Arizona republican., 1911-10-11
Some Promises of Science.

while most Of us are advocating
 the conservation of our remaining supply of coal and timber, and some
 of us are worrying over the problem which will confront future genera tions when there is no more fuel, the optimistic men of science are telling us that the future is all right For example, Sir William Ramsay, in a notable address before the British association, suggests that radium may
 be the motive force of the future.
 Pointing out that the disintegration
 of radium liberates three and one half million times the energy avail
 able by the explosion of an equal vol
 tune of detonating gas, Sir William says:
 Suppose. that the energy of a ton of radium could be utilized in thirty
 years instead of being evolved at its
 inVariable slow rate of one thousand
 seven hundred and sixty years for
 one-half disintegration, it would suf-
 flee to propel a ship of 15,0OO tons,
 with engines of 15,O0G horsepower,
 at the rate of 15 knots an hour, for
 thirty years, practically the lifetime
 of the ship. To do this actually re-
 quires one and one-haIf million tons .of coal"
 To be sure. the Scientific Ameri-
 can. commenting upon this address,
 brings us to earth with thud by asking where a ton of radium is to be obtained; but maybe there will yet be found in the bowels of Arizo- mas mountains a supply of pitch blende which will furnish radium in
 the requisite quantities. All the scientists are agreed, however. that the problem of handling safely in large quantities so terrible a sub stance as radium, presents greater difficulties. probably. than that of finding it in large lots. Nevertheless. the Scientific American, conservative as it is. admits the possibility that d SoluNltI lluN De lbullu.
 "Stupendous as the problem is, who shall be bold enough to say that it that it will never be solved? After all. is the utilization of the enormous energy contained in a half grain of radium any more startling than the transformation of the energy pent up in a shovelful of black coal? If the radium engine ever does come, it will simply be another instance of the triumph of mind over matter"
 Far more practical is the proposal to draw energy from the sun. In Arizona and in California there were several years ago with sun power steam plants; and while they were failures. commercially, in ventors have persisted in their at tempts to bring forth a practicable method of harnessing the heat ot old Sol, and We shall miss our guess if somebody does not finally succeed. Indeed. a new apparatus has just been completed in Philadelphia for use in Egypt, for which great things are claimed It is asserted that it develops steam in paying quantities, and it is confidently expected that under the burning sun of Egypt it will prove a success in pumping water for irrigation It happens that | n the regions of the world where sun power is most needed because of the | nigh cost of fuel-Arizona, Southern | California, and Nevada; in Egypt l md in southern Asia-the sun is | Llmost constantly on duty. And | when a method is devised whereby | team Can be produced economically | with the suns rays, there will be an industrial transformation in these ountries.
 There should be a sensible con ervation of our fuel resources. But omehow it appears that when a new invention is needed to meet new onditions. providence or science. or erhaps both working together, nable man to meet and overcome is difficulties.