Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-08-10

DR. BERLINER one Of the greatest Of living eec,
utzable over long distances. Much than ordinary
interest therefore attaches his expectant belief in
civilization expected to that will be based
upon electricity.
II VHE popular mind fails to grasp the enormous and
wholly revolutionary change that is about to
take place in the methods upon which the world
depends for the production and distribution OF energy
for industrial domestic and other purposes. 1t may
be said indeed that civilization the point OF max
ing another gigantic stride stride SO vast as to place
it in effect upon entirely new plane.
Take the matter of transportation, to start with.
With already at command six electric sta
tons placed at suitable intervals along the line would
suffice trains all the way from Eastport, Maine to
San Francisco The day of the locomotive that burns
coal to generate its power almost at end:
the railroads in many parts of the country being
electrified. But this is only beginning. Before long
all of railroads will be run by electric power plants
located at the mines, thus doing away with the trouble
and expense of carrying coal to great distances
The intricate system of trolley lines in Illinois, which
the State with network, IS at present run
from the coal mines An extension of the same method
to all the railroads cannot long be deferred 1t is
practicable send fifty thousand to hundred thou
sand volts distance of two hundred and fifty
miles with loss of less than ten per cent Hence you
will understand how electric power stations five
hundred miles apart would suffice to passenger and
freight trains all the from San Francisco to East
port; that IS to say, clear across the continent
Interesting this connection the fact las asserted
by experts that the of heat at present allowed
to go to in the coke of the Connesvle dis
trict of Pennsylv would if converted into electric
ity furnish twice the of power required to
all the trains the Pennsy Railroad both
freight and passenger that between Pittsburgh and
Harrisburg. This source of energy would be made
available by simply substituting retort ovens for the
beehive ovens now commonly in use.
1t is not guesswork statement. careful
reckoning shows that the coke of the Councils
vile district if replaced by reort ovens, would pro-
duce approximately hundred and eighty thousand
boiler horsepower hour Figures furnished by the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company show that requires
forty-two thousand horsepower available at any
ment its traffic between Harrisburg and Pitts
burgh To be rendered utlizabe the boiler horsepower
would have be converted into mechanical horsepower
then transformed into electricity, and finally conveyed
through distributing stations to the motors the
trains Allowing for all incidental losses fty-wo per
of the power would reach the ddwbar of the loco
motive for actual propulsion. Thus appears that
than eighty thousand horsepower would be needed
the powerhouse; less than half of what is thrown
away in the Connellsvile coking operations.
MODERN civilization has been called the daughter of
coal But the supply of coal is not inexhaustlble,
and every of that taken of the earth leaves
Just much less for future needs The energy coal
fossil sunshine, stored the tissues of growing plants
millions of years ago. When we burn it are. SO to
whether for heat, light power If want light
obtain Illuminating gas fromit turn into electricity.
But why depend upon fossil solar energy when
have plenty of live solar energy ready at hand The
sum- through the process of evaporation. upfts the
of the and lets them fall upon the land in the
form of rain The quantity of water that thus
falls upon the total of the United States twelve
eleven miles edge This is annual water sup