Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1906-03-16
DR.. JACQUES DISCOVERIES


A few. weeks ago the morning paper
gave liberal space to an illustrated
article setting forth in elaborate de-
tail scheme Of DR.. w. W. Jacques for
obtaining electricity direct from coal.
The man who successfully accom-
plishes this hitherto unattainablc
blessing will rank as one Of the great
est men of the age. Hence 1t is that
scientific men are keenly on the look
out for every advance that may be
made toward the invention which will
create greater revolutions than cleo
tricity itself
The public is skeptical but the sci
enlist Is ready to accept all things as
possible and acknowledge the fact
when II is clearly demonstrated as eN-
listing. Therefore the comment Of the
Engineering News" accepted as one
of the best American authorities. on
DIR. jacques claims has especial value.
That Journal says:
Ten years ago Dr. w w JAG
ques. of Boston. came before the
public with a claim that he had
invented new process for the
production of electricity by the
efficiency Of over 50 per cent. The
alleged invention was thoroughly
discussed in our issues of May 81.
! 1896. and September 30. 1898, and
/ the conclusion reached was that
DR.. Jacques had wholly failed to
prove his claims.
A correspondent IN Boston sends
US now a copy OF a prospectus of
the Direct Electric Co. in which
DR.. Jacques again describes his
process and asks subscriptions to
the stock of a to-be-organiZed COM
pany. the proceeds TO be devoted
to the work of developing the pro-
cess. which is admitted TO be not
yet at the stage OF commercial sue
cess.
This proposition Is fair enough
and a perfectly legitimate use OF
investors money, provided the
statements made In the prospectus
are not OF such a nature as to de-
| ceiye the investor with false hopes.
| On this point, however IL Is our
duty to say that the present pros
| pectus appears to be as deserving
Of criticism as were DR.. jacques
publications of ten years ago. He
repeats his old claim In the fol-
lowing words:
I'm numerous laboratory tests
made with apparatus OF scientific
value but not adapted to extended
commercial use-there has been
obtained as electricity by far the
greater portion OF the energy con-
|, tanned In the coal consumed"
ii
might very reasonably appeal to
investors for financial support;
but the fact Is that DR.. Jacques
claims were thoroughly and public
ly discussed decade ago before
scientific societies and in the tech
meal press and were definitely re-
jected. II his patent then issued
had really been based on sound
:. principles and had really shown
the way TO the production of cleo
tricity by the direct combustion OF
carbon. the experiment would long
ago have been repeated In hun
dred laboratories and would have
been established As a scientific fact
whether II had been commercially
successful or not. DR.. Jaques has
had ten years In which to prove
before reputable scientific experts
that his alleged laboratory test on
which he based all his claims was
genuine. His failure to secure the
e verlfcation of single expert In
all this time, and his present ap-
peal for money without such yeri-
iication raises the strongest pre-
sumption against his good faith.
!. Thus II appears that the experts dt
o not enthuse over the discoveries OF tn
doctor. The News however is yer,
fair in dealing with the subject. II
G recommendation is In effect. that tn
/, Jacques scheme Is not necessarily TO b