The Harrison times., 1914-07-25
OF NATURE
How Power Is Obtained at Low
Running Expense.
Waterfalls and Tides Arc Now Aids
In Many Human Activities
Trapping tho WInd-sun's
Rays Are Utilized.

New York.-In several ingenious
ways the forces Of nature are now ex-
plotted In order to provide power for
machinery necessary for various hui
man activities Such apparatus Is
especially favored by engineers, for
not only can enormous power be OBJ
tained, but the running expenses are
extremely low.
One Of the most ingenious OF these
inventions Ia that which obtains
power from the rays Of the sun, says
the New York Press, The apparatus
is at work in Egypt, where 1t pumps
up water on to high levels In thou
sands of gallons,
The novel device consists OF a
number Of rejecting mirrors, which
concentrate the rays OF the sun on
to a glass-coyered trough containing
water.
In a short space Of time this water
becomes sufficiently heated by the re-
Election from the mirrors to give on
steam, which passes into pipe to an
engine Of the usual steam variety
When some thirty or forty OF these
heating boxes are boiling water by
means of the suns heat II is obvious
that sufficient steam power is OBJ
talned TO keep very powerful pump
ing engine at work with a minimum
Of expense,
Some idea Of the enormous power
which this sun machine conveys TO
the engine can be gauged by the
fact that 5000 gallons Of water can
be lifted nearly forty feet In one min
ute.
In many ingenious ways watW 10
now trapped by means OF dams, g.
gantic reservoirs and great stretches
of piping and converted into power
for various purposes,
Many great waterfalls are now mar
messed IN such fashion, two OF the
most important being the falls OF tho
Rhine and those Of Niagara.
The machinery used TO obtain pow
er from those great products OF ma
ture Ia somewhat complicated, but
roughly speaking, huge pipes divert
tons Of water from the rapids just
above the fall This trapped water
is then allowed to fall some hundreds
OF feet and the force Of lts fall pro-
duccs enormous power The water
drops down pipes and chutes the
water Jets from noz2les below,
Dozens OF these powerful streams
impInge on water wheels connected
to shaft which Is whirlod round at
furious speed, thus providing the
force necessary 70 keep numerous
electric dynamos continually at work
In this fashion the falls OF Niagara
are made TO produce little short OF
100000 horse power,
still more ingenious IL another
method OF producing power from sea
water by the rise and fall OF the tides
Portions OF the coast where high tides
are the rule are chosen and number
OF clefts In the cliffs are constructed
or those OF nature especially adapted
The water runs far up into those
openings ut high tide and by means
OF pipes Ia trapped Into large reSer'
voIr, When tho tide falls hundreds
OF gallons Of water are thus left be-
hind. Being on high level II ID
then comparatively simple matter
10 drop this water by means OF pipes
10 a level many feet below and utilize
the power thus obtained by the usual
water Jets acting on specially CON
structed wheels,
Wind IN BtIll trapped and converted
into power by windmills, but these
machines are very different from tho
old type Of mill with It's four big
sails The modern windmill IL a
scientifically constructed apparatus
tho driving force consisting OF a
wheel containing number OF steel
bladea, planned NJ such m angle that
they respond TO every pun OF wind
30 delicate IA the construction OF
these instruments that even a mode
rate breeze will whirl the large wheel
round as many hundred revolutions
minute This motion aete on u
shaft which provides power for elee'
trle dynamoe below These machines
are used mostly In coast towns or
those situated on high levels, where
wind blows more or less constantly
one Of the most ingenious projects
for Harvesting the forces OF nature
ia that conceived by Sir William Ham
say, and despite ia daring nature, "
has been we'll received IN high seien'
tino circles,
Ills plan IL to take the heat OF tho
oartha interior by means OF huge
bore holes These shafts would DO
sunk deep into tho earth 30 that they
penetrated into large coal seams ny
means Of electricity this coal would
be Ared until II burned like some
wonderful Internal furnace IVY
means Of pipes the gas given on by
this burning eosl would be conveyed
10 the surface and In various ways
utiii.ad for pover purposes