Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-06
4RA|N-MAK|NG' ART.
FRAUDS EXPOSEDBy
WEATHER OFFICIALS
Statement That Air Lacks
Nuclei Is Shown to
Be False.
TAKERS VlCTIMIzE
MANY BY SCHEMES
U. S. Meteorologist Points Out Why
Attempts to Produce Precipi-
tation Are Worthless.
BY ARMrsrEAD w. GILLIAN

BY ARMISTEAD w. GILLIAN.
Those who subscribe to machines for
the making of rain are being swindled
and those who profess to be able to
bring precipitations from the heavens
are "scoundrels.'
In these words, the officials of the
United States Weather Bureau sharply
designated the various devices that now
are being offered in hundreds of COM
munities to break the drought which
prevails in almost the entire country.
These officials said that there is Moth
ing any individual or group of indi-
viduals can do to bring about immediate
relief, regardless Of the claims.
DR.. Charles F. Marvin, chief of the
bureau, made 1t plain that the Govern
ment neither has the resources nor the
energy to produce enough rain to pro-
vide even an infiniteSimal amount Of
relief from the drought, and that the
Weather Bureau stands ready to brand
as a faker any man or group of men
who say they can make rain in the air
in sufficient volume TO provide relief
from the drought.
Humphreys Exposes "Art."
Prof W. j. Humphreys, meteorologi-
cal physicist with the bureau and the
author of somewhat humorous book
OI4 1OdAAA 1S1ohAAlS dAO SIAlCL WCdOAACL
Vagaries" was the principal spokesman
for the bureau in the matter of rain
making. He pointed out that the
Weather B.reau has investigated every
phase of the rain makers art" and
found that in every instance the man
who sold the idea of making rain to a
suffering community was making cap1-
tai out of that communities misfortune.
II am aware" said Prof. Humphreys,
chat there are persons reaping rich
harvest by claiming to bring rain that
will relieve the pitiable plight of the
country They are all takers and the
people should be warned.
Many Plans Proposed.
There have come to this Office In
the years have been here a vast
number of plans for producing precipi-
tation.
/ "The most common of these fakes is
the proposal that the air has not
of the fine particles in 1t for
the moisture particles to form the nuclei
for rain. Let me say right now that
there are always in the air a thousand
times more particles than are needed.
1.-The rain maker who pursues these
tactics takes up into the air, by ball
loon, some of the substances about
which moisture particles will form, re-
leases them and down they fall damp
than good when they hit the earth. 1t
isn't rain.
There are several chemicals about
which water will form high in the sky,
particles of which the air is already full,
which these rain makers take up and
distribute, hoping for natural rain to
come and vindicate their efforts. Some
times they are lucky and the natural
rain comes. Then they are indicated.
There are thundershowers running about
all the while waiting for the atmos-
pheric conditions that will bring about
a precipitation.
Amount of Rein Needed.
"But suppose we take to figures. One
inch of rain on a city block is enough
water to provide all the persons living
on that block with water for their
normal needs Qf they go easy on baths)
for eight years.
Assuming we have the chemical par
ticles which will form the nuclei FOR
10 times their weight in atmospheric
moisture (Which we haven't it would
take 10000 pounds of the chemical to
bring about that one inch of rain on
that one city block.
80 you see, we haven't the facilities
to bring about getting 100000 pounds
of chemical into the air. The cost of
the chemical. If such we had, probably
WUQlu NC llC OklC llOL1 VI
rain for one city block would be wholly
inadequate for breaking the drought.
and like the lawmakers claims, the
whole thing would be absurd"
Prof. Humphreys says history never
has been without its rainmaker. Plu-
tarch referred to the rain following bat
ties as being the result of the perspira-
writer's found rain following battles
due to the desire of their gods to wash
away the stains OF conflict.
Gunpowder Won't Bring Rain
Prof. Humphreys thinks that more
big battles, but he says that it has been
proved to the complete satisfaction of
the Weather Bureau that rain does not
come after the discharge of big guns
and that the discharge of gunpowder
exerts no physical effect in bringing
about precipitation.
The professor also says some rain
makers have advocated building great
fires to carry moisture-laden hot air
into the upper regions, there to con-
dense into rain. To bring about rain
this way, he added, one would have t.
burn down the town to get a little, if
any, rain.
And that" he went on, would be
like the man who burned down his
barn to get rid of the rats in 1t and
only succeeded in providing name for
the notorious political party in New
York State which was known as the
Other would be rain makers, Prof
added, have gone so far as
70 suggest building mountain ranges to
force the warm, moisture laden air cur
'ents into the colder upper atmosphere,
here to condense and fall as rain.
"Ice" Rain Wouldn't Work.
Still others, said Prof Humphreys,
wants to- cool of the upper atmosphere
o the point of bringing on condensa-
ion and causing rain by distributing
ce about the sky from balloons and air.
planes. This would be fine, he said,
,ut the only rain that would fall would
,e the melted ice.
We'll have rain, not because the rain
makers make It," concluded Prof Hum
,hrey, But when the atmospheric con-
itions are such that precipitation is
warranted"