The Courier. (Genoa, Nev.) 1899-1904, 1901-02-22
The Conquest of the Sun.

A correspondent at Los Angeles
writes us that the Solar Motor on exhi-
bition at the Ostrich Farm, near that
City, is considered successful and is at
tracing vast amount of attention.
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:
HOW IT LOOKS.
1.-THE unique feature of the Solar
Motor is that it uses the heat of the
sun to produce steam. AS mo faep'
is cheaper than any fuel, the saving to
be effected by this device is evident.
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
huge umbrella, open and inverted at
such an angle as to receive the full ef-
feet of the SUMS rays on 1888 little mir
rors lining its inside surface. The
boiler, which is 13 feet, inches long,
is just where the handle of the UNI
brella 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 instant
ly begins to smoke and in a few seconds
metallic pipe runs to. the engine house
near at hand The reflector is 33 feet,
inches in diameter at the top and l5
feet at the bottom. On the whole, its
appearance is rather stately and grace
full, and the glittering mirrors and
shining boiler make it decidedly bril-
liant.'
WHAT 1T DOES.
"In 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 $50
pounds of steam pressure. The en-
gine may then be started and allowed
to run all day without attention. A
clock-work arrangement keeps the re-
fiector following the sun around auto
matically; the engine is elfoiling; the
water passes back from the condenser
to the boiler, so that the latter is al
ways full. The present model runs a
10-horse power engine and lifts 1400
gallons per minute, equal to 155 miners
inches, IL feet from an underground
tank.
FUTURE OF SUN-POWER.
'It is expected that under the nearly
vertical rays of the summer sun the
present model will develop from 15 to
20-horse power. But this is by no
means the limit, since several rehec-
tors may readily be grouped about a
central engine and made to produce
100-horse power, and perhaps much
more. The Solar Motor is simply the
cheapest possible means Of producing
steam because it saves all expenditure
for fuel and labor. 1t is available for
use wherever steam power is needed
1t can be used to generate electricity
and the power then stored in electric
batteries. Other and cheaper means
of storage may be devised in time
Any attempt to predict possibilities in
this field would be mere guesswork,
but it is safe to say that solar power
will be one of the great influences of
the new century and will make the
arid regions of the West, and other
parts of the world, the theater of the
greatest industrial revolution of the
future.n
Cows in Belgium wear earrings
This ia in accordance with tha law