesterday and Hatfield
received part Of his money, as the required
amount Of rainfall was exceeded by nearly
one inch. The balance win be paid soon.
The fall Of rain In Los Angeles for the
season ending May has been 1898 inches,
which far exceeds the fall OF last season
and Is above the normal annual preciplta-
ton for this section.
Hatfield established his 'rainmakinRs
plant at Altadena, In the foothills, some
twenty miles from Los Angeles Dec. is,
and the rainfall from that date In the inn
mediate vicinity Of his plant has been 20 40
inches. In the plant gases were generated
and then discharged into the atmosphere
from a chimney, This has the result he
asserts, OF attracting the forces Of nature
which compel moisture TO form and be
precipitated In rain.
Hatfield has been conducting rainmalinR
tests In southern California for three years
and they have been uniformly successful,
he asserts, although this is only the second
time that he has worked under q contract
Hatfield is 20 years old. He was brought
up on a farm in San Diego and had only a
grammar and high school training. Ten
years ago he became absorbed in the study
Of meteorology and began to experiment
on producing rain. His apparatus oon-
sists Of fifty foot tower, built Of wood and
sheathed outside with taxpayer. Inside
are iO4 galvanized iron evaporation pans
which contain chemicals and some water.
These pans are arranged TO facilitate
the absorption Of their contents by the
at mosphere. The air currents then con-
vey the evaporated subst ances TO the
vicinity Of moisture laden atmosphere,
which It attracts. The tower Is fourteen
feet square at the bottom and twelve feet
square at the top. There Is a small open
ing underneath to create a draft and
thus assist In evaporation.
On several occasions on clear days little
beads OF moisture have been noted on the
surface pans; thus suostanuatlnR the asser-
ton that the chemicals attract the humidity
in the air
Hatheld's success this season looks to
the skeptical very much like bull luck.
For the first time in twenty years southern
California this season had more rainfall !
than most Of northern California, whereas |
usually It receives not more than one
third a. much moisture. The average |
rainfall for Los Angeles and neighbOring /
counties is from seven to ten inches, while |
San Diego frequently gets not more than |
FIVE or six inches. On the fringe Of the |
Mojsve and Colorado deserts one or two |
inches Is the usual rainfall
This season December and January we're
very rainy months, one storm alone fur
nishlng more rain than usually falls In the
ontire season So great was the preoipita-
ion that railroads suffered heavy washouts.
Even along the edge Of the desert the rain
all was from eight TO ten inches.
OF course. under these circumstances,
he skeptcs say Hatfelds assertion that
Re caused the heavy rainfall IL open to
ioubt, as he couldn't have Influenced
Weather over 100 miles away. He must
make experiments for two or three yeRrs
n succession, they say.