MORE MIRACLES

When demon doctors and medicine men of the past succeeded in producing rain in the space of a week they were highly esteemed, and considered as ornaments to their profession. But even the most sanguine of them did not expect to have their prayers answered in ten minutes--unless, perhaps, they had previously noticed a thunder-cloud gathering on the horizon. In the future, however, "rainstorms to order" will be regarded as commonplace.

Even since the first development of aviation, fogs, mists, and clouds have been a hindrance, and have often rendered successful flight impossible. Therefore the army joined forces with men of science to discover a method by which such clouds might be precipitated in the form of rain. But although experiments have been carried on for more than a year and a half, they have never achieved complete success until five days ago. At that time onlookers might have heard an aeroplane pass far above their heads, seen the air grow clear in its path, and feel drops of rain fall on their outstretched hands. The phenomenon was described as "absolutely uncanny" one which would have appeared miraculous to a man unaware of its cause.

Its explanation is intelligible enough to anyone acquainted with the laws of electricity, but to the layman the whole affair remains "miraculous": The aeroplane carried a cargo of about eighty pounds of sand grains which were charged with static electricity by means of a wind driven generator. At a height of 500 feet above the tops of the cloud, these sand particles were scattered abroad by the propeller, so that they gradually settled upon the cloud-mass below. The interaction of opposite electric charges between sand and moisture particles caused a condensation, and the clouds changed to rain, leaving a clear sky in their place.

Miracles of this sort are the common places of modern science. But the present invention will scarcely be a popular one the man who finds the magic charm to make rain stop, will win more universal plaudits than the inventors of artificial precipitation can hope for.