Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1901-02-20
The Conquest of the Sun.

A correspondent at Los Angeles
 writes us that the Solar motor on ex-
 hibition at the ostrich Farm, near that
 city, is considered successful and is
 therefore attracting a vast amount of
 attention. Leading papers and maga-
 zines through the country have tele-
 graphed their representatives to rush
 photographs" and the eastern tourists
 now swarming into the south all visit
 the device and regard it as a great
 marvel.
 Naturally it is attracting the notice
 of men interested in western develop
 ment, for any means of furnishing
 cheap power must exert tremendous
 influence in this field. Among those
 who have studied it very closely and
 are apparently ready to stake their
 reputation on the prediction of great
 results to be realized from this inter-
 esting device, is William E. Smythe
 who, as founder of the Irrigation con
 gress, for many years editor of the
 Irrigation Age" and author of "The
 Conquest of Arid America" is well
 known to many of our readers. He
 has furnished our correspondent with
 the following statement concerning
 the Solar motor:
 "The unique feature of the Solar
 motor is that it uses the heat of the sun to produce steam. As mo fuel"
 is cheaper than any fuel, the saving to be effected by this device is evi dent. When the solar rays have heated the water in the boiler so as to produce steam, the remainder of the process is the familiar operation of compound engine and centrifugal pump.
 ''The reflector somewhat resembles a huge umbrella, open and inverted at such an angle as to receive the full effect of the suns rays on 17SS little mirrors lining its inside service. The boiler, which is thirteen feet, six in ches long, is just where the handle of | the umbrella ought to be. This boiler is the focal point where the reflection from the sun is concentrated. If you reach long pole up to the boiler it instantly begins to smoke and in a few seconds is afame. From the boiler flexible metallic pipe runs to the engine house hear at hand. The | reflector is B, feet 6 inches in diame- ter and 15 feet at the bottom. On the whole, its appearance is rather stately and the glittering mirrors and shining boiler make it decidedly.brilliant.
 'ln the morning the machine is thrown into focus by a few turns of a hand crank. In about an hour the gage in the engine house indicates l5O pounds of steam pressure. The engine may then be started and al- lowed to run all day without atten- tion. A clock work arrangement keeps the reflector following the sun around automatically; the engine is self-oil ng; the water passes back from the condenser to the boiler, so that the alter is always full. The present model runs 10horse power engine md lifts 1,4OO gallons per minute, equal to l55 miners inches, twelve feet rom an underground tank.
 "lt is expected that under the near y vertical rays of the summer sun the present. model will develop from 15 to 70 horse power. But this is by no means the limit, since several reflect ITS may readily be grouped about entral engine and made to produce % horse power, and perhaps more. The Solar Motor is simply the cheap st means of producing steam, be- ause it saves all expenditure for fuel nd labor. It is available for use wherever steam power is needed. It ; an be used to generate electricity and [ he power then stored in electric bat cries. Other and cheaper means of f forage may be devised in time. Any tempt to predict possibilities in this I cid would be mere guess work, but it I safe to say that solar power will be T ne of the great influences of the new I entury and will make the arid re- a ions of the west and other parts of C he world, the theater of the greatest ( ldustrial revolution of the future" t
 Mir. Smythe, who is at the Hollen- l eek Hotel, Los Angeles, says he will c Irnish fuller details if requested.