Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-04-19

tation, and substitute for them things
that we want and that are useful to us
but, up TO the present time, We have
Jailed to extend our eonaussts to the
atmosphere over our heads. upon whose
vagaries so much OF our other work de-
pends. Deserts have yielded to science.
but storms Still defy human control.
But the human mind knows no limita-
tlons--at least to its ambitions-and GER
tain bold spirits persist In believing that
the TINA viii come WHEN man can inter-
fero successfully with the rainfall and
4 the sunshine.
Something OF this kind has already
been attempted, and that on q very
large scale. in southern and central
Europe. where. for. somo years past. a
great war has been conducted against
hailstoTma. In this country we have
little conception Of the tremendous devas-
tation that such storms are capable Of
producing.
But in southern France, northern Italy
and Bavaria. the appearance OF the black
clouds that announce coming hallstorm
IL fearful prognostic OF disaster. which
may result In the loss OF millions TO the
wine producers and growers OF hops, Of
flowers, and Of other crops that are
easily destroyed by the plunging fire Of q
hallstorm have myself seen, IN the
Cote dor. in eastern France. thousands
Of acres OF hop yards and vineyards laid
waste by a single great hailstorm.
The power Of the hall Is almost incredI-
and entire crops Of vines and other ten
der vegetation are leyeled US by a scythe.
The western front of my house near
Dion. which Is covered with a rough
Italian stucco, very firm and solid. was
pitted with thousands Of holes. from an
inch to two inches broad. and from a
quarter TO half an inch deep. by the huge,
solid hsilstones which fell In a storm Of
this kind. Experiment showed that It
was not easy to initiate these holes by
throwing q stone half as large as the
fist. with all the power OF the arm,
against the wall. The hail shot acquire
an enormous velocity in falling from the
clouds. and they are swayed aside by
the eyclonic force Of the winds that &C.
company such storms.
In view Of the eatastrophes which hail
storms produce. great system OF fight
Ing such storms by means of kind OF
cannon, furnished with a long sheet iron
funnel from which a whirllng ring Of
smoke 10 shot toward the clouds, has
been developed Long rows Of "hall can
non" may be seen arrayed across coun-
try, and a. the first indication OF an ap-
preaching hail cloud. the gunners hasten
to their pieces and begin to fire in rsgu-
lar order. as II rspelllnk the advance Of
a nsnerny'a army. These discharges Will
Kill small birds several hundred feet
away. The theory is that the lombard
ment Of the clouds with the gyrating
air rings, which resemble. on a gigantic
scale. the rings that a smoker blows
from his lips. has some effect upon the
electric state Of the clouds which pre-
vents the hail from forming, and brings 1
down the condensed moisture in the form
OF rain instead Of balls of ice.
Scientific opinion Is almost unanimous
IN denying that such bonbardrnents
really produce the effects ascribed 10
them. but the husbandmen are, in many |
places, equally unanimous in their belief |
In the efficacy OF the method. Meteoro-
logists say that the good effects ascribed |
10 the firing are accidental coincidence.
They aver. in the first place, that the
whiris cannot reach the clouds, and IN /
the second place. that even IL they dld
reach them they would have no influence
on the formation Of hail However, many
great vine growers. whose crops have.
as they believe. been saved By a timely
bomosrdment Of threatening clouds. re-
fuse to accept the Theoretical conclusions
Of science about the matter. This sys-
TEN has been in use for from twelve
10 fifteen years.
Recently new method has been adyo-
Gated This consists IN the erection Of
lines Of copper rods called paragreles.
the effect OF WHICH Is believed TO resemble
that OF lightning rods IN drawing cleo
trieity .harmIessly from the clouds. This
system meets with little more favor in