The National tribune., 1906-06-14

more anu more the Ideas or engineers
and manufacturers are turning to the
gas engine. and more particularly to the
producer type as the great prime mover
OF the future! All the economies are in
that direction. The smallest gas en-
gines have an efficiency Of from 20 to
"a per cent. while the best and largest
steam engines scarcely exceed II per
cent of the theoretic efficiency Of the
fuel. There has been a recent test Of q
producer gas engine with the anthracite
culm which forms hills OF waste in
Pennsylvania, and the result was a de-
termination of the cost to be about l.!
mills per horsepower hour. 1t Is con-
fidently asserted that these engines will
produce power at least IA per cent
cheaper than 1t can be gained from
waterfalls The old belief that the pro-
Queer gas engine requires more fire.
quent stops and cleaning than the steam
engine has not held good in practice
The Erie Railroad Company has had
two 200-horsepOwer gas producer en-
gines in operation at Jersey City for
seven years, and in one Of them the fire
has never been out. No steam engine
could stand such test as this. Engine
builders are taking cognizance Of this
increase in the use of gas producer en-
gines, and where five years ago not an
engine of this character was built in the
United States a recent call by the Car
negie Company for bids brought out IL
proposals from American builders of
engines Of from 1000 to 2.00O-horse-
power.
Japan consumes an immense quantity
of American cotton, and naturally de-
sires to grow the lint on her own terri
tory. She has therefore sent a commits
sion to Korea to study the prospects of
growing cotton there. The Commission
reported favorably, and thinks that at
least $40,000,O00 worth Of cotton can be
produced there annually. This need not
greatly alarm American growers. since
for more than half century all the
Nations of Europe have been trying to
procure their cotton from other sources
than the United States. and though this
prospect seemed very hopeful, 1T has
never. except in the instance Of Egypt.
resulted in success. During the war Of
the rebellion; the British Government
made the, most extensive experiments,
expendingia great amount Of money. to
raise cotton in India, but the result was
not perceptible. This seems strange,
since India is the home Of the cotton
plant. and for centuries most of the
worlds supply OF cotton and cotton
goods came from there. Great Britain
cotton in Africa. but SO far have achiev-
ed little to encourage them.
W. e. Scarritt, ex-President Of the
Automobile Club of America, says that
we are soon to have very good run
abouts sold for $500 and touring cars
for $780, He thinks that the price will
go still lower, SO that the average work
ingman will be able to own his own
automobile as he now owns his bicycle.
There Is no real reason why we should
not have a good, serviceable runabout
at price not great deal in excess of
what first-class buggy now costs. This
is certain to come. We know what p
buggy costs, and the gas engines are
daily being made better and cheaper. so
that as soon as certain problems con-
nected with the manufacture of auto
mobiles are worked out in practice and
the type becomes standardized they will
come down to price that will put them
within the reach Of every man who can
now afford to have a horse and buggy.
Many years ago John Cleves Symmes
evolved the theory that the earth was
hollow, and that instead Of there being
poles there was a curvature OF the earth
said to be, and that vessels and other
floating articles fioated imperceptibly
down into the center of the earth. where
there were found all the things that we
now know on the surface as we'll as
many others. He devoted the latter
part of his life to the propagation of his
theories, and his grave in Spring Grove
Cemetery at Cincinnati is surmounted
by a monument on which rests hollow
globe representing his idea. The same
theory has been revived and set forth
by William Reed in book entitled 1.-The
Phantom of the Poles" in, which he
celebrates his idea and cites to its sup
port all the facts that he can muster.
In the opinion Of the most skillful
aeronauts the Wright brothers. of Day.
ton, o., have accomplished most sub
stantial advance in the science of navi-
cation of the air. 1t is confidently as
serted that they have solved the prob
lem of man-fight by means OF a mo-
tor. 1t is believed that the first use of
their machine will be in war, and that
some Government will attempt to Sc
cure possession of the machine with ex-
elusive right TO its devices, which are
being kephsecret.
For a novelty there was not a single
hat-pin. hair-pdn, hook-and-eye, gar
ment supporter, corset Or churn patent
ed last week, and only one non-refillable
Work OF the Patent Once.
For the week ended June s, 1906, the
Patent Office issued 672 patents II de-