Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-06-16

times the developed horsepower of
Germany and Austria-Hungary. More
over, Canada has enormous water
power, and she is our big partner IN
the use of Niagara falls and in the
force that comes from the dropping
Of the waters of Lake Superior into
Lake Huron through the Sault Ste.
Marie canals. She is known to have
something like 100000 horsepower
which can easily be developed. and
she is already producing more hydro
electric energy than our allies IN
. Europe.
The water powers Of the world
have not been accurately measured;
but we know that the North Ameri-
can continent has several times as
much as all Europe, and that the
potential energy from harnessng the wa
tiers of the United States and Canada
will make them the chief industrial
centers of the world for all time to
come. There are vast water powers
in the streams that flow down the
east side of the Mexican mountains.
and the same is true of some Of the
countries in Central America
South America has a few scattering
water powers along the west coast: That
region for more than 1000 miles Is
a desert, but the melting SHOWS Of the
Andes now run the street cars OF
Peru and there are large electric
plants in Chile. The eastern side of
nous hydroelectric development. The
falls of the Iguazu., the Niagara
of South America, on the eastern
borders of Paraguay. have drop OF
hfty-eight feet more than Niagara
and they pour over the arc Of cir
s-I T. ;,rI, %nr to, nh frryr
> miles in width. 1t is estimated that
they can easily develop something
like 100000 hydroelectric horse
power. There are great water falls
in eastern Brazil. which run the
street cars and the electric lights Of
there are vast water powers along the
Madeira and other tributaries of the
Amazon.
Africa has some mighty water
falls. The Niagara Of the Zambezi
river Is a mile wide and 400 feet deep.
and 1T has been estimated that it
could produce 100000 horsepower,
or six or seven times the amount Of
Niagara. This may be SO at flood
times. but it is not SO during the
greater part of the year. Neyerthe-
less, the power is enormous. and they
are now planning to send it from
there to the gold fields Of Johannes
Kongo enough to run an industrial
empire, and where the Nile flows out
of Victoria Nyanza are the Ripon
falls, which will some day be making
the cotton cloth for the savages Of
that part of the world.
Asia also has great water powers,
but the chief development 80 far has
been in Japan and India, the former
country using it's waters for its silk
mills and factories and to light some
OF its largest cities. Europe has al
together about 100000 of available
horsepower. the chief developments
being In the countries at war and in
Switzerland and Norway and Sweden.
Norway has more than one-sixth Of
all the water power available in Eu-
rope, and more than one-fifth of the
horsepower so far developed is to be
. found in that country.
But let me give you some idea of
what power means in the saving of
coal 1t is estimated that it takes ten
/ tons of coal to produce enough steam
to equal one hydro-electric horse pow
er running throughout the year. II
this is correct, every horsepower 60
ing to waste in our flowing waters is
equal to the wasting of ten tons of
coal. The total amount lost is SO
great that it equals several times the
amount of coal that we are now using.
1t Is so great that it would light and
heat every house in the United States,
run all our railroads. move all our
factories and leave a vast surplus for
the demands of the future. The waste
horsepower that is continually drop
ping over Niagara Falls is estimated
to be 100000. 1t is equal to more
than 100000 tons Of coal. or to the
burning up Of almost two tons Of coal
every second, year in and year out.
Take out your watch and look at
the second hand as 1t flies around the
dial Every movement of that hand
has a meaning of its own. It means
two tons of coal wasted and gone for.