The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-18
WIND is TO BE HARNEssED.
Winter Gales to BE Used to store
Electrical Energy.

Electrical Energy.
From the Philadelphia Times
Wind has been used for centuries as n
motive power, and by it large part of
Holland was reclaimed from the ocean.
the huge pumps operated by the wind
MUS 1iiiiI removing the water from behind the
dlkes as fast as it accumulated: but in
TINS country II is just beginning a history
or usefulness that viii in the end place
II IN the front rank of motive agents. In
the great west millions of acres Of fertile
lands have been watered by windmill
pumps, converting the barren deserts
into blooming gardens.
As Holland owes half it's success and
prosperity to the windmill so may the
great arid regions yet become indebted TO
the same simple invention for its reclaim
nation Some scientists claim that if the
national government is ever induced 10
lend money for irrigating that region. the
work should be done along line very
daHerent from that advocated by the
owners Of vast irrigating plants.
Their theory is that the windmill is the
cheapest and most effective machine to
lrrlgate the whole region, but the wind
mil they have in mind is not the simple
structure that makes the Holland land
scdpe so picturesque to visitors. 1t is an
IRON windmill strong enogh to resist the
nercest gales that sweep across the plains
ana with an electrical attachment. All
present the lifting capacity of a windmill
IN a strong gale is tremendous but when
the wind subsidies the pumping ceases As
the wind scarcely blows at all through the
long dry summers, this method of supply
ing water from the underground sprin9s
would hardly suffice.
But the new wind-mills would collect the
energy Of the wind, and Immediately con-
vert 1t into electricity The hugs Dunors
would be operated by the electric current
and the wind would merely Be emnloved
to make and store the electricity for CON
slant use. Thus it is estimated that the
WINDS or winter and fall supplv enough
power to operate the pumps for a vear
and If this power could be stored for fu
ture use the farmers would have all the
water they needed pumped W for them
at no expense other than the original cost
or building the windmill and pumps
In the winter season no water is needed
Tor the crops and the wind-mills could he
Kept IN continual operation in making ana
storing electricity. The pumps would he
detached, and no power would be wasted
until the water was actually needed One
larged windmill could thus supplv ali
through inc dry season sufficient water
to lrrigate nifty acres of fertile soil At
present haf the power of wfnd-milIs is
wasted because their operation is snas
modic and not continuous. They are en-
rents OF air FOR their usefulness and the
farmer finds that he lacks power ana
water just when needed the most.
The storage reservoir system has been
adopted to some extent in the west but ~
is much more expensive to build a hupa
reservoir to store the water for future 1,ss
than to erect an electrical storage ma
chine. II IS true that the ideal machine
for the latter work has not yet been In
vented, but it is possible by present metb-
DDS to store electricity much cheaper than
to store water.
The electrical windmill will moreover
be utilized in other ways 1t will solve
the water problem Of many small towns
villages and cities. The revolt against
drinking the impure water of
ponds, rivers and dirty streams
general NJ
not community of any considerable size
that is not clamoring for some better wa Tor
system. The water drawn up from the un-
derground springs is the ptlrest a nd health
lest that can be obtained, and If some ade-
quate system of procuring it in abundance
and cheaply could be invented we wouId
no longer endanger our health by drinking
dirty surface water.
Several small towns in the west. WHARF
1t was impossible to secure good drinline
water, have experimental with the elec
trical windmill, and the results seem 10
justify its general adoption in other
places. The artesian wells have been
sunk to depth of over a thousand feet
below the surface, where the springs are
abundant cool and refreshing. The pumns
are operated by the electric power which
in turn is made by the windmill Hair a
dozen large wind-mills, it is estimated
will make enough electrict power in one
year to supply city of 10000 Inhabitants
with all the pure water they can drink
There are over 100 firms in this country
engaged in manufacturing windmiIs. and
one or these sold in a single wear IN OOO
There are now over half million wind.
mills in operation in the United States
and while most of them are small affairs
adapted to the use of market gardeners
and small houses, there are others of
mammoth size. There is a wheel ~
Wisconsin capable of raising 1000 gallons
of water in day when the wind is strone
enough to keep the wheel revolving rar1s
idly. Another one in Texas raises On
the average $1,000 to 100000 gallons NJ
water per month to a hight of fifty feet
but If the power was continuous it womb
raise in the same length of time about
1000 900 gallons of water. This shows tbe
amount of power wasted by not heinz
able to store all the surplus energy eye
erted by the wind at any given time.
The question of Harvesting the wind
involves another problem. In the vest
the tornado or cyclone is apt to apnear
at any time, and the windmill must be
strong enough to resist its power It -
estimated that the tornado which struclS
ST. Louis exerts power enough in tine
few hours 1t blows across a given pIace
to pump up all the water the CITY eonId
use in five years. If the tornado couId
be harnessed, the results would be of in
conceivable benefit to the cities and farm
ers The farmer would have enough cleo
trical power stored up for him to irrigafe
his crops for the next five years, and 70
work all Of his farm implements He
could have his house and barns lighted bv
electricity, and his crops stimulated In
their growth by the same wonderful
what applies to the land also applies to
the water. With wind-mills catching every