The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1914-12-23
BATTLES AND Rain
Absolutely No Physical Relation
Exists Between Them.
An ANCIENT MYTH RIDDLED.

No Amount of Gun or Cannon Fire
Would Have Any ApprecIabie Effect
Upon Either the Humidity or the
Temperature of the Atmosphere.
at is one of the extraordinary things
ct warfares s;tys a recent writer In
rearson's Weekly (.ordon. that a
big battle Invariably produces rain.'"s--
Once in the early stone age Some
body remarked 10 some body else that
rain frequently occurred after BATTLES.
The author OF this casual statement
was probably not psychologist, else
his conscience would have suitren him
for having set atioat In the world the
germ Of "a particularly fatnous fallacy.
The evolution OF the idea was probably
complete long before the age of bronze.
Big battles are often followed by rain.
Big battles often produce rain. Big
battles Invariably produce rain. Even
the modern penny liner cannot i'm
prove on the statement. The myth is
liked -crystallized-an probably i'm
perishable
Had We enjoyed the privilege of per
sonai acquaintance with the Neander-
thai gentleman just mentioned we
should have conrteously entreated him
to start another ball rolling down the
ages. 10 wit. "A biz sneeze is often
followed by rain" The inlinitcsimal
increase in the humidity OF the air
0ccaSiuned by II snee2e is a simple aud
obvious fact. whereas the inButesimal
amount Of water vapur produced by
the explosion of few tons of am.
munitlon can be hunted down only by
au excursion into the fields OF chem.
istry
Since. however. we must put up with
the myth in its present form. lei MS
see how il happens that rain has 50
often followed battles MS To suggest to
uncritical people that there was n phys
ical rotation between the one and the
other
First OF all. 40 such relation exists.
Rain is the rcsnit of the active con-
densation IN The atmosphere. and this
is purely question OF humidity and
temperature II The humidity be sutii-
GENTLY increased. or the temperature
sufficiently lowered. condensation is in
eyitabc-provided certain nuclei OF
condensation ,dust particles or mole
cnles OF bygroscopic gasesl be present,
and outside OF the laboratory they al.
ways are present
Now, 1t Is conceivable that a warning
army might produce a local rainstorm
by setting lire 10 great city. II the
air be rather moist. large contiagra-
lion invariably builds up great cumulus
clouds above IT, The heated mir rises
and cools by expansion. Just as It's Goes
frOui the sun heated earth ON sum.
mer day, aud condensation results I'm
der favorable conditions very big
DIRE might cause smart shower. or
even thunderstorm. though usually
the process goes no further than to
form clouds
\ battle. however. cannot be sup
posed TO have any apnreciahle effect
upon either the temperature or the
humidity of the air Two explanations
OF the alleged production o. rain 10y
battles have been offered. one non.
sensical and the other pseudo-scien-
tliic. The nonsensical explanation is
the popular one-viz, that the con.
densation OF moisture is promoted by
the concusSion due 10 canaonading. or
that the drops already coDSensed and
constituting the clouds are JoSiled to
geiher by the same process. with the
result that they cOaleSce and fail as
rain. As WIS once pointed out by
Professor NewcOmb the effect OF a
violent explosion upon a body of moist
air quarter of a mile away is exactly
the same as that OF tile clapplng of
ones hands upon the moist air OF the
room in which the experiment is per
formed-i. G.. absolutely nil. Or. again.
II We stand IN the steam escaping
from kettle and clap our hands we
shall not produce a shower. though we
jostle the water drops just rs the ex-
plosion does nj n distance OF quarter
Of a mile
The pseudo scientific explanation is
that the gases and smoke produced by
explosions increase condensation by in
crcasing the number OF nuclei In the
atmosphere. The nucleation Of the at
mosphere. as affected by ordinary dust
mess. by microscopic gases. by radio
active discharges. 10y ultra violet light
and what not. is still an obscure sub
ject An outstanding result OF recent
Investigations. however. appears TO be
this: The lower atmosphere normally
contains more Than the minimum num-
Der OF nuclei necessary tor the process
of condensation. and this process can
not be made more active by a mere in
crease in the number. Thus various
and abundant nuclei. In the form OF
gases ana smoke. are given OF to the
atmosphere toy great manufacturing
centers. yet these places 10 not have
heavier rainfall than the surrounding
open country Pittsburgh. for exam
pie. i one OF The driest places in Penn
sylvania Tho suggestion that explo-
sions may produce rain by furnishing
nuclei TO the atmosphere Is. In fact
mere speculatnu. aud probably could
be easily refutei by laboratory expert
Notwithstanding American.