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<br />rv <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />>'e B.re capable are merely to ac.". enough nressure to enable nature to pull the trig- <br />ger, thereby firing the gun, and setting'off a burst of energy which, in the case of <br />big storms, may be eaual to that released by the e~losions of several atomic bombs. <br />~herefore the hardwOrl<ing rainmaker must not only find ~ loaded gun, but one with <br />the trigger set and with natural agencies in position to finger the trigger. <br /> <br />BecaWE of all this, some scientists remain in the ranks of skeptics or outright dis- <br />senters. They argue that it is foolish to ti~er with conditions that are going to <br />produce rain anyway. They go further and contend tl>at in a favorable situation, <br />ever. if rain does fall after human efforts, there can be no sure proof that the <br />busiest of tiDkering by human hands caused any p>,<rt of it. If it could be assumed <br />that the rainmaker's efforts have some effect, they insist this effect probably is <br />small and that it is so difficult as to be nearly impossible to determine just how <br />great it is. Finally they point to the irregularity always present under natural <br />couditions and the frequency of so-called freak storms. These, they suggest, show <br />the wide range of possibility of coincidence to exolain precipitation following <br />demonstrations by rain ~~ers. <br /> <br />Re,.,orted statetlents of tra.ined \-Iorkers and observers in this ne'" field, however, <br />indice.te tha.t e.t this time onl;)' a minorit3, and not e. large !Dinority at that, may be <br />raDked in this school of thought. H~rdly P.ny, if ar~. of the group saem to take the <br />stand that h~ agency cen heve no effect on precipitation. They usually go no <br />farther than to ~aintain either that the evidence is not conclusive or that any ef- <br />fect that could be attributed to man's efforts .,.ould be so slllB.ll and irregule.r as <br />not to be >rorth the exr.>ense or the confusio:a likely to be engendered by them. <br /> <br />\r") <br />.-\ <br />If) <br />,-\ <br /> <br />The large majority of those who are convinced that rainmaking is both possible and <br />practicabls are generally \-lilling to accept tte metaphor of tae loaded gun with the <br />trigger set. Ro"'e,er, the,r maintain that there is often the thinnest of margins <br />even in favorable weather between conditions that will not quite produce rain and <br />those that '..ill result in a do,m?oLlr. As it might be expressed, only a slight addi- <br />tional pressure on the trigger may be all tha.t is needed to fire a shot th".t might <br />other.dse not be fired. They ere convinced teat the techniques nO~1 developed are <br />sufficient to nudge nature into giving that little extra pull of the trigger. Also <br />they claim th~t a rain, which \-Iould be ve~J light if nature is left to its o>rn de- <br />vices, can be increa.sed three Or four fold, or more, by P. discerning application of <br />a small stimulant, ths use of which is '1ell understood. Or to strain o~r metaphor <br />a little farther, 'fa might sey the.t a gun lOs.deC\. fol.' elepbants might discharge a <br />bullet no larger than birdshot if nature \-Iere left entirely alone to follow its usual <br />rather fickle and aimless course. Yet a little coa~ing and nudging on the part of a <br />s:dlled rainmaker Can induce the sort of trigger pull that "ill fire the full charge. <br /> <br />Three lines of e,idence have been 9resented by the affirnative group to support its <br />stand. The first consists of recorded observations of atmospheric ~henomena made by <br />trained meteorologists Over a long ,eriod of time, principa:ly for the )urpose of <br />weather forecasting. Actual conditions in pnd constitution of the atmosnhere at <br />various times and changes noted within certain intervals, while not furnishing con- <br />clusive proof, do give much credence to the claims. A second line consists of ob- <br />servations on the cloues made at tne ?oint of seeding just before and during exper- <br />iments on preci?itaticn control. Observers ~ho "ere trained scientists with unim- <br />peachable reputations have watChed closely, often through high-powered binoculars, <br />for any results which might be defini tel:' ascribed to cloud seeding. They have af- <br />fi=ed ?ublicly ,.>! thoLlt hesi tetion or quelification that a fall of rain or suo,.] could <br />be seen to occur at or near the point of contact of the seeding material end the <br />clouds; and that the pheno:nena occl:.rred so quickly after the seeding process a.S to <br />convince them that the ?rocess itself was at least largely responsible. <br /> <br />- 3 - <br />