Newport daily independent., 1905-12-08
[(lsO0 s707s HAIL.
.-xsATIsFAcToRY RESULTS OF Ex- TREATMENTS IN FRANCE.
Damage from Storms Absolutely Checked in Localities Where Firing Has Been
 DonA


 The cannon defense against hal forms the subject of a report to th' state department by United State' Consul Covert at Lyon, France. Th' Hail Cannon society of sLimas ha' prepared report on the use of th' cannon during the past year. The re port deals with the experience of 2s cannon-fring societies. which used 46; cannon In . number of storms. It an pears that during the IS years prio' to the use of cannon the losses fron hail amounted to about s3.osS.0O0 and that during the Ave years in which cannon have been in use in the sam> territory the losses were but $16S,4l2 During the year 1904 the same com. munes sustained no losses whatevsr. fact attributed entirely to use oa cannon. The writer of the report says:
 We base our confidence in the efficacy of the firing on the fact that he thunder and lightning ceased, the wind abated and the clouds disap- peared under the firing of the cannon, and mild fall of rain and soft snow succeeded. These facts are undenia ble."
 The report reviews the results of he firing in 2s storms during the months of April, May, June. July and September. The results are generally the same cessation of the thunder and lightning, dispersion of the clouds and slight fall of rain and snow. Where no cannon were used the hall fell and caused serious damages. "Ths communes not defended by cannon suffered enormously" In speaking ol one storm the report says:
 This. storm was literally arrested at tho east on the boundaries of the firing. In the northwest and little distance from the cannon hurricane swept over the country with violence, everywhere causing great damage"
 The report contains several pages on the storm of July 22. 1904. which caused great damage in some parts of the country not protected by the can non. This hurricane caused incalcu la5le damage in 29 communes. TwA communes, Lozanne and Belmont, were entirely desolated, "hut they had but . few cannon, one six and the other eight. They are. separated. N a great distance. from the country that is provided with cannon" The mayor of Lozanne, who is the president of the society for defense against tho rail, wrote that his neighbors found themselves upon the edge of the com m mes where there was no defense against the hail and were unable tc resist storm of such violence. He says: During the first few minutes of the storm the firing was followed by the falling of few soft hailstones, and everybody noticed, even in that general storm, that the thunder and lightning diminished as the firing con- tirued, and that the diminution was caused by the cannon" In several places all traces of vegetation disap- pcared and the consternation was great in the wine-growing communcs Ire mayor of Belmont reports that the firing was powerless in his com. mane on account of the small number of cannon.
 The report mentions several localt ties where the firing was very active. and 1t says the hail was checked whsn tha firing commenced In the country known as Arbresle there were, from all accounts, but few cannon in use, and the destruction from hail was widespread and disastrous.
 Tn the great Beaujolais wine dis 7triet, where the country fairly bris vled with cannon" the farmers say ty,t they found it necessary to Ire only oD the boundaries of the large vineyards, and that, as rule, but very little firing occurred in the cen. ter of the field. The consul says he hSs met dozen or more large wine growers who assert esnphatically thas they have not the remctest doubt of the efficacy of the cannon to destroy the hail in the clouds and to turn | into mild rain.
 'The use of cannon against th< hall" says Consul Covert, twill un doubtedly continue in France until some authority appointed by the gov ernment shall assume control of tht experiments and demonstrate its i'm potency, If such a thing be possible The farmers of Arbresle, where but few cannon were used. are preparing @ wage . more effective campaig1 against the hail next year. Their president and the other officers of theil societies are of the opinion that th' sole cause of their losses this yea was the failure to use a suff1cien number of cannon"
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