RAIN-MAKING EXPERIMENTS

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8518, 24 August 1907, Page 6

RAIN-MAKING EXPERIMENTS

By Telegraph—Press [Association. OAMARU, .August 23. Recently what is known as the Rain-making Committee here raised £2OO locally, which the Government subsidised with £2OO, for the purpose of experimenting with explosives in ram-making. The Government sent the Rev. D. C. Bates, of the Meteorological Department, to report, and four members of the Submarine Corps to prepare bombs of dynamite, guncotton and powder. The experiments have now been abandoned, it having been demonstrated that the explosion of high or low explosives had no effect on the clouds. On Monday last a number of bombs were exploded on high land, about eighteen miles from Oumaru, under favourable conditions, but less rain fell there than in any part of the district. On Thursday the demonstration was on a larger scale, :three points having been selected for the purpose. The conditions were again favourable, but the explosives had not the slightest effect on the clouds, which were laden with moisture, and the comnvttee decided to abandon the experiments. Since the experiments, rain, which is general over the greater part of the South Island, came in from the east, and has seen falling steadily since a late hour last night, and apparently with every prospect of continuing.