Graham guardian., 1897-01-08
VAST WATER POWER.
Utilization of Great Neutral Forces
in This Country.
Possibility of Bringing into Service the
Tremendous Epsrcy cf LaGes, Xiv
ers and Waterfalls FOR Indus
trial Purposes

eCs ana "AlflAaAA" AHA hh~N"
trial Purposes
Chicago has it 10 contemplation 10
light 7G0 miles OF streets wIth pow er
obtained fruIa it's great drainage canal
when the waters Of Lake Mich Gan arc
poured through Il into the Illinois river
/ New York is looking forward to IT,
I day when power may be brought dow.
/ from Niagara or from The CatSisills:
| Boston is within the sphere Of the McI-
rtu0Ck falls; Washington Can set an
/ abundant supply Of power to light
every street and public building fIcH-
! the Great falls of the Potomac, where
! 100000 horsepower is running to wastes
Baltimore and Philadelphia are situatgJ
near the t.dc-water step that runs aloa..
! the Lase Of the AiIeghanics, while Rich
/ Iuond is directly on the step, with 80
/ 600 horse power in sight. In fact, few ,
/ if any, OF our great cities are beyond the
reach, il We may proceed upon the a.
sumption of Tesla lwho says that thg
rower Of Niagara may be carried ulti-
mntcly over any Part of the American
| cOnt;ncntl. ofthe energy Of some cat.
aract or GtoLaRe cf water.
| The sudden awakening to a knowl-
edge OF an inexhaustibIc resource Of
power, and the ability to Use it, musl
result in a great revolution in economic
/ couditi0ns, far greater than that
| brought about by the introduction y!
! steam. This revolution Will be felt IN 4
| greatly enhanced production, with
( cheaper cost to the consumer, together
with a large increase and general eE-
tension Of the comforts Of life, such as
may be included in transportation, pow
er for domestic purposes, light and heat,
| including fuel, the cost of which will
| be considerably reduced. In the cities
| there viii be, one may well believe, 4
wonderful transformation, and that
| within the cognizance of the present
generation. The use of steam in the
thousands ofisolated plants ~ill lie gem
orally abolished, light md power being
delivered through the agency OF elcc-
tricity from central plants situated per-
haps 100 or 200 miles distant. (Who
dGres set the limit0 The dangers OF
the steam boiler and the furnace IN
crowded buildings and beneath the side
walks of the city, and the discomforts
Of the wholesale consumption of coal
will be done away with for Il cheaper,
Il safer and 4 healthier system.
Nor is it to be inferred that because
we have water power we shall have TO
more steam and coal. Not ut all. But
there will be more rational and eco
uorEical consumption of coal, GeceH-
stnted by the cheapness Of the power
.crcrated by the turbine wheel and
'r.@smitted from the dynamo to the
| ~CtOT. II will no longer TGy to mine
coal and ship it hundreds Of miles -
| the cities by our present cumbersome
nd wasteful methods dosing 80 to s.
or cent? when it's essence can br
! lottcr sent by wire. 1t requires 10
| :y:rit Of prophecy to foretcll that in the
| DcTinninG of the next century the coal
will be burned at the mine shaft. aM;!
every ton brought to the surface will
| Ec utilized. The power-plart located
at the mine shaft, burning the run of
the mine," either as coal CT in the form
Of gas, can better compete with the
rUWCr-plant at the falls than can the
furnace and boiler in the city. There
will be no more black hills of culm at
the mines, disfguring the face of the
country and choking the streams, and
no ashes and ciIdcrs to worry the city
| consumer. The copper wire in the un~
derground conduit will carry the en-
cr@y safely and economically to the
point of consumption, and the railroad
or factory engineer, or the housewife in
the home, need but to press n button
to send the train at 100 miles an hour;
to set the Spindles or lathes III mo-
ton: TO heat the house, or to cook the
dinner.
The social phases inevitably accom-
panying this mechanical revolution
may be far more beneficial than the eco
nomical gains, great as they will doult
less be. The saving to the housellccp-
or in time and labor will make her .
new woman indeed, and the general ir-
PRODUCTION of the electric stove NAV
reasonably be expected to cause de-
cidCd advance in the health and hap
pineSS of the race.
Whether the distribution OF power
from the falls and the mines will al
.Ways remain in the hands Of corpora
tons Of capitalists is problem that the
future must decide. There is no de-
nying, however, that the object lesson
of the universal public use of natural
forces will be Il powerful one from Il
collectivist point of view, and should 0Iiy
state las Wyoming or Utah, for rN-
amplc) undertake the distribution Of
electric power, as cities distribute GA:
and water, the experiment would be
Watched with the greatest interest by
the whole civilized world.--John +.
Br&mhall, in Lcslie's Weekly.
Military Bear Hunting.