The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-04-03
STEAM FROM BELOW.

&O's
The production OF cheap motive pow
er, to which the attention Of this city
has lately been called. Is employing
the minds of scientific men all over the
world. Who realize that the smallest
fraction OF the embarrassed energy Of
the earth would. IL brought under du-
ress, be Of incalculable benefit to man
kind Science chafes under the spec
tacIe of ocean movements, realizing
that, If held In control. they would soon
turn a million wheels OF manufacture.
So far, however. experiments with
waye-motors have been nearly futile;
and interest in then is now DIVIDED
with plans to tap the heat which rises
to a point not far below the surface
of the earth and by turning 1t into
steam. procure q permanent motive
power as cheap in it's cost and far more
generally available than natural gas.
The British Association for the Ad-
yancement of Science is now carrying
on experiments with the commercial
uses OF the earth's internal heat, COM
menting upon which Professor William
Hallock OF Columbia says the idea Is
wholly feasible. For every foot OF pen
etration into the earth's surface there
is regular rise of temperature; ana
IL is only a matter OF going deep
enough to reach the boiling point OF
water. At the $500 foot level of the
Comstock mine the heat is AS degrees
Fahrenheit; and in a deep well near
Pittsburg, Pa, it is 129 degrees Ac-
cording to Professor Hallock, at
depth of 1900 feet a heat of 24O de-
grees. sufficient for commercial use,
could be depended upon.
1T is not" declares this authority
"a question OF getting steam. that be-
ing simple, but a question of getting
steam in sufficient quantities. Hot wa
ter is even now drawn from a deep well
and used to heat a dwelling house near
Boise City, Idaho; and when we pump
ed out water which had leaked into the
deep we'll near Pittsburg. 1t was so hot
I could not hold my hand in it, But
while the Pittsburg well Is capable oil
heating water left in 1t over night
even IL it's depth were sufficient to turn
that water TO steam it would require
many hours of waiting. which would
rob II of all commercial value. In 9TH
er words. there would not be the slight
est difficulty in obtaining steam from
the earth's interior. because that In
wolves merely a little extra labor In
boring down into a very hot area, and
IL us as easy comparatively to bore
IL. 600 feet as to bore 5000; but in order
TO give the steam commercial value
method must be provided for dropping
the water to the heat area, allowing 1t
time to heat, and yet having it return
to the surface as steam without for a
moment interrupting the flow"
This method Professor Hallock thinks
he has discovered. He would bore two
II. OCO foot holes about fifty feet apart;
and this being done he would lower
heavy charges OF dynamite to the bot
tom of each and explode them with
view OF opening a connection between
the bores and providing a cavernous
space where water would be quickly
heated. THE water" says the Profess
sor. poured down one hole would cir
cuIate through all the cracks and crew
ices. the temperature of which would
be over 240 degrees, and in its passage
would be heated and turned to steam
which would pass through the second
! hole to the earth's surface. The pres
sure OF such column OF steam would
be enormous; for. aside from the initial
velocity of the steam. the descending
column OF water would exert a pressure
of at least 5000 pounds to the square
inch. which would drive up through the
second hole everything movable The
| problem is. therefore. a mechanical one
and the chief difficulty would be in
connecting the holes at the bottom
| This accomplished. the water heater
would operate itself and a source of
power be established that would sur
pass anything now in use
The figure which Professor Hallock
sets for the experiment is only 100000
a sum which seems much too small
Even at double or treble that total
money would be we'll spent upon the
development of a plan that il success
full. would give to the manufacturer
anywhere and everywhere advantage:
as special as those which have Ions
been enjoyed by the owners of perma'
neut water power and gas wells, and
thus. IN n widely material way. reduce
/ the cost Of living.