Charles Hatfield
Charles Mallory Hatfield (born July 15, 1875 in Fort Scott , Kansas , † January 12, 1958 in Glendale , California ) was an American amateur meteorologist . He became famous as a “rain maker”.
Life
Hatfield was born into a Quaker family. At the beginning of the 20th century he worked as a sewing machine salesman . Around 1902 he experimented with chemicals on his parents' farm , hoping to trigger rain with them. In fact, during a drought in 1902, increased rainfall increased, encouraging Hatfield to offer its services in California. He first became famous in 1904 when he accepted an order from the City of Los Angeles . The town had suffered a drought for three years and Hatfield was commissioned to produce rain within five days. It actually rained after just two days.
In December 1915, San Diego also suffered a prolonged period of drought and the city recalled Hatfield's arts. He asked for $ 10,000 to rain down the city's water reservoir . On January 1, 1916, he went to work with his brother Joel and they set up their devices in an opaque tent. After five days it actually rained and after another five days, extremely heavy rain set in. On January 27, 1916, the Lower Otay and Sweetwater Dams broke after weeks of rain had devastated San Diego.
When Hatfield received death threats shortly afterwards for being held responsible for the disaster, he fled the city. He didn't show up in town until February 17th to ask for his money. The city council denied having had a contract; in fact, none was signed in writing. Hatfield lost the subsequent trial, which he led against the city until 1938. After 1916 he worked again as a sewing machine salesman.
literature
- Garry Jenkins: The Wizard of Sun City: The Strange True Story of Charles Hatfield, the Rainmaker Who Drowned a City's Dreams. Thunder's Mouth Press, July 2005, ISBN 1-56025-675-3 .
Web links
- Thomas W. Patterson: Hatfield the Rainmaker. In: San Diego History Center
- Lynne Christenson: Charlie Hatfield "The Rainmaker". Video, 9 min, English, 2004
- Charles Hatfield in the database of Find a Grave (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Danny Kringiel: Curious Weather Maker - Sorry, I sank San Diego. In: one day from May 16, 2012
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Hatfield, Charles |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Hatfield, Charles Mallory (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American amateur meteorologist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 15, 1875 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Fort Scott (Kansas) , United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 12, 1958 |
| Place of death | Glendale (California) , United States |