Evening journal., 1913-10-13
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
How EriCSSOn'S Scheme to
Seddle the Suns Rays
Failed
By Holland,

One afternoon I'm the Fall of 1887,
met the late Cornelius Bufhnell ON q
train of the New Haven railroad and
entered into conversation with him.
MIR. Bushnell and John Griswold. Of
Troy. n. ", wc-e associated with
John Ericsson in the construction OF
the first monitor. and il was largely
in President Lincoln's administration,
Gideon Wollcs. secretary of the navy
in President Lincoln's administration,
was persuaded to accept the monitor
az least for trial tests and TO man
her With officers and sailors of the
federal navy For his services at that
time a monument had been erected IN
memory of Mr.. Bushnell in the city
Of New Haven.
| asked MT Bushnell If he knew
what MIR. Ericsson was doing at that
time.
IL have not had much opportunity
TO meet Mr.. Ericsson in recent years,
Mr. Bushnell replied. 81 know. how
ever, that he is completely absorbed
in work upon an apparatus which he
has invented and is now pcmccting
lie believes that IL will revoutiOnizc
modern industries of all kinds, be-
cause ii viii make possible the cap
turc for commercial purposes Of the
energy which is in the suns rays.
You know there are good many
men OF science who believe that II
even one-half Of the energy which is
in coal could be utilized for pow
cr purposes the result would be "A vast
cheaponing OF manufacturing cost
Tho energy that is in coal is really
the stored-up energy which the suns
rays place there.
"As long ago as the time when
Ericsson was working out his plans
for the monitor war vessel his mind
occasionally reverted to the problem
Can any machinery be invented
which would make il possible to cap
turc and control some part Of The
energy that is ia the suns rays?'
Il know that Il was Ericsson s
purpose TO occupy himself exclusively
with this problem after he had per.
fCctcd one or two other Inventions,
especially a submarine lighting vcs-
SCI, which at that time be was al
ready formulating In his mimi.
'Hf you ever pass ST. Johns Park
in the lower part OF New Hork aud
will look at the miidlc house In the
row OF bow-windowcd houses that
occupy tho southern part of the
SQUARE and then look up toward ,he
roof you will sec ON tho roof n
queor-looking little building which
appears TO have great glass top 10
it.
"But you will never get to that
little building unless YOU do II by
stealth or force ericsson works
there from morning till late at night
He Is so absorbed i'm his work that he
will see no one unless 1t be impera.
lively necessary. Frequently his
servants have TO bring him his food
He is evtu impatient at this inter
ruption.
81 have received lntimations tha
he is confident that he has capture
this force and believes That appaI
atus which he has invented Viii d
more for mankind than all the Otho
inventions put together"
Some three or four years later thcr
came semi-ofiicial announcement ths
Ericsson had perfected his sun moto
ilo had made apparatus by whic
the suns rays could be secured am
stored and then utilized for powc
purposes. When ! heard this ! re
called what Mr. Bushnell had said {
me. Hut il was afterward announce
that Ericsson had overlooked ON
thing and that was the commercis
practicability of his invention. Th
motor would do everything he claimc
for Il. but at cost OF installatio
I and operation far in excess of th
cost of energy produced by burnin
coal or by water power. Some ycai
later scientists found better wa
than Ericsson's. for they learned no
TO capture electricity and TO utilil
II with commercial practicability.
Copyright. 1919, by +. J. Edward
All rights resorvcd)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards Will tell I
Getting stolen Glimpse Of Eri'
sson's Submarine