The Washington herald., 1912-05-08
PuMR WATER BY sUN poWER.
New Plant wtl ne Usesd II ne
Nl1e csuntrz.

New Plant WIN ns Usssa n the
Nile csuntry.
Fzm ihs r,ehliui Word
The sandy and sun-baked wastes of
the Nile, the arid lands Of the Texas
Panhandle. the nitrate aelds Of Chile
the deserts Of Africa-in short those
dried-out portions Of the earth which for
centuries haves resisted the efforts OF
the farmer 10 Be reclaimed By the very
thing that has made them desoiate-thc
sun.
There was shipped recently from Phils-
delphia TO Egypt the first section Of the
first sun-power plant ever invented and
put TO practical usa This ls not the ex-
pertinent OF a dreamer. but the completed
and tested work-after many months Of
practical use in Tacony. a suburb Of
Philadelphia-of Frank shuman Of Ia
cony. Nor Is this wonderful plant be-
ing sent to Egypt haphazard; It IL
going TO nil an order OF the Egyptian
government. an order given after .
board OF expert commissioners had
spent months at the raeony plant az
special Investigators for the Khedive.
II Is backed by British capital placed
only after the most exhaustive inves-
tigation OF the practical use OF the
sun-power plant
The Egyptian order was the hrst but
not the only one which has been placed
in the past several months With the
assurance from the Khediye'g commits
sioners and from the English fnan-
ciers. orders have begun to pour IN
from every section OF the globe until
Mr.. shuman has found Il necessary TO
begin the erection OF q plant to make
sun-power plants. The work on this
plant ls starting now IN Philadelphia
THIS, in brief. is the story Of the uiti-
mate success OF years OF efort. OF
work and OF testing, but II gives only
a slight idea OF the great factor that
has entered agricultural and manufac-
turing development and what this
wonderful sun-ray-harnessing machin-
cry will do.
The main object Of the sun power
plant Is to produce practical power at
the least possible cost. The idea OF
"harnessing the sun" has been the
dream OF inventors and the desire OF
the commercial giants for years. Some
efforts have met with q certain amount
OF success, but not with practical sue
cess Toys. almost. have been invent
ed. which were they used for CONNER
cial purposes would prove far too cost
ly to be practicable. II was toward the
use OF the sun-power plant
that Mr.. shrfnan bent all his efforts.
To achieve his end meant high ef-
at a low cost OF installation |
and operation and with a length OF |
service which would not make dete- |
rioration q factor. II meant a plant 30 |
devised that II would not be unduly af- |
fected by wind and weather and so d. |
vided that II one section broke down II |
might be repaired without Affecting the |
operation OF the other sections. The in
ventor bent his efforts to produce q 1
plant that would originally cost no
more than about twice as much as q
steam boiler of the same horsepower.
rhe Il. IO.0O0-horsepower plant now being
Ihipped to Egypt meets this every re-
luirement.
The plant which has been in opera
ion near Tacony is built low, so low
hat the winds have never injured II
'ince IL has been in operation. II r. ex-
oected 10 operate about eight hours a
lay In the Nile country and In this lat
tude II has already turned out 5000
yailons OF water q minute. throwing Il
o a height % 3 feet In Egypt It is
Vpected to treble. possibly quadruple,
his capacity.