Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-17
Utilize Old Neptune'S
Energy
Reynolds Brothers Invention Prom-
ises to Revolutionize Production
Of Worlds Heat, Light
and Power

hlnQ OF man since ne DrSL BdE6u Wul-
deringly at their dark waters. To the
uncouth savage, the dire might en-
bodied in their all potent onrush seemed
to speak of powerful god whom 1t was
necessary to propitiate; and he Wor-
SHIPPED the strange power.
Later on civilization denuded the
ogre Of his supernatural surroundings,
but the inanimate power that lurked
ir his bosom, ever ready to leap forth
and devour the unsuspecting, filled the
mind of the mariner with mingled dread
and awe.
The theologian saw in the ceaseless,
crashing, roaring, resistless power of
the wave the omnipotent might of
Deity itself, and it's never-sleeping bill
lows that crunched the swirling sands
in their teeth breathed of his great
strength.
What the Inventor Saw
The inventor, sitting at the seaside,
watched with vague sense of dissatis-
faction the rolling rise and fall of the
booming waters. The resistless advance
of the waves as they ebbed and flowed
seemed to speak to him of mighty pow
ers as yet embarrassed, and of strength
sufficient to move a world In the dark
shadows of the pillows he gazed and
long sought to wrest from their UNI
bered waves the secret of harnessing
that power. The gently rolling waters
told him Of a power which, brtdled,
would perform for the world all the
labor at which man was toiling away
the brief years of his existence. Small
wonder that the inventor passed his
days by the side Of the incomprehensi-
BILE sea, struggling with the mystery
that seemed to battle solution.
The rolling motion of the waves
seemed to show him in what direction
his search must be prosecuted, and
many years ago the first wave motor
was devised. The instrument was
floated on the surface of the water, and
each successive undulation of the water
added its quota to the power generated.
But the first storm sufficed to show that
this system was unsatisfactory. The
floating machine was crunched to pieces
by the force 1t was trying to harness,
and a mass of shapeless wreckage float
ed to shore to warn the inventor that
the problem was not yet solved.
Brothers Seek Secret
Among the inventors who sought the
secret of refining in the mighty waters
were Alva and George Reynolds of
Huntington Beach. Born and bred with
in hearing of the oceans ceaseIess
throb, they were early attracted by its
wonders. Long years of association
with the king of waters gave them an
intimate knowledge of its ways; they
learned to know it's moods, in short, to
love it's gray, blue, green, changing
bosom.
Possibly because of this love the
ocean that had turned an impassive |
face to other searchers rewarded these
children of its care With the secret |
that had baffled hundreds, nay, thous- |
ands, before them. Suffice to say it |
was given to these two brothers to |
learn from old oceans own waves how
they could be harnessed; and the Rey-
nolds brothers wave motor is the re-
suit.
Was Inventor Of Man Angel
The life of the two inventors is
scarcely less interesting than their in
vention itself. Born in Michigan, the
family moved to California in 1875
They have lived on the coast ever
since
Alva Reynolds is a scientific in
ventor by inclination. Prior to the
invention of the wave motor his most
important achievement was the con-
struction of an aerial boat, known
throughout Los Angeles and vicinity
and, in fact, the entire country-as the
machine made ascensions in this city,
and few Angelenos who were here two
years ago are ignorant of the MAN
Angel" and its inventor This machine
was taken all over the country and eX-
hibited at fairs and large gatherings.
It's best fight was on such a trip, when
Captain Follett drove it from Augusta
to Macon, Georgia, without coming to
the earth.
George Reynolds, while he is almost
a celebrity in his home town, Hunting
ton Beach--in which he has lived ever
since the place was first settled-is not
so widely known outside the confines
of the beach town.
Saves Many Lives
But there he is a hero. For the past
four years he has been connected with
the bath house and life saving corps,
and during this time not a single per-
son has lost his life on the beach
Eternally vigilant, one of the best
swimmers on the coast, and of indie
fatigable nerve and endurance, Rey-
noIds has at eight different times pulled
from the surf venturesome swimmers
who were being carried out to certain
death by the waves.
George Reynolds is a mechanical en-
glneer by trade, but this is the first
time he and his inventive brother have
coIlaborated to produce a new machine.
Alva Reynolds said last night: "How
did we discover the secret? Well, we
used to go out on the wharf at night
and sit by the hour watching the
waves come in, and discuss ways OF
Harvesting them. The idea simply
fioated in with the waves; but it took
q lot of work to bring it out. After
we had the first crude plan, we came
out on the wharf and at night when
no one was around to disturb us, we
would conduct our experiments and
make alterations That's all there is
to IT,"
Utilizes Ebb and Flow
Unlike past efforts, the Reynolds mo-
tor does not float on the surface of the
waves. The old style motor took only
the ebb OF the wave and the flow was
lost altogether. In the Reynolds motor
both ebb and flow are utilized. The
float has been abandoned for a vane
which projects into the water and re-
ceives the impact of each wave as II
rrshes in TO the shore. The rolling
water turns the wooden vane partly
around and In so doing turns a crank