Palisadian., 1923-03-16

Rainfall has been caused and clouds
have been made to disappear in
series of experiments at McCook field
at Dayton, O., according TO announce
ment made by the experimenters, Prof.
Wilder d. Bancroft Of Cornell univer-
sity and l.. Francis Warren.
The experiments were made with
the cooperation of the army air serv-
Ice.
Results of the experiments were de-
scribed as absolutely uncanny' by OBJ
servers at the army air field. In brief,
the clouds were made to disappear and
precipitate their moisture by the drop
ping of electrically charged grains of
sand upon them from airplanes.
Professor Bancroft and Mr.. Warren
claim that the process Will be of great
value in the commercial world, as fogs
over cities, harbors and flying fields
can be made to disappear, thereby in
suring safety to travel and transporta-
tion. They do not claim that in every
instance rain or precipitation can be
produced, as they say all clouds do not
contain sufficient moisture.
Army Gets Use Of Patent.
In payment for its cooperation dur
ing the tests the army air service has
been given the free use of the process.
for which patents are pending. for the
removal of mists and fogs over Its fly
Ing fields.
The experiments have been in prog
ress at McCoOk field there for the last
year and half, and will be continued
at Moundsville, w. Va. on the Wash
ington-Dayton air route, and possibly
st Washington, where fog conditions
are more frequent and better than at
Dayton.
In the experiments La Pere plane,
carrying about eighty pounds of sand,
of about 100 mesh, with a wind driven
generator, operating an electric equip
ment capable of charging the sand
with high voltage either positively or
negatively at the will of the operator,
was employed The sand was charged
TO approximately 10000 volts, or a
charge of the order of .0006 electro
static units per grain, and was scat
tered through the action of the plane
propeller at height of about 500 feet
above the tops of the clouds, the plane
travelling at rate of about 100 miles
per hour.
The time taken to precipitate and de-
stroy the clouds from the period of the
first direct attack to the period of final
disappearance, in each case, rarely ex-
ceeded ten minutes, and in several
cases was less than five minutes, Mr..
Warren said
Made Holes In Clouds.
1t was found In the experiments that
wherever the charged particles Of
sand, in sufficient quantity, were re-
leased at the top of cloud, and the
cloud was of opposite charge to the
sand, large hole, In a fraction of
minute, was made through the entire
cloud from top to bottom.
No large-scale attempts were made,
Mr.. Warren said. at artificial rain-mak-
ing with heavy rain clouds, as the ex-
periments were solely directed at the
removal Of mists and fogs covering
areas extensive enough to Justify the
army air service In installing the
process over one of its foggy flying
fields. He said that all heavy rain
clouds are highly electrified and 1t
was not deemed safe to deal with them
with high voltages until measures were
taken to guard against possible acci-
dents tosthe pilots and planes
At its Moundsville (W. Va.) field the
army air service purposes to employ a
captive balloon, containing an electric
equipment and anchored by cable to a
truck. The balloon and equipment will
keep the field and surrounding regions
free from fog and also serve as bea-
con night and day during misty or
fOggy weather. At night the balloon
will be Illuminated, so that it may be
seen by flyers and the location of the
open and free landing space deter
mined