|
<br />r~'
<br />
<br />t-
<br />.....
<br />U"
<br />.....
<br />
<br />'~
<br />
<br />. II
<br />CALIFOR:!IA STATE CHAi.iB:sR OF Co-.~:,Ei.fdE('f,~
<br />RES3ARCH DEPART~lEltT A ,.,\.t,ttt'f: '..' '"
<br />FEBRUARY ,7, 1951 ,\ l" ~
<br />-dr~' fit, ,~'-..,,,I~, ...\,'
<br />., ~..' ".I,
<br />o.\~' t,
<br />t r tt/~"
<br />
<br />, "'.
<br />". -',-:
<br />"'." -.
<br />
<br />SCIEl'fi'IFIC, ECOllOmC AND LEGAL ASPECTS OF
<br />HEATHER MODIFICATION
<br />
<br />Ilost persons until fairly recently, and a great many persons right up to the present
<br />have generally regarded talk of changing the weather with a mixture of facetiousness
<br />and skepticism. There was good reason for this. A few of us remember straggly
<br />bearded, wildeyed cha~.cters who appeared occasionally in drouth plagued communities
<br />and offered up prayers for rain in loud, sometimes hysterical, voices. A few even
<br />can remember glib flashy individuals around country fairs or carnivals offering to
<br />deliver shoV/ers for a price paid in ac,ve,nce. Others have seen individuals firmly
<br />grasping forked sticks while they walked over fields "witching for "later", A great
<br />many who have snent their lives in the arid western states have seen medicine men
<br />of the indian tribes try to induce the great spirit to send rain by a series of
<br />fantastic leapings and weird incantations timed to the beating of tomtoms.
<br />
<br />It was rather agreed among the so-called civilized peoples, though tacitly, that we
<br />should accept Nark T\"ain'e ap?ra1eal that "'eather was something only to be talked
<br />about. Yet theories for changing the weather are not new, a,lthough it is only with-
<br />in the past few years that certain highly publicized discoveries and experiments
<br />have given our compl~cency such a jolt that one may observe skepticism being replaced
<br />by gullibility in many ~uarters. In 1891 the U. S. Patent Office granted a patent
<br />for a method of producing rainfall by spraying the atmosphere with liquified carbonic
<br />acid gas. lJot long ago a highly resT,lected a,ttorney, after careful study, expressed
<br />the opinion tha,t if the holder of this patent were still alive, he would have grounds
<br />for suit against modern rainmakers for infringement. Twice, T,lrior to 1900, serious
<br />consideration was given in Congress to legislation in the matter of weather control.
<br />
<br />~lost adult native Californians will have no difficulty recalling the career of Hr.
<br />Charles I,:. Hatfield who "'as engaged in rain making experiments in this State from
<br />about 1900 to 1930. In 1904 he entered into a contract in Los Angeles County under
<br />which he V/as to receive $50 if he could "roduce one inch of precipitation. He sent
<br />his eauiT,lment into action and it is on record that more than an inch of rain fell
<br />over the target area in the two days immediately following. After that he .,as able
<br />to obtain a large number of contracts at high fees in the southern part of the State
<br />and a large number of reputable persons have stated publicly that they were convinced
<br />that his techniques were effective.
<br />
<br />In July, 1916, I..r. Ha,tfield was featured in a spectacular incident that did not turn
<br />out so ?leasantly. For a .,hile it uas the talk of the country. It had been a dry
<br />year and the water wa.s nearly exhausted in the large reservoir which supplied the
<br />City of San Diego. He entered into a contract with the city under which he was to
<br />receive $10,000 if he could T,lroduce enough rain to fill the reservoir. He set to
<br />work wi th his apparatus and shortly aftel""ard there occurred a pounding, lashing
<br />deluge that lasted several days and broke all records by a big margin. Not only
<br />was there several times the amo~t of water needed to fill the reservoir, but such a
<br />raging flood Came rushing down from the uplands that the dam was torn to pieces and
<br />great damage "'as suffered by landholders below.
<br />
<br />Reports have it thet there immediately wes a round robin of lawsuits. Irate citizens
<br />sued both the city of San Diego and Hatfield. The city refused to pay the fee and
<br />in addition sued Hatfield who in turn sued the city. The court, ?erhaps unnerved at
<br />the prospect of trying to solve in a mundane institution matters that smacked of
<br />black magic" ordered the suits dismissed on the ground that the whole affair was an
<br />
|