The Portland daily press., 1894-11-10

steam engines. We are rapidly
approaching the time of the steam en-
gine's end. The large Atlantic liners are
slowly reducing their time on their trips,
but thai must soon stop. Then we shall
have to wait until coal is turned directly
into electricity. I believe it will come
and then we will cross the Atlantic In
Tour days or less. We can get ninety
per cent. of the efficiency of a dynamo
against six to ten per cent. of an engine.
The difference will be as great or greater
ID results under the looked for regime.
We get $4,000 horse power, or there
abouts, from the liners engine now.
When we get $4,000 horse power, as we
will, perhaps, we will be nearer to what
look for. ut is the one thing to
solve. Let some fellow follow out this
line of research and get the right reac-
tion, and we shall have wonderful rev.
olution in many things. 1t will lead to
treating metals by electrical reduction,
and an enormous number of accomplish
ments We now 20 to the melting point
of nickel, for instance, but under the
ACW lCBiluO W. VIII SsOD OH IodCbl0uS QOU
now obtainable, and 90 to tine melting
point of anything on earth.
THINKS WE WILL FLY, TOO.
allow about the present agitation
over flying machines? DO yeu think we
are about to accomplish the long desired
feat?"
81 think that eventually we will fy.
But l do not think it will be by the aid
of science. 1t is all question of power
whether from electricity, or some other
force. We want great horse power and
small weight of course. I tried experi
ments with com bustion engine in
which strips of gun cotton cloth held
between copper rollers were exploded by
small electrical spark.
1t was very powerful but it did not
work. When I seek to accomplish any
thing l always try to determine which
is the best method. Then try to over
come the obstacles. In order to con-
struct flying machine l thought we
needed to get the greatest rising power
per horse power. In order to find what
this was, if possible, attached revolv-
ing fan to the top of motor and placed
1t ON large scale! loose wires from a
dynamo ran to the motor which was
started ThebfaIs whirled-saround and
THE Tendency ,Yas TO lift Sup sItgdid so
and raised ard Lowered accordingly. as.
the fan ran fast or slow. OF course
l could then weigh the lifting power ex-
actly. Then found that different fans
had greater or lesser power. Two fukes
were different from three f1ukes and
three from four, and so on. / made all
sorts of experiments and then conclud
ed that electricity was not the right
thing.
AS to the various methods that have
been tried, I am very glad they were
tried, for while they are failures, every
failure is step forw ard. 1t is the
things that l know won't work that are
the most valuable to me. Some of these
efforts have aimed to initiate the birds
of the air. But the birds are especially
adapted to fly. Their bones are hollow.
for instance, and in other ways they are
suited to the air. The birds utilize the
wind too. The wind really does the.fy-
ing for them, and they manipulate the
body to as to best take advantage of
it. In short, they soar. With insects it
is different. Take the bee. it is purely
f1ier. Its wings are small in proportion,
but it makes up for that by their very
rapid vibration.
dc AT this sjuncture Mr. Ed ison took occas-,
ion to add somathing more concerning
tie value Of fixtures bbH said somewhat
ambiguousty thatDheJ1was 80 years. Old Il
Now as all the world knows he is bat 47s
it sounded odd tn1say the least. 8 Then he
explained. Judgfhg By. tie standard of
the ordinary man S working day, jshei
said, Il am much cider than. look The
average working day is eight hours long
For twenty-one years I have averaged
nineteen hours per day. 1t makes me so
years old. Most of that time has been spent
in trying things that would not work.
You see my hair is gray. will soon be
hundred years old.
TWO THINGS WE CAN'T DO.
Mr.. Edison does not think any new fuel
will be made to take the place of coal.
Neither does he think we will be able to
telephone across the ocean, Regarding
the first he says:
Goal and wood, the latter to include
growing things, of course, are the only
unoxidized substances on earth. Every,
thing else has been burned. They can.
not be burned again. We might utilize
the sun, and the air. but not ina very
radical manner. There is a sun engine.
Mouchet built one, and SO did Ericsson.
Air can be utilized, l should think.
the windmill is very old. ! don't think
we will be able to telephone across the
Atlantic. 1t would be impossible be-
cause of the electriication of the gutta-
percha covering of the cable. Every SUBJ
stance will eleetrify somewhat SO the
difficulty is not to be overcome by dis
carding what is now used. Between
Valencia and Hearts Content, for in
stance, the tons of gutta percha on the
cable play large part in it's operation.