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<br />110' <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />published his Dissertatio Physica Pluvia in Latin. In this <br />country James P. "Espy deserves recognition. In 1839 he <br />published a paper suggesting thst an experiment be made to <br />see if rain could be produced in time of drought. Since <br />clouds are f011lled by vertical motions, he reasoned thllt the <br />upward currents of air produced by burning large fires could <br />result in clouds. He supported his theory by producing <br />evidence that rain was frequently observed in connection with <br />major conflagratirlns and volcanic eruptions. In slater <br />article, he suggested the salt marshes, prairies, or timber <br />destined to be burned should be preserved to be set on fire <br />in times of drought. <br /> <br />Daniel Vaughn published in an 1853 volume of the Scientific <br />American a technique for triggering the release of rainfall. <br />His theory involJed modifying atmospheric electricity. Con- <br />sidering that electricity is liberated whenever vapor is <br />condensed, further condensation will be retarded if the escape <br />of electricity cannot take plsce. He ressoned that rainfall <br />may be released by discharging electricity in the upper part <br />of the atmosphere. He proposed thllt a body of water be shot <br />into the atmosphere by pressurized air or carbonic acid, thus <br />achieving momentary communicstion with the imprisoned <br />electricity. <br /> <br />In 1880, Daniel Ruggles patented his theory for weather <br />modificstion. His method involves sending up balloons carry- <br />ing explosives and detonating them by electrical means. The <br />force of concussion would condense the rain clouds. Thus <br />rain could be produced or could be prevented from falling over <br />a specific region by precipitating the clouds before they <br />reach that area. <br /> <br />A patent If8S granted in 189} to Louis Gathman who suggested <br />diffusing liquified carbonic acid into the upper atmosphere. <br />The carbonic acid is shot, thrown, or carried by balloon into <br />the air and reI eased by explosion. The sudden expansion will <br />chill the air and cause condensstion. <br /> <br />In 1895, Alexander McAdie suggested that supercooled clouds <br />could be triggered into raining by seeding them with ice crysta1s. <br />The import of t ..,is idea apparently escaped the scientific minds <br />of his t:l1De. <br /> <br />Around the turn of the century, Frank Mel bourne claimed thllt <br />he had a technique for making rain. It involved the burning <br />of certain fume-producing chemicals. He 'Nas hired by sOllIe <br />residents of Southern California to break up their drought. <br />The drought was ended; in fact, flooding occurred. In 1900 <br /> <br />3 <br />