The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1906-1907, 1907-05-18
GAS FUTURE POWER.
Or. MCGEE Predicts That II win
Take the Place of Steam.
ALSO URGES INLAND CANAL

Says RAILROADS Have Reached Their |
Linait Of Capaeity With Steam Loco
notivss-lmpsrativs Needs Of the |
Great Mississippi Valley.
Substitution of gas for steam as a
universal motive power Of railroad and
marine transportation was predicted
BY DR.. W. ]. MCGEE Of st. Louis in a
talk before the members Of the City
club, says the Chicago Tribune.
DE-. MCGEE, who IL a member Of the
national waterways commission APP
pointed by President Roosevelt and one
Of the leading biologists of the country,
spoke ON the Control Of Our Inland
Waterways" He declared that the
railroads of the country have reached
their capacity and that the coal supply
ls being rapidly depleted as a result Of
the tremendous demand for fuel in
modern industry.
The substitution Of gas for steam, he
said, will work an enormous saving Of
coal In that one ton Of coal will pro-
Gnce as much energy for gas engine
as three tons of coal will produce used
Is fuel in the production Of steam.
He also urged the construction Of a
complete system Of inland waterways
In order that the manufacturing and
commercial interests Of the interior OF
the country might have adequate trans
POEtattOn facilities for the annually In
creasing products.
Hitherto the Atlantic and the Pa
eifc seaboards have controlled the
policy Of this country" said DIR. Nc
Gee. ut IL now mp TO the people Of the
interior to demand their share Of i'm
prOvements. This must consist In the
Improvement Of the'great inland water
ways.
THE Mississippi valley Is the great
est empire In the world and contains
half of the people of this nation. They
are dependent upon transportation for
the success or failure of their busl-
mesa"
In speaking OF the substitution Of
gas for steam as motive power, DR..
MCGEE said that Lewis, Nixon, ease OF
the leading shipbuilders of the country,
now Is building an ocean liner at
Elizabeth, N. J., designed to cross the
Atlantic In four days, with gas az the
propelling power The new liner, he
Said, win carry only 40 per cent of the
coal needed on a steam propelled liner.
The railroads have reached their
capacity with steam," continued DR..
MCGEE. "Also there is not enough iron
mined in the United States to supply
the rails needed for adequate railroad
transportation. Neither is there enough
labor to mine the iron needed.
Ten tons of rails are required to the
mile, and when we know that there are
approximately 100000 miles Of road
b the United States we can begin to
firm some sort of an idea of the guam
uty Of rails needed
There Il $1,000, 100000 invested In
TIE railroads Of this country. A tenth
Of that sum spent on our waterways
would equip the finest waterways
transportation system In the world.
Here are twenty states with a pOpu-
htion Of more than 100000 people.
half Of the population Of the nation.
absolutely dependent upon transport
tan for success or failure. Our intar-
ests are identical It IL up to n to
stand together and demand our 3ust
share Of the improvements.
The richest agricultural land In the
world Is the bottom lands OF the Ms
Hssippt valley, from the month q tha
Ohio river 10 the gulf Of Mexico Nv
ery year there are washed 4O000o0OC
tons OF sediment from these lands into
the great river, which IN turn carries
the soil wash 10 the gulf. That d tWu
and one-hah times a. much sci a. 4
10 be dug cut Of the Panama canal
The days Of steam a. motive pow.
e. are numbered Gas viii take IL
place The energy In coal win Be enor'
mSaaay economAssd By The ne oe -
engines both IN railroad and marine
transportation The coal fields Of ths
country are rapidly being depleted b
the demand for fuel In modern indus
~, ana tae saving Of coal BY The use
Of ems wCuld be great ec0nomy.
q gssak saving Of c0al also ca b
DAaa n. TIE use Of watsr power Thers
y enough water power going to. wasas
In the United States 60 supply powel