The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-06-28

speaking countries count up alone at
their universities and technical schools
fifteen chairs of electro-chemistry and
twelve electro chemical laboratories
and their workers, and how can that be.
requited? Surely not by selfshly US
ing all the facts and holding fast all
the material benefits. Not only COM
mon gratitude, but self interest, unite
in recommending to the captains of
electro chemical industry that more
such laboratories be built, and more
such chairs endowed; money thus
spent will be seed which will return
manifold it's value to the industry.
America has boosted that it is the
electro-ehemical center of the world
1t may be so, in the development of
electro chemical industries, in the
amount of power used and material
turned out; but is it not fair questions
to ask, Where are the professors of.
electro chemistry at our universities.
and how many electro chA.aical -labo-i
ratories are at their command 2 Are we
not out of comparison with Germany
in that respect? Our present flourish
ing condition is largely due to our for
eign trained electro chemists and our:
imported literature. Shall we not,
through shame at contributing so lit
tie ourselves to that literature, soon
begin to establish chairs of electro
chemistry, and build all equipped lab
oratories to go with them? Then our
boast might begin to be more than
the empty boast Of a successful money
maker; then we may begin to be an
illuminating center radiating knowl-
edge to the rest Of the world.
I'm place of professors and profess
s1onal laboratories, however, America
is blessed with another class of investi-
gators who are no less industrious
in acquiring facts, and to whom a large
part OF our commercial success is
directly ascribable. refer to the small
army Of patient investigators in our
industrial plants, who are searching
over ground not yet explored and ae-
cumulatlng facts of value in their spe-
cial industrial lines. The expense of
such work is borne by the corpora
ton for which they labor, and the
work itself is in reality an investment
made in the hope of yielding financial
reward
Prof Richards refers in this remark
to such men as Charles S. Bradley.
whose discoveries have saved this
country from any serious reproach of
AAcaFAA1S Idl1SQ 10 DIT l0dSC keep the loren
OF science burning on this side of the
Atlantic.
referring further to the opportuni-
ties existing in America for securing
power at favorable rates, Prof. Rich
ards says:
Niagara Falls is the most accessible
or our great water powers, and has
therefore drawn into it's fold the ma
Jor1ty of our electrochemical indus
tries. But another source of surplus
power is distributed over a large part
OF our country, in condition at pres
ent as undeveloped as was Niagara
power when Columbus touched our
shores. l refer to the surplus power
from blast furnaces, obtainable by US
ing gas engines. Every blast furnace
purnS its gases to heat it's blast and to
raise steam for it's power. The two
thirds of it's gases used for the latter
purpose generate just about the power
needed for the blowing engines, pumps,
holsts, ETC., an amount equal on an
average to $500 horse power for fur
mace, making 500 tons Of iron per dav.
Ii the gas thus used was used in gas
engines, there would be an average
surplus power, over and above all the
requirements of the furnace itself, of
10000 horse power. The gas engine
plant needed to produce this power
does not cost over $50 per horsepower
investment, which compares favorably
with the cost of developing water DOW
erS which vary from $25 to 800 per
horsepower. 1t is thus deducible that
there are scattered over the United
States, in some of our most fourfshing
industrial centers, undevel ped powers
which aggregate over 100000 horse
power, wfich can be developed at MO
more cost than the average WATERFOWL
er, can be generated just at the spots
where they can be most favorably util-
lied, and without any more drain on
our natural resources than the har-
Messing of new waterpower-fo not
pound of coal more would have to
be burnt than is used at present.
Other possible sources Of power are
the waste surplus gases from by-product
coklng ovens, and the utilization of gas
producers using cheap almost waste.
coal, in, connection with gas engines
4 Power, therefore. is available in Immense
| quantities in places and in countries not
blessed with Niagaras and the industrial
development Of such sources win be one Of