Omaha daily bee., 1905-12-17
PROPHECIES OF The WIZARD
Thomas A. Edison Takes a Look Into th
Future Of Electricity.
BOUSDLEsS DOMAIN OF CURRENT POWER
Hut the First Thing to 30 j. to
Discover the Means of MAX
ing Electricity direct
from Coal.

OF all subjects that interest the human
race today, electricity is surely one Of the
greatest. And Of all mon to talk on the
subject Of electricity Thomas A. Edison
is surely the best who is there who
would not know Mr.. Edison's views on the
future Of electricity? Mr. Edison Is no
mere dreamer; he does things; he accom-
plshes practical results. and when he VEN
lures into the realm of speculation all the
world holds it's breath TO listen. Here is
what he said 10 James Crcelman OF the
New York World last week On the future
Of electricit.-.
THE first great change in the production
Of electricity will abolish the carrying Of
coal for that purpose" he said Instead
OF digging gross material out Of the earth.
loading it on cars and carrying it. say, $50
miles, there TO put it under a boiler. burn
1t, and so get power, we shall set up plants
at the mouths Of the mines, generate the
power there and transmit it wherever 1t is
needed by copper wires.
1T is preposterous 70 keep on putting the
coal mines on wheels. It is too clumsy.
1t is too costly. There is no necessity
for Il.
at is easier to carry molecular vibra-
tion-millions Of waves second-than
freight cars full Of crude matter. We can
ship a 10o0O0-horse power over wire
quicker and more economically than We can
send the equivalent in coal over a railroad
track.
save the Freight.
AN Englishman told me a little while
ago that he intended TO set up a power
station on the Thames, bring down coal by
barges and sell electric power TO London
". -,
run a copper wire between London and
the coal mines and develop your power
where the coal is? If you build that power
station it will be obsolete inside of fifteen
years
Everything points to the fact that in
the near future electricity will be pro.
duced for general consumption in great
power houses az the mouths of the Goa
pits. That is the logical and common sense
outcome of present events.
Now, the truth Is that it will cost
third less to transport electrical power by
wire than TO carry it in the form OF Goa
in railroad cars Assume the price Of Goa
to be 81 at tho mouth Of the mine, and
assume the freight to be $3.50. Now. We
can turn that coal into electricity at tn,
mine and convey it by wire at less thar
All the cost of the freightGge OF coal.
So In years TO come, the great electri,
power plants will be set up in the Goa
fields. Electric power will largely do away
with steam power Electric light will be
come cheaper than gas light
II believe firmly that all great trunk
railroad lines will go to electricity inside
OF fifteen years. l don't mean simply pas
senger traffic, but heavy freight traffic
also. Within twenty years steam will b,
as out of fashion for railways as horses
are for street cars today.
Coming Changes.
Electricity will take the place of horses
1t will solve the vehicle traffic problem
in cities. My new electric storage battery
itself will make electricity cheaper thar
horses. You see the new factory going VI
out there? Well, in the spring we will be
ready to furnish the new batteries. No
only will they mean half the space o.
horse traffic, but they will go twice as fast
They can be stored on upper floors BY
means OF elevators The saving of stabl,
space in New York City will cover a
least 500, COo00 of property.
Another thing in the future: Wireless
biography will enable us TO reach an!
ship in any sea. This is a certainty.
Not only will electric power be devel
oped at and distributed from the Goa
mines in the future but all the waite
power in the world will be used for thu
production of electricity. That movemen
mas begun and is advancing rapidly. Il
California, where men have nerve enough
to overcome habit, they are Transmitting
electric power 275 miles by wire and run
ming street cars and lighting the cities b,
1t. That is the sort of spirit that will
wake the world up one of these days.
wish that the spirit of California woul,
spread everywhere.
Go down south and you viii find waite
power being turned into electricity 70
mills in all directions.
There millions of horse power L
be picked up in the waters OF the Unite
States for practically a song. 1t is on
Of the worlds greatest opportunities, thi
chance to convert water power into cleo
tricity and distribute It to the points wher
IL Is needed.
The Main Problem.
From a practical standpoint the mos
tremendous thing in the problem OF cleo
tricity is the fact that we only get abou