The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1913-05-04
Possibilities of a Billion
By Clarence Tate.

that a billion is a million millions, and
states this as a fact three or four
times. Now If the editor had gone no
further than his definition of a billion
in his article, I should not notice it,
conceding that he understood the full
significance of his own notation: but
since he speaks in his article of a bill
lion dollar congress, of the affairs of
the billion dollar analgamated steel
syndicate and incidentally mentions
that the Lsthmian canal will require
half a billion dollars for its final conn
pfetion, I win boldly say that this
magazine editor does not know what
he is writing about, and that he has
not the faintest conception of the pos
sibi1ities of a million million, which he
denoninates a billion
Now at the outset, 1 will say that
the figures which l shall present are
SO startling as to challenge belief and
/ am aware that three-fourths of The
Journal readers will deny my state
ments relative to a billion and say
that I am as much up a tree as the
ma gazine editor. But denial is not
proof, SO ,et the doubling Thomases
get the schools to enlist the best talent
of their pupils to ascertain whether
or not my figures are erroneous for I
believe nobody but teachers and pupils
will test the verify of the work by
mathematical calculation.
This is written mainly for the edit
cation of school pupils. although it
may be read with profit by grown
ups if it induces earnest, devoted
thought upon the stability of any
theory before prenouacing it unten-
able.
In this discussion I shall address my
remarks to an imaginable Harry of
some sixth grade, and let this Harry
represent the pupils of all the schools.
1t is proper to state that in computing
i have allowed twenty silver dollars to
weigh a. pound, (a1though it would not
take so many; that the dollar is one
inch in diameter, and one-eighth of an
inch in thickness. These dimensions
may not be absolutely correct but call
culations based upon the above as
sumption will, be so near the true re-
suit that any error viii be insigniff-
cant.
Now Harry, all these arrangements
being agreed to, we viii play ball."
that is, discuss the billions" accord
ing to the magazine editors notation.
A billion silver dollars would make a
boulevard fifty feet wide, paved with
dollars, extending around the earth at
the equator over Land and sea, and
have enough dollars left over to build
a similar silver boulevard one thou
sand three hundred and four miles
long,
A billion silver dollars stacked one
upon another would make a pile reach
ing eight times to the moon (Which,
you know, Harry, is only a mean dis
tance of two hundred and thirty eight
thousand miles from the earth) and
al a4fTfnE 1r.rr
bred and fifty-three dollars left overt
What do you think of the magazine
editor now, Harry?
A billion silver dollars laid side by
side in an unbroken line would reach
arotInd the globe at the equator, six
hundred and t9afrty-one times, and
have four hundred and ninety-six
thousand dollars left over!
A billion silver dollars would make a
solid silver monument standing on a.
base of six hundred and twenty-five
square feet and towering in the heav-
ems twenty one and ten elevenths miles
hight
How is this for silver para1lelo-
piped, Harry?
A billion silver dollars loaded in
freight cars, each car holding one
hundred Thousand pounds, and each
1hfrty feet long, would make solid
train of five hundred thousand cars,
reaching in an unbroicen line two thou
sa nd eight hundred and forty miles, or
from Jacksonville to San Francisco =
II a billion dollar syndicate" ac-
cordfng to the magazine editors nota-
ton should endeavor to get rid of It's
wealth by spending one million dollars
a day, it would take the syndicate two
Thousand seven hundred and thirty
nine years and two hundred and sixty
five DAYS to go through with 1t! Now
Harry do you believe that the maya
zine editor knows what billion is?
One more instance Of the enormous
possibilities of the magazine EDITORS
"haflion" and we win turn to a short
discussion of wf4at you and I, Harry,
call a billion, that is, a thousand
million
Supposfng the billion dollar s1safdi-
cate had all it's wealth in bank, and
went there to withdraw it and waits
unit. the teller courts IT. which he al
WAYS does in fhe DFesence of the GUS