Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-04-19
GAS FUTURE POWER,

Or. MCGEE Predicts That 1t win
Take the Place Of Steam.
ALSO URGES INLAND CANAL.
Says Railroads Have Reached Their
Limit Of Capacity With Steam Loco
motives--lmperative 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. j. MCGEE Of st. Louis in a
talk before the members Of the City
club, says the Chicago Tribune.
DR.. MCGEE, who is a 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 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 latght have adequate trans
portation facilities for the annually in
creaslng products.
"Hitherto the Atlantic and the Pa
cifc seaboards have controlled the
policy Of this country" said DR.. Nc
Gee. ut is now 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.
+ 1.-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 busi-
ness"
In speaking Of the substitution Of
gas for steam as motive power, DR..
MCGEE said that Lewis Nlxoa, one 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 as the
propelling power. The new liner, he
said, will carry Only 40 per cent OF the
coal needed on steam propelled liner
"The railroads have reached their
capacity with steam," continued DR.
McGee. "Also there As 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 wheEg We knowthat thety are
i approximately 100000 miles OF road
In the United States we can begin tt
form some sort Of an idea Of the guam
tty Of rails needed. &
'srhere is $1,000, OOO, 900 Invested il
the railroads Of this country. A tentl
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 tt
stand together and demand our jus,
share Of the improvements. @
The richest agricultural land in the
4 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 ZOO, OOt
tons OF sediment from these lands init
the great river. which In turn carrie.
the soil wash to the gulf. That is twt
and one-half times as much soil as Ii
to be dug out Of the Panama canal.
The days of steam as a motive pow
er are numbered. Gas will take iii
place. The energy in coal will be enor
i mously economical by the use Of ga.
engines both In railroad and marine
transportation. The coal fields Of til,
country are rapidly being depleted b,
the demand for fuel in modern indus
try. and the saving Of coal by the us,
Of gas would be a great economy.
"a great saving OF coal also can b,
made In the use of water power. Their,
is enough water power going to vast,
In the United States to supply powel
to half Of the industries OF the nation
The redemption Of swamp lands in til,
lower Mississippi valley will raise th.
value Of the land from 500 to $500 al
acre.
The improvements could be started
with g working capital Of only q few
/ hundred million dollars. Lock toIla arf