The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1914-11-01
~A~~~ A~~N~ ~%~ .
: VOx POPULI. :
HEAVY cANNoNADINe GOES
NOT PRODUCE RAIN

white print paper it seems a wilfuT
waste of editorial space to devote it
to a discussion OF so fallacious a
TONIC as rain being an invariable
consequence of greae battles and de-
donations. The TAMPA TIMES Is
now inclined to withdraw from an. ar
gument 1t began on the subject and
possibly the following excerpt from an
editorial in the Scientific American Of
the 24th. inst, will serve TO emil ghten
certain benighted Tampans Matter
appearing in this periodical is general
~ accepted as coming from an author
at1ve source by those who read for in
1of1aaIse1 and not merely for anuse-
fEaenf. Z The Scientific American says:
Once IN the early Stone Age some
7ody remarked to somebody else that
rain frequently occurred after battles.
The author Of this statement was
probably not a psychologist, else his
conscience would have su1itten him fol
having set afloat in the WORLD the
germ OF a particularly fatuous sal-
| lacy. The evolution of the idea was
probably complete long before the
Age Of Rrenze. Big battles are often
followed by rain. Big battles often
PRODUCE rain. Big battles IN
VARLABLY produce rain Even the
modern penny-a-liner cannot improve
on the last statement. The myth Is
fi1ed-crystalllze probably i'm
perishable.
Since, however, we must put up
with the myth in its present form, let
US see how it happens that rain has so
often followed battles as to. suggest to
uncrittcal people that there Vas a ply
steal relation between the one and the
other.
First of all, no such relation ex-
lists. Rain IS the result of the active
condensation Of moisture in the at
mosPhere, and this is purely a ques-
ton OF humidity and temperature. r.
the humidity be sufficiently increased,
or the temperature sufficiently low
cred, condensation is inevita ble-pro-
vtded certain nuclei of condensation
(dust particles or molecules of hy-
droseopic gases) be present. and. out
side of the laboratory they always
ARE present.
"A oattle cannot be supposed to
have any appreciahle effect upon
either the hurnIdity OF temperature Of
the air Two explanations of the
alleged production of rain by battles
have been offered: ole nonsensical ana
the other pseudo scientific The non
senfcal explanation is the popular
one, Wig: that the condensation of
moisture is promoted by the eoaeus-
SIGN Que to cannonadi.ts, or that the
drops already condensed and ccnsti-
tuting the clouds are jostled toget her
by the same process, with the result
that they cealesce and fall az rain, As
was once pointed out by Prof. New
comb, the effect Of q violent explosion
upon body Of moist air a quarter Of
a mile away is exactly the same as
that Of the clapping Of ones hands
upon the moist air of the room in
which the experiment la performed. j.
e., absolutely NIL
The pseudo-scientific explanation
IS that the gases and smoke produced
by explosions increase condensation
by increasing the number Of nuclei
IN the atmosphere. The nucieation
Of the atmosphere as effected by or
binary business, by microscopic gases,
toy radioactive discharges, by ultra
violet light, and what not, is still an
OBSCURE subject. An outstanding re-
suit Ct recent investigation, However |
appears to be this: The lower atmes. |
phere normally contains more than !
the minimum number Of nuclei NEG
essary for the process of condensation |
and this process cannot be made more |
active by 9, mere increase in the NUM- |
Der Thus. various and abundant |
Hnelei. in the form of gases and I
smoke are given eff to the atmosphere |
by great manufacturing centers, yet |
these places do rot have a heavier /
Fain-fall than the surrounding open |
country Pittsburg. for instance, is |
one of the dryest places in Pennssl- |
Vaaia
Now If we examine tha history OF |
battles and the history of weather we
shall find that rain does not alwavs
follow great battles, though it fire.
quently does SO, and for two very Oh
v1ous reasons. II, for example we
consult the meteorological records Of
greatest battles in history have &C.
Cured we learn that under norma I
conditions, rain may be expected III
that region about every other, day, on
an average. TAus, at Sevres ten miles |
from Paris, the records from 1895 tc
1901 show an average of 157 rains
days per annum. These rainy days
did not, of course, alternate with
ralnless days. out there were geaer-
ally several rainy spells each month
1t is, therefore, evident that the prab-
ability Of rain within, say. tu enty-
four hours after a battle or a dog
fight, is rather high owing tc the or
binary operations of Nature.
The probability Of rain after or
during a battle is, however, material
~ increased by the fact that, the in
tervals Of fair weather between sue
cessiye rain-spells are naturally used
by commanders in the NOV amant of
troops which precede ? battle. These
can gererusTy Ee effected
only in dry weather, ard may require
several days By the time ali dispesi-
tons have been made the barcmetic
conditions have changed: the dry
high' has passed or its regular way
"a 4ta a atnuara ard thu adna ~ ia |