Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-20
THE RADIUM ENGINE.
Bearing on a Forecast by Sir Viii.
liam Ramsay.

from the Scientific American.
In his remarkable British Association
address, Sir William Ramsay stated that
the disintegration of radium liberated
three and one-half million times the en-
ergy available by the explosion of an
equal volume of decorating gas-a mix
ture of one volume Of oxygen with two
volumes of hydrogen. He pointed out
that the major part OF this energy comes
apparently from the expulsion of parti-
cles chat is, of atoms of helium) with
enormous velocity. Suppose says Sir
William. that the energy in a ton Of ra-
dunn could be utilized in thirty years in
stead of being evolved at its invariable
slow rate of 1,76O years for one-half dis
integra ton, 1t would suffice to propel a
ship OF 1000 tons, with engines OF 15,OOO
horsepower, at the rate OF fifteen knots
an hour for thirty years, practically the
lifetime of the ship. To do this actually
requires one and one-half million tons of
COAL
Here is a statement of radium's posi-
bilities that may we'll cause a steam en-
gineer to ponder. Why bother about
thermo-dynamics, about Carnot cycles.
about the relative merits of turbines and
reciprocating engines? Why not develop
the radium engine and conserve our coal
supplies, and manipulate ounces of ra-
dunn instead of tons of coal At one fell
blow all our elaborate coal-conveying
machinery disappears. and with 1t roar
ing furnaces, the blackened faces Of
stOkers and all the Sooty paraphernalia
that the word steam engine stands for
The possibilities are far more romantic
on paper than in actual fact. In the first
place, where are We to get a ton of IA
dunn? Sir William himself in times past
has placed the total supply of radium in
the world in laboratories, at much less
than a pound. Physicists and chemists
have time and time again pointed out the
.s-lr
ding even half grain of comparatively
pure radium. Bacteria, insects and even
mice, we believe. actually have been
killed by radium rays, suitably applied.
to be sure. What will be the effect upon
a man sitting in room containing. let
US say, ten pounds of radium? Would he
ever emerge alive? Obviously, the mere
difficulty Of handling SO terrible SUBJ
stance imposes problems far more diff
cult of solution than those which the old
steam engine ever offered.
Assuming that We really had a safe
method of handling a large quantity of
radium, how are We to make its energy
available in practical form? Some totally
new type of Of prime mover must be de-
Geloped. some contrivance which will
render 1t possible for electrons hurled
into space with the speed of light to do
their work.
Then again there is the subject of ma
terials to be considered. Radio active
substances are no respecters of ordinary
containers. The particles projected from
radium permeate most substances with
comparative ease. To conf1ne them would
be a far more serious task than the in
sulation of a steam pipe.
StupendOus as the problem Is, who shall
be bold enough to say that it will never
be solved? After all. Is the utilzation
OF the enormous energy contained In
half grain of radium any more startling
than the Transformation Of the energy
pent up in a shovelful of black coal? II
the radium engine ever does come, it viii
simply be another instance Of the tri-
umph of mind over matter