Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-03-16

that there are no coal deposits OF a ma
ture to be OF any great importance Thus
nearly half the habitable lands are effec-
tueiiy excluded from this reckoning. Be-
yond the equatorial realm to the south
ward the only coal fields promising a Yield
sufficient to afford the basis of national
Industries are in South Africa and Austria
liza The resources OF these lands, though
considerable. are very much less than
those Of the northern realm; taken alto
sether they are probably less in value
han any one of half a dozen areas I'm
forth America, Europe and Asia. II is
not too much 10 say that the available
store OF coal Is practically limited to the
northern parts OF these great lands.
Meeting the Demands.
As for the probable endurance OF the
supply OF coal ii may be said that at any
thing like the rate of increase in the de-
mand of the last century It cannot last
for many generations. The deposits of
Great Britain, the best OF Europe. have SO
far been drawn upon that in another fifty
years the cost of the deeper mining nee
essary TO win the material viii greatly
limit Its use. In other parts of Europe
the many small basins are likely to be at
the same period in like condition. In Eu-
ropean and Aslatic Russia there are extern
slNe nelds where coal occurs generally of
an inferior quality and rather ill-placed to
have high commercial value. When the
heids OF western Europe yield fuel only at
a high cost these OF Russia viii become
or great value. and may give that empire
centuries of economic success.
The greatest coal field In the old world
is that of northern China: although not
yet Well known to it's limits and re-
sources IL seems to be more important than
all those OF the old world put together;
moreover, IL is near the sea. in a fertile
country, and in a region where iron ore
abounds. Though much less extensive
than the best of the American fields IL is
from the assemblage conditions the most
important deposit In the world. Hence
much of the tangle Of the Chinese ques-
ton. Whichever of the powers gains con-
troll of this shore and of the laborious
Chinese to work IL may reckon on a
mighty advantage in the race for economic
predominance. one which for time would
guarantee its commercial supremacy on
the Pacific ocean.
Americas wealth.
BY far the richest In coal Of all the couti-
nents is North America. In proportion TO
the area of Its habitable lands it has per-
haps twice as much any other 1t is not
unlikely that its available store OF fossil
fuel. including the oil-bearing states equals
that OF Europe and Asia together. These
stores being mainly In the eastern part OF
the continent and. with the exception of a
small area in Nova Scotia and on the
Canadian Pacific coast, within the United
states. promises to give to that nation, I'm
large measure, control of the economic flu
ture OF the lands about the Atlantic OF
this We the beginning In the recent
swift extension of our commerce.
II is, however, TO be noted that the
method Of forecasting the future OF nations
by their mineral fuel no longer seems as
certain as II did twenty or even ten Years
ago, before the art OF producing electricity
from water power and transmitting IL TO
great distances had been developed. 1t
now appears more than possible that by
n "a Vt ThG TxHFlra lett F-aTtF 10
to see a revolution in the ways Of obtaining
and applying solar energy as great as that
which came through the steam engine.
Value of Water Power.
If the use OF the rainfall descending from
the land to the sea as source OF power
becomes as general as 1t promises to be the
demand for coal may soon become limited
to the requirements for heating dwellings,
for propelling ocean steamers and for
smelling ores. This will so far reduce the
tax upon mineral fuel rs greatly TO extend
the time during which the store viii be
available. 1t Will, moreover, bring about
a change in the conditions of various parts
of the world as determined by the power
to which they may have access. In place
of reckoning on their stores of carbon
formed by ancient solar energy we shall
have to compute the amount OF their rain
fall and the height through which IL falls
In passing to the sea
On this basis the forecast OF the future
industrial development of states would be
much changed The tropical lands. for the
reason that they have the greatest rainfall.
would so far as this resource goes, have
the foremost place Mountain regions,
such as the Alps and the Himalayas. now
out OF reckoning. would be regions
America would have to be counted as sec
ond to the sister continent OF the south,
but area for area below none of the other
great lands.
Important Results.
AS in this coming age of water power
there must still be large demand for coal
in many arts necessary to a varied manu-
featuring industry, it cannot be assumed
that the regions without that fuel will
have an advantage to be measured by the
volume and fall of their streams. The
quality Of a people, the climate as de-
ternining that quality, the mineral re-
sources of the land they inhabit, and other
conditions will share in determining their
success. There is, however. good reason to
believe that this revolution will have GER
tain important effects. 1t will break up
the excessive concentration OF manufactur-
ing industries into districts near sources
of coal, giving to such regions as Italy
which would otherwise be denied them. It
will greatly diminish the tax on the
worlds store Of coal and lessen the hard
life of the men who toll to win II.
Best of all, IL viii make the chances OF
success in this world more even than they
now are. for whenever the streams go from
the hills to the sea men may hitch their
wheels to the sun of their day.
If space allowed il would be interesting to
consider the possible sources Of power in
the petroleum bearing rocks and in the oil
states such as abound in certain regions, az
well as the possibility, some years ago much
discussed. Of gathering the direct rays OF
the sun. turning them to account by
means Of steam. These are interesting pos
sibilities. but in the present or clearly fore
seeable state Of our arts it is evident that
the contest is between coal and water de-
rived from rivers, and possibly from the
tides. with the chance that the mills OF ths
world in the time to come are In the main
to be turned by that form of solar energy
which takes shape in the rainfall on it's way
to the sea.