The San Francisco call., 1897-02-07

G&A,dE present age Is one OF gigantic en-
XXX terprises. Measures which few
JAES years ago would have challenged and
received the contumely OF the incredulous
to-day are generally Investigated before
the seal of approval is affixed. The "im-
possible" is stricken from the lexicon and
only the i'm pro bable' remains with very
uncertain tenure. The needs of the world
have stimulated genius into the produc-
tion OF results which had they occurred q
hundred years ago would have condemned
their creators to the fate of the witch. We
are no longer surprised at what happens.
The capital stock of telephone line to
the moon could be successfully foated in
any city were it positively known that
there was somebody at the distant end OF
the line TO answer 10 our "heIlo."
The great need of most of our large
cities arises from their desire to be
manufacturing cen ters; and this is unat-
tainable with out the presence OF power"
with which to revolve the wheels of ma
chinery. Where there is the fortunate
contiguity of abundant and cheap coal
supply the growth of the manufacturing in
dustries depends only upon the business
sagacity of the citizens; but where coal is
distant and its procurement costly and
UScsrtain the city aspiring to manufac-
A-res is sadly handicapped.
\ Thus there is ever presented to the ge-
Mus OF the times the solution in practical
shape of the problem of power produc-
ton" in such places. To this end natural
gas fields have been piped 10 distant CEN
ters of application. The enormous force
of falling water pouring over Niagaras
l.,
mechanism in factories, propel the cars
and light the streets in towns and cities
very many miles from the source of power.
The stupendous character of the opera
.tions no longer deters man in his approach
to the consummation of his desires. What
o in the eighteenth century was considered
beyond his grasp is to-day in his posses
sion, his willing slave, performing for him
the labor which by its fruits makes fuller
and more enjoyable the lives OF the many.
California has not the immense torrent
of Niagara, nor has she, as far as known,
the immense reservoirs of hydrogen gases
which have made famous and valuable
the northern regions of New York and
Pennsylvania, but she possesses q source
of power beside which the water and the
gases OF the Eastern natural power-felds
sink into pigmy insignifcance.
From the northernm ost point of North
America to the extreme end of South
America there extends continuous range
of mountains situated close to the western
edge of the continents. This entire range
is volcanic. Along this line, which en-
braces the Coast Range of California, may
be found thousands OF moribund craters
and volcanic vents, their salient outlines
mostly hidden by the accumulated debris
and soils formed by the operations of
moisture and temperature during long
years. The entire country bordering the
Pacific is composed of igneous rocks
basalts and Iavas, erupted in the past from
fhe interior of the earth in molten con-
diion. Professor Whitney, State geolo-
lgist in his magnificent report on "The
.NIeology of California" speaking of the
hot springs, the borax deposits and the
formations of the coast regions, says:
"There will be no difficulty IN under
standing the origin of these phenomena
when we consider that they are displayed
along a line of former intense volcanic
activity and where now the gneous forces
are not entirely dormant. Even on Mount
Shasta the last expiring efforts of this
election of sulphurous vapors and steam
still going on near the summit" (Report
of 1865, page 95 ct seq)
Temperature increases as we penetrate
into the interior OF the earth 1t is not
germane to the purpose of this article,
which simply aims to record the concep-
tion and execution Of the most colossal
engineering scheme ever undertaken, to
discuss the causes leading to such increase
OF temperature; it Is sufficient to say that
1T is fact. In the mines of the crest
Comstock lode the rate of increase of tenn
perature has been estimated to be one de-
gree of Fahrenheit for every forty-five feet
OF descent until depth of 20C0 feet is
reached; and below that, as much as one
degree for every twenty-five feet of addi-
tion al depth below the surface. Assum-
ing that this regular increase of tempera.
tuTe continues, a simple calculation proves
to US that at depth of say 1000 or 5000
feet emperature of 212 degrees Fahren-
heit will be found, one sufficient to boil
water at the earths surface; and at a
depth of about twenty miles the tempera-
'ture. will be high enough to melt cast
iron. In other parts of the world this in
crease of tenn perature, as the earth's crust
is penetrated, is found to obtain, though
with less rapid increase than is marked on
the western coast of America. So well es-
itabllshed is this fact that it has been seri-
ksly proposed by European scientists and
practical engineers to make very deep
borings in order that supplies of warm
THE NEW STEEL SHIELD I