The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-05-28
Problem

vapors in what has been termed A tow CT. This is a cabinet-like structure about fourteen feet square at the base, twelve feet square at the top, cov- cred, except as to the roof, with heavy tarred paper. The bottom Is so ar ranged as to facilitate evaporation of the liquids or solutions that I prepare and arrange in 104 shallow evaporation pans within this tower. What I use and my various formulae are known only to me.
 T have been asked why did not patent my process. The answer Is obvious It is not like another patent that could be protected from infringe ment. Rainmakers could operate ev- anywhere, and how could I know whether a natural storm were in prog ress or whether my process was being used in some out of the way canyon. The publication to the world of the formula would make the years I have put into the development of the pro- cess valueless. The Government can purchase the secret if 1t desires, and save the millions that are going into the irrigation of arid regions of the West, but Uncle Sam Is a Missourian, and wants to be shown,' and that is what I propose to do. intend to keep up the work along these lines, and by the very force of results compel belief, not only of individuals, but of the Government itself in this process"
 Hatfield labored throughout the past winter at Esperanaz Sanatorium, a re- sort in the mountains back of Los An geles and at an elevation of about 1,- 900 feet, from which point he had a magnificent view of a small empire that lies at the foot of the mountains Now he is at his beautiful home in Inglewood. Cal. where his parents re- side. He told the story of his trials. of his fight for recognition, and of his successes to a representative of The Eagle, as follows:
 "Califorpians know that the most disastrous drought in the history of the State began in the year 1896. Until this year, 1e04-5, we had had an av- craze rainfall each year of but little over eleven inches for period of nine years. The average annual fall | for the eighteen preceding years was more than IS inches. The results were apparent on every side where irriga- tion and extensive sources of never failing water supply were not avail able. Orchards died out; stock disap- peared and even the larger cities felt effects of water shortage. made my first experiment at my fathers ranch, twelve miles out of Oceanside, San Diego County, Cal That was in April 1902 The result was a mere drizzle
 
 struck the process I had labored on. At the same place I made another test one month later, usually a dry month here, and induced a good storm. l was then encouraged to make the final test and l chose the month of July. the dry est month of the entire year In South ern California;; a month when a rain is almost unknown. Within two days after l began operating, San Diego County experienced the heaviest rain recorded for the month of July in thirty-seven years. In fact there was but one July precipitation, in the fifty two years that official records had been kept, that showed such a rainfall. A remarkable feature Of this storm was that 1t was confined almost exclusive ly to a district that conformed quite closely to the boundary lines of the county
 "'Where are you going to get mois- ture for a rain in JulyT was one of the questions put to me when I outlined what I proposed to do before this ex pertinent or test was begun. I may say that I attracted the moisture then from the region of the Colorado River basin. For 1t is @ fact that Arizona gets some very heavy storms during the summer months and the air there is humid. I followed this demonstra- tion with others and all of them suc-
 
 to operate in the most unfavorable place for rain and under the most un- likely condition, reasoning that this was the only way to convince skep- tical public. The tests I made in July, August and September are convincing proof that rain may be induced at any season of the year, though these are the rainless months in California and really months when moisture would be a detriment and not an advantage to the country.
 Take September, 1903. I tried a test at Inglewood, Cal At that time rain had not fallen for 104 days. It was a stubborn drought and conditions were most unfavorable for rain. Yet within four days after the tower be- gan to send forth vapors rain began to fall. For the vicinity this was the heaviest fall of rain in this month in thirty years, with the single exception of the year 1894.
 "Of all the twenty-nine demonstra- tions l have conducted in the last three years there Is not one that is more convincing regarding the efficacy of my system than that when I broke the long drought that had exteneded through October, November. December and January, 1903-4. The church peo- pie had been praying for rain. It was the season that heavy storms should have occurred, but they did not come. A light shower fell January IT, and the merchants and ranchers hoped this was the end of the dry spell; but when that little shower was over and the sky grew clear it looked gloomy to everybody. l was approached by prominent business man, who knew of what 1 had done In San Diego County. He suggested that this was a good time to convince the public that really had great secret and a valuable one to the State Financially 1 had borne all expenses of other demonstrations and explained that I was willing to un- dertake 1t, and give my time to it, stalk ing my reputation on the result, but | have to bear all the expense. Six mer- chants, headed by this gentleman. raised most of the money I required | and I put up the balance myself. l | was given five days within which to | get my apparatus into place and bring | about a rain I selected the district | near La Crescenta and two and half | days after l began operations a heavy | rain began falling that did not end un- til Los Angeles had received l.06 inches of water while La Crescenta gauges | registered 1.G4 inches. This feature has been noted in nearly all storms that have resulted from the vapors liberated from my workshop wiz, the heaviest fall being in the neighbor- hood of the spot where the powerful influences l utilize are situated and gradually diminishing in intensity as the distance from the center of opera tions increases.
 Clouds and rain have always fol- lowed my demonstrations. l want to impress on the public the fact that