Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1904-12-13
Harvesting The Sun.
THE ENGINEERING PROBLEM OF To-
MORROW.

president Pritchett in Youths Companion)
Hand tools still remain, as they always
will remain, but they take second place
in the worlds work. The tools of to-
day and the tools Of the future are the
great machines which can most skillfully
and most economically harness the suns
energy to the worlds work. The man
who thus harnesses the sun, the work
man of the future, is no longer the
worker with hand tools, but the angi-
neer.
But while this may be accepted with
certainty. it is not 80 easy to predict the
method the engineer will use to harness
his sun power. For, although the engi-
neer of to-day realizes as the workman
of a century ago did not, that the sun is
his sole source Of power, all the ma
chimes which he employs are most waste
full in their use of this power. And what
is still more curious, the engineer still
takes his power second hand, instead OF
using it directly as it reaches us in the
suns rays.
When the sun is nearly overhead, he
delivers power at the surface of the earth
at the rate of more than two horse
power for each square yard of surface.
Even after we deduct the loss accustomed
by the absorption of the earth's atmos-
phere, it is still true that each square
yard receives, when the sun is shining,
the equivalent of one horsepower work
ing continuously. This means that there
is delivered on each square yard an
energy able to lift a weight of $4,000
pounds one foot in one minute, and this
power is continuous. Almost all this
energy at the present time goes to waste,
or, as the scientific men say, is "dissipat-
ed" A little of it is used in warming
the air, evaporating the water, and in
other ways, but the greater part is
radiated into space.
Think what could be done with this
power if the engineer could turn 1t to
mans use. What power goes to waste
in your back yard! The sun delivers on
Boston Common, free of charge. four
times enough energy to warm and light
Boston and supply all its manufactures,
street railroads and other consumers OF
mechanical power. Why did not some
engineer suggest the use of it when the
coal strike made the ordinary means OF
warmth and light 80 expensive?
On the broad sunlit plains of Arizona
the sun delivers an equivalent OF me-
chanical energy which, expressed in
horse power, would seem almost infinite.
A small part of it would suffice for the
whole worlds work. Why is it not set
to doing this work?
This is the problem of tomorrow. The
engineer has made great progress in its
solution; he has enormously improved
the means by which indirect sun energy
is used; he transforms heat energy into
mechanical energy and this again into
electric energy. he has even devised a
solar engine which will take up the
energy as the sun delivers it and convert
that energy-wastefully, to be sure-into
form suitable for use; but the problem
of storing this power and applying il
when and where man may need it, that
problem is the problem of the future,
and the machines which will do this
for it will be dOne-are the great tools
of humanity by which men are to work
their way to higher step OF safety and
comfort and of enjoyment.
This does not mean that the skill OF
the individual worker will ever cease to
be valued. The time can never come
when the skilled hand and the fitting
tool will not be eagerly sought by the
world. But it does mean that the great
epoch making tools of man are no longer
hand tools; it means that he who leads
in the worlds work to-day must be able
to understand the forces of nature so as
to harness them to the worlds service
The man who can do this is the engineer
and the boy who is ambitious to win
place among those who are to lead in
these great world problems will fit him.
self for the work of the engineer.