Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-09


purpose--and that purpose the desire
to tighten the burden, increase tne
usefulness and add to the pleasure OF
every living man.
Every field of human inquiry is being
examined into with the slow, patient,
careful and intelligent questioning OF
the scientist. Every discovery MADE -
Instantly applied TO some problem OF
actual life. Time was, and not so long
ago, that the world laughed at the be-
specialized man who bent for years
over his microscope looking at bugs.
The world laughs no longer. That
much despised "bugologist' has freed
the race from mortal fear OF many
diseases, he has found the way to pre-
vent devastating blights which de-
stroyed useful plants, he Is stili tire-
lessiy at work for the good OF man
kind.
The great problem of the inventor
and the scientist of the future Will pe
the utilization of what the people now
waste in this country. For instance,
it is said that the railroads OF the
United States use 150.000.000 tons or
coal year in their engines and that
the energy OF only 100000 tons Of
this is utilized, the energy Of the other
Ia, ,500,00J tons passing useiessiy away
into the air Every ton Of this wasted
coal gives off $4,000 pounds Of carbonic
acid gas and each pound Of 1t has as
much efficiency in 1t as three pounds
of steam. Thus every year the rail-
roads alone waste power equivalent to
twenty seven trillion pounds of steam.
Think of the wonderful benefits tho
man will confer upon humanity who
will find a practical way to utilize only
one-half of the wasted energy! IL all
coal consumption shows a proportion
ate amount of wasted energy 1t means
that In the United States we annually
lose the energy of more than sixty five
trillion pounds of steam. That energy
properly doled out would be- sufficient
to meet all the power requirements OF
the whole world. Some idea Of Its
inconceivable immensity may be gath
cred from the statement that IL every
one of the 25.000.000 horses In the
United States We're required to exert
their full pulling power 1t would take
eight hours out of every day and 800
days out of every year, to perform q
like amount of work.
Then there Is the waste of water
power. The total amount Of water
power used In 1906 was about million
and half horse power. II the streams
of the United States from the smallest
available mountain brook up to the
waterfalls and rapids of the big rivers
were harncssed 1t. would probably show
hrndredfold Increase over the present
capacity. or enough to furnish the
power Of the whole nation hundred
years hence. BY the utilization of the
hydro-electric principle the millions of
horse power now going to waste In the
mountain Businesses of the country
can be brought out into human hahi-
tations and made to bear its burden
in a growing civilization. Every COM
munity in the land could have Its
hydro electric plant just as 1t now has
its blacksmith shop and Its grist mill.
With his storage batteries the farmer
would have a cheap substitute for his
horses. having them replenished Just
as he now goes to the blacksmith shop
to Rave his horses shod. Or perhaps
1t will come even closer to him. Today
the farmer In advanced rural commun-
tiles who has no telephone Is rarity.
Why not electric transmission plants
reaching every farm? There are today
interurban railroads which sell their
surplus current to farmers within their
territory at less than half the cost Of
horse power. Is II beyond the hope
of century's progress TO see a thing
In general use which has already
proved it's value? AS the years come
and go farms will get smaller and men
will be forced to consider every item
of expense and to reduce waste to the
minimum. Electric power will be one
of the things to come as result OF
this twentieth century development,
There Is even q possibility that wire
transmission of power may be succeed
ed in the future. Wireless telegraphy
looked impossible until within few