New Fog Dispeller Devised By Director of Observatory

A discharge of electrified particles is the method of melting fog proposed by Alexander McAdie '84, director emeritus of the Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory, in his newly-published book "Fog." While primarily intended for use in fog-bound harbors, the system can be applied in city streets as well.

"It has been estimated," Mr. McAdie states, "that a loss to the Port of London during the fog of December 5 and 6, 1930, was as high as $5,000,000 a day. While this is an unusually long fog spell, we are safe in giving an estimate of twenty each year when traffic is seriously impeded if not suspended. The financial loss is considerable.

"There is little doubt that under certain conditions, much of the ground fog could be dissipated by using electrified spray from fireboat nozzles. The electrification must need be high, something of a half million volts."

While heavy fog could not be completely cleared away by this method, tunnels through the fog large enough to permit traffic could be "drilled."