The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-10-16


Misunderstanding Device Which
Really Works - Various Schemes
for Fighting Frost Are Discussed
and Condemned by United States
Weather Bureau Expert-Little De-
mand for Cloud-Compellng Machines
This Year.
Devices to make rain, to stop rain,
to ward off frost, to regulate heat and
to make the wind blow at the will Of
the farmer have been offered to the
farmer at fancy prices by experiment.
ers in various parts of the country so
often that special warnings have been
issued by the Department of Agricui-
ture against some of them.
The contract of "Rainmaker" Hat
field to deliver rain at Medicine Hat.
Alberta for the price of $4,000 an inch
and the claims that he fulfilled the
contract and made a huge profit have
caused other promoters to enter the
climate-controlling industry. Because
1t was generally wet year, there has
been reported only a very small de
mand for cloud-compelling inventions.
Frost-fghting devices were discussed
as follows in q statement by 9. f.
Marvin of the United States weather
bureau:
Zone device, consisting Of an air
plane propeller mounted horizontally
on a 25-foot tower, was given a thor
ough test In an orchard in southern
California and was found to be abso-
lutely worthless as far as raising the
temperature was concerned.
"A funnel-shaped machine which
drives heated air over the tops of
trees was also tested during the same
season and found to be Of even less
practical value, if such a thing were
possible. Quite a long experience has
demonstrated the economic practi-
cability Of adding heat to the air
through the use Of 80 to 100 small
fires to the acre
Cannon to Break UP Hail.
Prof. D. W. Herring of New York
university, who has made a study of
the history Of rain-making devices and
similar inventions, has found only one
weather-controlling device which ac-
tually works, and this Is a cannon
which breaks up threatening hail
storms. This is described as follows
In an article by Doctor Herring in the
Scientific Monthly:
after various haphazard expert
ences of viticulturists, one Of them, an
Austrian, Albert Stiger, invented a
form of cannon In 1896 which could
readily and effectively be used for the
purpose of repelling and beaking up
such storms.
This cannon somewhat resembles |
the old hell-mouthed blunderbuss in
form, with a chamber at the hrearl I
for q cartridge containing only pow
der and funnel-shaped tube, like the
tie shacks Oh the hillsides, these are
ready for use at short notice. and |
since they are distributed among the
many adjoining vineyards. whole
battery of them can be brought into
action promptly.
when the storm is seen to be gath
ering, the cannons are brought out
and directed against the threatening
cloud. Signals are sent from vine +
yard to vineyard, and upon the first
appearance of the destructive hall
stone the counter bombardment begins
Dr~ny r1n of
sues a mass of heated gas. smoke and
smoke rings. propelled violently
against the lowering cloud The +
smoke rings are like those discharged
rom the smokestack by the puffs of
/ locomotive. but with far greater
energy of propulsion.
Like Gas Attack in War.
"In sense, this was anticipating
he war, for it was veritable gas at
ack in the realm of the aer0naut.
lefnite or well assured. Whether the
ings of smoke disrupt the clouds or
whether sufficient local heating Of
he air causes warm air to rise and
Intercept the hail converting it into
ain or preventing the congeanng of
later vapor into bail, is uncertain
ut there seems to be sufficient evil
ence of the efficacy of the plan in
ispersing the clouds and checking the
torn of hail. The cannons literally
boot 1t away"
Rain production will probably he ac- 9
1mpIished in time, according to Doe (
n Herring. who said: f
weather control by artificial r
cans, however, is not regarded as I'M 2
.ientific, and meteorologists are not s
opeless Of accomplishing 1t. At the t
me of the Dryenforth experiments.
e physicist, Elmer Gates, was q
In his laboratory at Il
hevy Chase Nd. the production Of
in electrically. Electrifying the air
one spot Cllke limited area of the
rths surface) causes expansion by y
e mutual repulsion Of particles; the v
r becomes less dense and rises. the Il
81.