Rock Island Argus., 1913-03-06

day. Thus railroad consumption in
this country alone is causing Ameri
can coal lands to disappear at the
rate of almost So acres per day-a good
sized farm in area. A years operation
of American railroads leaves 10000
acres, or 31A square miles, of coal
lands robbed Of their precious con
tents.
Each day of the year. including Sun
days. 1905 acres OF American land are
denuded of forest trees. OF this area
of ia square miles-the size of a
township-the trees on 2,401 acres are
made into lumber; those on 4.SO4
acres become telegraph poles, mine
timbers, fence rails and posts and fire
wood. In a year a forest of 1000
square miles, or an area nearly 60 mills
square, is razed for the consumption
Of the United States.
But while We are saving and hew-
ing up 7.205 acres of forest each day.
We are creating by intelligent refor-
estation of 2,401 acres of new wood
land each day. In other words, with
our new profession OF forestry we are
just supplying the sawn lumber de-
mand-we are creating new forests
just one-third as rapidly as the old are
being used up.
These are old facts presented in
new way. But they explain why con-
gress has been liberal this year in its
appropriations for the different CON
# ION OIL rNf H.
The bureau of mines, whose director
is DR. Joseph A. Holmes, is giving most
of its scientific attention to the con-
/ servation of coal; the forest service is
conserving the ancient forests and
spreading the propaganda Of forest re
planting everywhere. And these ap-
propriations will grow larger year by
year as the people begin to realize
that the exhaustion OF natural re-
sources is at hand.
Studies of substitutes for these two
precious commodities do not hold forth
much promise The solution seems to
be more economical use of coal and
the building up of new forests.
Foreign governments are now taking
vast concessions of lands in the trop
les where vegetation is luxurious with
the view of some time growing plant
products there which can become a
supply of denatured alcohol The
turning Of the soil on which We live
into alcohol and thence into light
engine seems to offer one solution tc
the coal problem.
But in this country land still yield.
larger profits in food produce than II
does in alcohol
We have a great, untouched re
source in the peat beds in this coun
try Peat burning is now almost un
known, but the bureau Of mines is ex
perimenting with engines operated b!
, the gas contained in peat The futur,
= probably will see huge power plants a
) the peat bogs of the country, turning
: the peat into power and wiring it hun
J dreds of miles into the cities.
; In the west there is a great move
: ment toward the electrification of raj
roads. Power plants are being locatet
al the coal mines and the power i
= wired 250 miles in either direction
: from the plant. Although there is tire
: mendOus waste in turning coal int
: electricity, yet this waste does no
5 amount to the quantity of coal burner
= in engines hauling trains of coal t
t the rOundhouses and coal bins of tn
) railroads.
Experiments in gas engines are s.
} successful as to warrant the assertion
f that the day of the steam engine i
. almost al an END. The gas engin
turns coal into gas and produces powe
; by explosions precisely as the gasolin
motor operates There is no smok
] in the exhaust of the coal gas engine
: The gas producer needs Just half a
+ much coal TO develop one horsepowe
= as the steam engine burns.
The great promise of the future
r in the undevelOped water power of III
a United States. Theoretically it is pol
sible to develop 23O,OOO,OOO horsepov
er. Practically at the present day 81
100000 horsepower can be developed
This vast strength exceeds the totl
mechanical power now being develope
by all the coal burned in the Unite
States
There is now in use some $3.50, 90
horsepower of this inexhaustible r,
source. The use of this power save
53,50O,00O tons of coal per year;
saves from exhaustion every day 2
acres of coal lands.