The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-04-23

ergy would be expended in raising the
coal to the surface equal to the amount
of energy stored up in the coal. The
commission of 1883 returned to the Or
iginal estimate of 100 years as the linn
it of the coal supply in Great Britain.
The American field then was inspected
and the conclusion of the commission
was that America has coal enough to
supply both it's own demands and that
of England for 600 years to come.
In bringing his attention to bear on
the subject, Lord Kelvin, in a way
quite his own, began at the very OPP
posite side as basis of reasoning. His
object was to find the total amount of
combustibles in the world. All oxygen
is liberated through the agency of life.
Before the earth had life there was no
free oxygen. This is proved by the fact
that there is no oxygen in meteorites.
The amount of oxygen in the atmos-
phere can be determined from the pro-
portion it bears to the total amount
of air.
In round numbers, it requires three
tons of oxygen to burn one ton of COM
bustibles. This oxygen has always
been liberated by the action of vege-
taton from carbon compounds exist
ing. Applying the proportion existing
between the amount of oxygen and the
amount of combustbles in the world,
it is found that there are $40 million
million tons of combustibles in the
form of peat, gas and coal. The queS-
ton arises as to the rate at which veg
etable matter oxygen is being thrown
into the air. Assume that the present
surface is covered with vegetation.
There are 21,OOO,0O0 square miles on
which vegetation can grow. Such veg
citation can give, on the average, 500
tons of combustibles to each square
mile in each year. This would be equal
to 100 tons of the best coal Thus it
would be possible to produce combus-
tibles equivalent to 2,O00,o 900 tons of
coal each year. If we burn more than
100 tons of coal to the square mile the
earth over we shall throw more car
bon doXide into the air than we can
reconvert into oxygen by plant life.
Thus, the danger is not that we may
run out of coal, but that our supply
of air may be exhausted. We shall be
deprived of air before we are short of
coal.
We are now mining so tons Of coal
to the square mile in this country.
We are already throwing into the air
one-half as much carbon dioXide as
it is possible to reclaim by plant life.
Shall we seek other sources of power?
Power can be obtained from water,
wind and perhaps from solar radiant
energy. The energy in Niagara Falls
amounts to nearly 100000 horse power.
The energy of the tides might be di-
rected to the use of men.
AS regards the amount of energy
which would be available from water
power in the entire country as COM
pared with the power which is now
obtained from the burning of fuel, it
is exceedingly small, altogether insult
ficient for our needs. Though by the
transmission of power by electrical en-
gneering great advances have been
made, and it is possible to reach con-
siderable distances from the source of
the most available water power, yet
unless some means other than this
is found. there will unquestionably be
enormous areas of space in this and
other countries which would be far
beyond the reach of this available
source. Tidal power. which has been
suggested, is promising in so far as
the total amount of available energy
is concerned. The diminutiOn of the
speed of rotation of the earth due to
the utilization of this power
probably be insignificant for the
amount of power taken in the operation
of machinery. But the same difficulty
exists, namely, that of carrying ener-
gy to points of delivery where it is
most needed. The question then of sup