Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-09-25
The Greatest InsIGuIfOn of The Nine
leenth entury

leenth entury.
MR.. EDITOR: We do not know that
Mother Eve ever had tea-kettle, or
ever prepared a refreshing cup of
coffee for Father Adam, yet they
both came to know, it is presumed,
that water could be generated into
steam. From their day to ours the race
has made daily use of water, and has
often noticed the changes produced in
it by the application of heat, and still
but few of the millions have known the
wonderful agencies wrapped up in
this abundant element.
It is unnecessary to speak of the
numerous uses Of this all-pervadiDg
fluid, since life can not exist with
out it.
Probably the mass of the human
family have supposed it impossible to
make it contribute any further 10 the
| welfare OF our race.
Who would have supposed that the
| fluid always used in eztiDguishing
fires is composed of the very elements
to make the intensest heat we can
create!
Who could imagine that any one
could take the purest water, and
by any possible change destroy it, then
kindle the ruins Of it and make
the TWO elements which composed it
TO heat our furnaces, to cook our food,
and to light up our houses?
Can 1t be that this water We drink,
and in which we cool our feverish
brains has in it the fuel to make fire
which in one minute will melt sub
stances which no blast furnace in
hours can dissolve?
Should we pour few quarts of
water into q keg of powder it would
render it impossible to explode it, yet
who would have dreamed that the
very water which made it impossible
to kindie the powder is composed Of
only two agencies which viii! explode
with a deafsning sound as readily as
the driest and hest gunpowder ever
made?
IF such are the forces wrapped mp in
this familiar element, We have beau
uful illustration of the Divine words.
"There is the hiding of His p0We =
It seems natural to suppose that such
wonderful element must contribute
more largely than it has heretofore
done.t0 the welfare Of our race. And
to this point has the attention OF
chemists been directed for q
half century without any fruit
ful results. 1t has seemed
10 them that water, with such power
erful forces ia it, must be made 10 cons
tribute more largely than ever to the
interests of mankind. That result
has at last been obtained. A man IN.
known in the world of letters, en-
rolled upon no triennial catalogue, 8
close observer, a careful thinker, a
man Of varied learning. for many
years q practical chemist, living in n
eumptuous palace, in one of the cutter
avenues OF Chicago, experimenting
for years, has at last succeeded in sub
iecting water to his control, and is
now heating and lighting houses in
Chicago, aided by crude petroleum. II
has been introduced into Philadelphia
Contracts have been made to put it, as
: moter, into one hundred and ten cars
: in the city of New York. Negotia
ito 8 are pending for the sale of tbs
l invention to the United States Govern
ment. The inventor, Chas. Holland
5 has taken out nine patents, and 81
: carefully and thoroughly has ht
studied the whole method of using TIT
wa er that now the invention is per
feet.
{ His plan of decompressing the waite
is new to scholars, so that several dis
i. tinguisbed chemists, after an exhaus
/ tive examination of his invention
have enthusiastically pronounced il
its favor, and upon their endorsement
t wealthy capitalists have invested thei
f money in it. The right of the STATE
of Pennsylvania has been sold 70
500 600, and that of several othe
States have been disposed of.
Charles Hollands invention will
probably revolutioniZe the industries
, of the world. Two years last May
l when in Chicago, accidentally hearing
, of this invention, [ went five miles Il
see MIR. H, and had the pleasure o
seeing him burn the water 10 cook
ing stove and in the furnace of law
+ yer's house-a most astounding sight
D It was fitting that the Trustees o
! Maryville College should do, as they
did last week, confer the Honorary
j Degree of Doctor of Philosophy upor
3 a man who has achieved so much fol
o the world as has Charles Holland. IL,
Ellis Avenue, Chicago, Ill.
In few days [ will give your read
ers general idea of the method b,
1 which Mr.. Holland accomplished hi
object
4 P. M. BARTLETT,
7 President Maryville College.
Sept. %, 1879.