The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1893-09-15
ELECTRICITY.

II half Of what w. G. Ferris, the now
famous electrician, says regarding the
future of electricity is realized our great
est wealth will be in our unlimited wa
ter power. Mr.. Ferris article has re-
ceived wide publicity and was published
at the time Of its appearance in this pa
per, but Of late there have been many
requests for republication. In order to
oblige these friends of The TRIBUNE the
full text Of the interview is given below.
He said:
Undoubtedly the greatest practical
progress of the near future will be COM
priced within the expansion Of the use
Of electricity and compressed air. In
deed, l am persuaded that modern life
will be absolutely revolutionized 90 far
as it's practical, everyday work is con-
cerned within the coming ten years. And
electricity largely will accomplish it. So
far az practical use is concerned l should
say that we had merely begun to employ
electrical power. Within a few years
every waterfall or available bit of water
power will be chained and converted
into electric force. Among the highways
will run electric lines, on which you will
find not only passengers, but express and
freight trains. These lines will ply be-
tween the principal cities and towns of
the country, they will gather up the
products of the farm and dump them at
the freight Office of the great trunk lines.
The familiar spectacle Of the farmer driv-
ing to town with the product of the yeai.
ly harvest will be witnessed no longer.
Instead he will merely haul his produce
to the nearest highway and have it
shipped by electricity to town. The
electric Car will bring his mail to his
door daily, and instead of being the
lonesome affair that 1t is nowadays the
farm of the future will be in close touch
with the town and the city.
The condition which will determine
the relative expansion of towns and
cities in the next decade is the presence
of water power. The whole problem of
electricity is one of cheap generation.
Now, any city or town of this country
which has got a water fall within an
available distance, and that distance is a
large one, has, so to speak, a gold mine.
Water power means the minimum of
cheapness in the generation of electric
power. You can easily see, therefore
that any city which possesses this adj
vantage must take the lead over any
city that has not. Buffalo, for example,
will absolutely double it's population
within five or ten years, because there
the capacity OF the water power is to all
and purposes limitless. The
thing to a greater or less extent
will take place in st. Paul and Min
neapolis, in Rochester, Great Falls,
Mont, and other points where a great
water power exists. Even about New
York there are numerous water falls
working distance which | look to
see made available for that city.
Again, in the cities themselves the
whole industrial scheme will be revolu-
l look to see two immense
plants-one for the manufacture of COM
air and the other for the genera
ton of electricity. Compressed air will
be used in various ways for p%ropulsive
purposes, elevators and the like; the
electricity, on the other hand, will run
our street cars, turn our machines, heat
our homes and buildings, do much of
our chemical work; by electricity we will
cook, and for that matter, do everything
hat is now done by steam and coal.
$50 far from all this being a distant
natter, l look to see it come very soon
There is absolutely no reason at this mo-
nent why cities like Buffalo, Minneapolis
st. Paul, or any city that has a great
water power close at hand, should con-
sumo a single pound of coal within their
limits. Even with present appli-
lnces, electricity in these cities can do,
ind in many places that / know is doing,
he work Of coal not only cheaper but
without dust, without smoke or SCOT.