Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-10-04
THE STEAM ENGINE DOOMED.
Dr.. Siemens Confident that 1t sriII be Sac
ceedcd by Gas and E1~c;. ici;y.
Pail Mall G,zatte

DR.. Siemens Confident tRot it sciIJ De Sac =
ceedcd by Gas and E7-c;. ici;y.
Pail Mall Gazette.
Whatever else may survive in tie future,
DIR. Siemens is certain that the steam en-
CINE is doomed. Its fate is first to be con-
fined to the driving of large dynamo me-
chimes, which will distribute force at pres
ent supplied by a myriad of small and
wasteful steam engines, end then to be
superseded alto, ether by the gas engine.
Gas and electri CITY may be mutually hostile
but they are to unite their TO ces in orde
to extirpate the stea,n engine. the Ia; pc :
donable sin OF the steam eng ne is that of
waste. Even tbs best OF ,lei.! or,Ime tWO
pounds of coal Pc hose po.v per ton /;
whereas, says D.. S:e-ilonF- whol lie gas
producer has taken the place O. the COM
pick and dangerous steam bci,e-, il. viii
not take one pound of coal to develop one
horsepower for one hSc:. RuG before gas
banishes steam it will supefce. } coal ::
the agent for the development 2f 81 2am.
\ pound of gas gives fo-th exactly twice
me heat of pound of coal. and even this
my be improved upon. To burn ra Goa
is to squander our Inheritance.
Or. Siemens gives some startling figures
to prove that The by-products of the coal
annually used in gas-maklng are worth
three millions sterling more than the coal
used in producing them, without allowing
anything for the value of the gas. Besides
the products al, eady utilized, 10000 tons
of sulph.'- are now wasted every year,
which may yet be converted into source
Of IT,, 4Io 80
coal, DR.. Siemens maintains that science
as with some magician's wand. will ''ban-
jsh the black pail of smoke which hangs
over our great cities and restore to them
pure air, bright sunshine and blue skies.''
Nor shall we ever have TO suffer as COM
pensation for the multiplication of enor-
nous gason.eters. Toe coal will be COD
verted into gas at the bottom of the min ,
"a prospect not altogether to be contem-
plated without alarm by the workers in
fiery seams-and the gas carried by pipes
wherever it is wanted.
Electricity will also be made largely SER
viceable for the distribution of power.
Even after allowing so per cent. for loss in
transmission the gain is still enormous.
The electric light will chiefly be confined
to lighting public places. The gaslight
will hold its own as 1.-The poor mans
FRIEND" and gas heating will become uni
versal. Thus in the near future DR.. Stem
ems unfolds before our eyes world in
which there will be no smoke and no steam
and where coal will only be visible in the
Immediate vicinity of the pit. Electricity
will light our streets, gas will cook our
dinners, and driving power will be laid on
by wire wherever it is wanted.
There will be no pollution of rivers, for
every waste product will be utilized, and
the sulphurous fumes which have converted
whole counties into scenes of dark desola-
ton will be employed in ,aaking tie will
derness to blossom as the rose and in re
storing fertility to our exhausted soil. In
short, science at last Will begin to Danish
all the manifold denominations by which
''the black age'' of manufactu ,es has de.
faced the beauty of our land. 1t is not be
fore time