Scientists are very skeptical about man's ability to initiate weather like rain or snow. Nevertheless, in 1902, an American, Charles Hatfield, first claimed he had invented a new…

Scientists are very skeptical about man's ability to initiate weather like rain or snow. Nevertheless, in 1902, an American, Charles Hatfield, first claimed he had invented a new chemical method to generate rain. He applied his method on a commercial basis for the ner twenty years and got a reputation as a rainmaker. Hatfield lived in Kansas and worked for a company that sold sewing machines. He considered his work boring and felt fed up with it. He dreamt of fame. Chemistry had always been Hatfield's great interest. For several years he was working on a formula that could initiate rain. After 1904, when he moved to California, his life changed dramatically. The advertisements he placed in the Los Angeles newspapers promised perfect rain for only fifty dollars. Because of the extremely dry season several farmers decided to try their chance. Hatfield and his brother built a tower on the top of a mountain and dispersed some chemicals into the air. Incredibly enough, soon it started to rain. Both the farmers and the 'wizard' were happy. The news about Hatfield's success spread around the country. The number of orders was growing fast. He travelled a lot, initiating rain in different regions but he was careful to keep his magic formula a secret. Inspired by these results, he promised Los Angeles Council forty-six centimeters of rainfall. It seemed unbelievable because so much rainfall was not typical for the city. Surprisingly, the next morning, after Hatfield's chemical experiments, rain was pouring down. Some meteorologists did not regard Hatfield's success as genuine. They were sure it was a coincidence and that most rain was the result of cyclones. On the other hand, there were scientists who took it quite seriously and wanted to watch the phenomenon in reality. It also needs to be mentioned that Hatfield was not always lucky. For example, in 1906 he was asked to initiate rain in the gold fields of the Klondike. No matter how hard he tried, the sky stayed cloudless. Fame and the need for money drove Charles Hatfield to further risky experiments. He bet he could fill in the container of the water lock near San Diego with rain water. If he succeeded, he was promised ten thousand dollars. Together with his brother, Hatfield built a six-meter tower and dispersed the chemicals into the air. Some days later it began to rain heavily. The rain did not stop for two weeks. The water lock container was full to the top. The coming water overfilled the rivers, destroyed some bridges, roads and phone cables. Many houses and farms went under water. Local officials blamed Hatfield for the loss and brought him to court. Luckily, he escaped punishment because he had no written agreement with officials. In spite of the accident, Charles Hatfield sincerely believed that his formula worked and continued his rain initiating practice. He died in 1958 but never gave away his secret. 13 Hatfield's work for the company had nothing to do with chemistry. 1) True 2) False 3) Not stated 1958 but ne Ответ: 14 Hatfield had studied chemistry at college. 1) True 2) False 3) Not stated Ответ: 15 Californian farmers paid Hatfield more than the agreed sum. 1) True 2) False 3) Not stated Ответ: 16 Hatfield was happy to share his secret formula to the Los Angeles authorities. 1) True 2) False 3) Not stated Ответ: 17 Hatfield never failed in his rain initiating business. 1) True 2) False 3) Not stated Ответ: 18 Hatfield always worked with his brother. 1) True 2) False 3) Not stated Ответ: 19 The heavy rain in San Diego caused great damage to the area. 1) True 2) False 3) Not stated Ответ: