The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-11-02
WAVE MOTORS.
To Be Utilized by Thomas A.
Edison, the Younger,
For Furnishing Light, Heat and
Power to New York.
TO HARNESS OCEANS
And Make Them Do His Bid
ding is His Plan.
Experiment Has Been Made at
San Francisco With Success.

New York, Nov.2-Thomas A. Edison
Jr., who seems destined to be a worthy
son of his great father. is about to give
the world a new surprise. He is not to
be outdone by Nikola Tesla, who is do
ing all sorts of things with the elements
nor by his great father, the Wizard of
Menlo Park.
Young Edison now comes to the front
with feasible, practicable plan for har-
Messing the only element that has here
tofOre escaped-the ocean. Young Edi-
son will throw a few wires into the sea,
and 10! old ocean falls subservient at
his feet to do his bidding.
The monotonous rise and fall of the
sad sea waves will soon pulsate in the
stock exchange and throughout the
marts Of commerce. They will carry
their message to every hearth and fire
side, and the. ordinary New Yorker will
make those same sad sea waves heat
his 2x4 fiat, guide his feet along the
thoroughfares and bro1 his mutton
chops.
Not content with harnessing the sea
alone' young Edison will imprisOn the
atmosphere, compress it and deal it
out to his customers in packa ges to suit.
For many weeks the offices of ThOs.
Edison, Jr., at No. 40 Exchange place,
have been wrapped in secrecy while his
plans were maturing, but in a very
snort time great syndicate of British
and American capitalists will hang out
its shingle on Broadway, prepared to
sell heat, light and power in quantities
large and small.
The scheme, now about to material
ize, is this: Wave motors sunk beneath
the bed Of the sea will generate power
by means of the fuctuation of the tides.
This power wuu produce compressed
air, which will be stored in great guam
titles. From this great reservoir Of
compressed air a network of pipes and
mains will undermine the city and con-
vey the air to factories for power. The
balance of the compressed air will be
utilized to run dynamos, which will gen
crate the electrical currents for heating
and lighting.
Wave motors are not an innovation in
the field of science. For many years they
have been tried, both here and on the Pa
cine coast but the promoters and build
ers have never been able 60 turn them to
It remained for Thomas Edison, .Tr. to
accomplish this, and he has only just suc-
ceeded after years OF experiments.
contrivanee has been tried on the shores
Of San Francisco bay. when the most sat
coast capitalists have watched the expert
mentS and performance of the wonderful
utility.
of construction near San Francisco, which
will actually supply the far western me-
tropolis with, heat, light and power.
Mr.. Edison has already selected a sit e
for the first plant for New York, but, Ow-
ing to the difficulty of obtaining fran
chise. has judiciously kept the secret of
the location from the public: just as he
has the names OF the capitalists who are
to form the company.
Young Edison said last night at his
apartments No. 112 West Twenty ninth
street; I'VE are now about to begin oper-
ations in earnest. We have obtained the
necessary patents and will soon have
enough capital to begin on a large scale
The San Francisco plant has proved SO
satisfactory that am ready to begin op-
eratiOns. The syndicate, which will be
composed of foreign and American capt
talistS, will soon be formed.
I'VE have selected a site for the New
York plant, but do not think it would
be judicious to tell the location Just yet
Several engineers are now in San Fran
cisco with specifications for the new plant,
which will soon be completed. One Of the
great difficulties of wave motors I have
successfully overcome. At the ebb-tide
there is little motion. This has ALWAYS
proved troublesome in previous wave mo-
tors. BY storing the power the difficulty
vaOfSheS.''