{"id":350,"date":"2011-01-03T20:38:01","date_gmt":"2011-01-03T20:38:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sandiegoyesterday.com\/?p=350"},"modified":"2023-01-10T10:24:14","modified_gmt":"2023-01-10T18:24:14","slug":"the-rainmaker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.sandiegoyesterday.com\/?p=350","title":{"rendered":"The “Rainmaker”"},"content":{"rendered":"

The city council signed a contract yesterday with Hatfield, the Moisture Accelerator. He has promised to fill Morena reservoir to overflowing by December 20, 1916, for $10,000. All the councilmen are in favor of the contract except Fay, who says it’s rank foolishness.\u00a0 —<\/em>San Diego Union.<\/em><\/p>\n

By the end of 1915, San Diego was in its fifth year of drought.\u00a0 The city reservoirs of Morena and Otay were nearly empty.\u00a0 With water supplies threatened, the nervous City Councilmen gave verbal acceptance to the offer of a “Rainmaker,” Charles M. Hatfield, who boldly pledged to “fill the Morena reservoir to overflowing . . .”<\/p>\n

Read the story of The Rainmaker<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Mission Valley, flooded in January 1916.<\/p><\/div>\n