Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-08-07
GAS The FUTURE POWER.
DR.. MCGEE Predicts That it Will
Take the Place Of Steam as
Universal Motive Power
ALSO URGES INLAND CANAL

ALSO URGES INLAND CANAL
Says Railroads Have Reached Their
Limit Of Capacity With Steam Loco
motives-Imperative 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.
DIR. MCGEE, who is member of the
national waterways commission ap-
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
is 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-
duce as much energy for gas engine
as three tons Of coal will produce used
as 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
portation facilities for the annually in
creasing products.
"Hitherto the Atlantic and the Pa
cific seaboards have controlled the
policy of this country" said DR.. Nc
Gee. at is :low up 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 bust
ness"
In speaking Of the substitution of
gas for steam az motive power, DR..
MCGEE said that Lewis Nixon. one of
the leading shipbuihers of the country.
now is building an ocean liner at
Elizabeth, N. J., designed to cross the
Atlantic in four days, with gas as the
propelling power. The new liner, he
said, will carry only 40 per cent of the
coal needed on a steam propelled liner.
'tIhe 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
In the United States we can begin to
form some sort of an idea of the guam
tity of rails needed.
".There is $1,000, 000,00O invested in
the 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 popu-
lation Of more than 100000 people,
half Of the population of the nation,
absolutely dependent upon transporta-
ton for success or failure. Our inter
ests are Identical. It Is up to us to
stand together and demand our just
share of the improvements.
'19The richest agricultural land in the
world is the bottom lands of the Mis-
sissippi valley, from the mouth Of the
Ohio river to the gulf Of Mexico. Ev-
cry year there are washed 400,000,00O
tons Of sediment from these lands into
the great river, which in turn carries
the soil wash to the gulf. That is two
and one-half times as much soil as is
to be dug out of the Panama canal.
"The days Of steam as a motive pow
er are numbered. Gas will take its
place. The energy In coal will be enor-
monsly economical by the use Of gas
engines both in railroad and marine
lIAuSpOI IdSlOl. uc SOol 0GluS VI ZIG
country are rapidly being depleted by
the demand for fuel in modern indus
try, and the saving of coal by the use
Of gas would be great economy.
"A great saving Of coal also can be
made in the use of water power. There
Is enough water power going to waste
In the United States to supply power
to half Of the industries of the nation.
The redemption of swamp lands in the
lower Mississippi valley will raise the
value Of the land from $10O to $500 an
ocre.
1.-The Improvements could be started
with a working capital Of only few
hundred million dollars Lock tolls and
other charges would pay for the i'm
provements or at least make them self
sustaining. The work could be done
with one-tenth Of the cost Of the rail.
roads,"
WOMAN HAS ARRIVED.
Nineteen Have Been Elected to the Diet