Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1921-09-16
ENERGY.
New York Times,)

| NEW York T1meS.)
1t is not so long ago that the foun-
dation fact upon which the science
of chemistry stood was the indisis-
Utility of the smallest conceivable
particle of matter-the atom. The
molecule was divisible nd, so, munt-
able, chageable, even volatile, but
the invisible atom was theoretically
stable, immutable, Interchangeable. the
same, yesterday, today and forever.
This has come to be seen, however,
as failing foundation" and the
fate of the human race is in very
practical way involved in the extern
sive disintegration of the atom, we
are now instructed. DR.. Arthur Lit
ties address on the subject of EN-
eAgy." made mt the international
meeting of chemists in the Great
Hall OF the College of the City Of
New York on Thursday, contained
some pertinent observations Of omi-
nous import. Like an ancient harus
pex, he stood in this public place ex-
aiming the entrails of the earth
and announcing the omens: Our civ
ilization is based on coal, but coal is
exhaustible; there is q tendency to
shift to petroleum, but the carrying
power of petroleum is temporary and
likely to be brief; natural gas is n |
waning resource; the earth's rota I.
tory force has found expression only
in the gyroscope; the energy of tho
wind and the closely allied energy
of the waves are too uncertain md
dlffuse to JUSTIFY extensive exploita-
zion; except in few very favorable |
locations it is not feasible to utilize
the tides; it seems improbable that
the vast store of energy existent "a
the carth's internal heat will ever
be available. despite the fact that
Italy has utilized steam issuing from
vents i'll the side of volcano.
But this abble haruspex from Bos
ton does not leave us without hope.
Ihere is enough coal for many gen
erations to come. President Van
Hise few years ago estimated that.
even if mining and waste went on
at the same rate of increase ms m
the, prededing decades, %the known
coal fields would last till the venr
21ObO. Moreover, there is "white coal"
III abundance-that is, water that
may be made to fall. The water
power resources of the United Stnte.
are sufficient to operate every fac
tory and light every building in the
country if only means of puttinx
them ut work were available. PEI.
haps the radiancy of the sun woe,
ing on the desert air of the Sahor,,
alone the heating power of six hill
lion tons of coal daily may some dov
be "catalyzed" Ito use the term or
Professor Wilder S. Bancroft of Cor
nell University, another great augur
appearing on the same platform) |
and converted into "cold light" or
some other form of energy helpfuIl
to man. But that form which it is |
prophcsied-in the words of still an
other of these great scientists, Ruth |
'erford-the face "may date its de- |
velopment in the discovery bf a
method of utilizing atomic energy
and atomic energy is to be derived
by the breaking up of the atom and
freeing the force that holds these in
finitesimal particles together. So
stupendous are the imagined BOSS
Utilities of such sub-atomic freedom
that the opinion is expressed that
it is fortunate the discovery has not
been made during the period of in
ternational friction. Wien this is ac-
complished, the Cornell chemist IS
quoted as saying, at will come about
by catalysis."
Cmesists were referred to few
days ago in these columns MS "cata-
lysts of industry" This figure of
speech has approved in the summar-
izing statement of Professor Ban
crofts Address, for, after saying
that the hope for n speedy return Of
prosperity lies in the extensive de-
velopment of chemists, and that the
chemists must develop means of in.