Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1923-07-14
SAY RA|NMAKINC
IS futile TASK
u. S. Weather Bureau SCOTS at
Schemes for Affecting Air.
ENORMOUS FORCES REQUIRED

Rainmaking, in the official opinion
Of the United States weather bureau,
is an "entirely futile undertaking." az
are other schemes for artificially at.
fecting atmospheric behavior"
"The governments meteorological"
said statement by the bureau, do
not know Of any scheme for the arti.
fetal production Of rain on a scale
Of practical magnitude, nor for other.
wise affecting atmospheric behavior.
In spite Of these facts, statements ap-
pear at intervals in the press herald
ing new ways of making rain, pre-
venting, rain or fog or forestalling the
disastrous effects Of storm. These
ideas are not new.
Can Precipitate Moisture.
1T is true that in the laboratory q
small amount Of moisture can be pre-
cipitated by the use Of special equip
ment. But widespread drought is due
to lack Of sufficient moisture in the
atmosphere and the absence Of other
conditions essential to the formation
Of rain. II there Is little moisture to
bring down, obviously no device for
causing rain artifcially has any value.
because Of the absurdity of supposing
human agencies can supply adequate
amounts Of water for extended areas
when the atmosphere itself is prac-
tically dry.
ITO produce one inch of rainfall
over an area of'an acre, approximate
~ 118 tons Of moisture would have
to be drawn up into the air and then
precipitated. For square mile H.
800 tons Of moisture would be re-
quired. A square mile, however. would
be scarcely dot In the center Of any
section where drought prevails, as In
Arizona or parts Of Texas
Enormous forces are required In,
nature to elevate moisture above the
earth before it can be precipitated.
Billions Of horsepower are represent
ed in the cloud that spreads over
housetops; and even II some artificial
means were found to cause the aggre-
cation and fall as rain of the infnitesi-
NAL drops Of which 1t Is made up.
calculation shows only trifling
amount Of precipitation would result.
There must be some way by which the
moisture-laden atmosphere can be
lifted to considerably higher alti-
tude, to lower Its temperature and
thus precipitate considerable part
Of It's moisture content"
Recall "hali-s Shooting" Scheme.
Among other weather-controlling
projects which have been relegated> to
the limbo Of the impossible, the bu.
reau recalled the "hail-shooting"
scheme that excited Europe ten years
ago, by which crops were to be pro-
tected from hail or rain by the shoot
ing Of bombs into the air to dissipate
oncoming storms. A more recently
projected scheme In this country,
which the bureau said to be "eco-
nomically impossible. contemplated
the use Of powerful fans at the base
Of high towers for forcing upward
great quantities Of air and thus simu-
lating conditions in rain.producing
storms or cyclones.
AS to the man who contracted with
farmers In drought-stricken regions to
produce by q secret chemical process
an inch or more Of rain within a pc
Rod Of two or three months, at q con-
sideration Of $1,000 an, inch, the bu-
reau regarded the scheme as a good
one-from his standpoint II the rain
came, 1t said he collected the fee; II
It failed, he didn't.