Evening star., 1922-02-05
nr EDWARD MARSHALL.

which follows Aast be u the
most vital interest. Ose Of Gss whole
worlds three or four m0sa eminssst
scientists, he says thSs thaSo is cot
the slightest need for very abSoS
the worlds gasoline supply, because
the motor cars of the future will be
operated by electricity.
He is unwilling at present to let me
go into those details Of this matter
which he briefly explained to me.
but he feels the confidence OF one
who is considering an accomplished
fact. not a nero possibility. More
over. this Is to be but one phase Of the
electrical age which, according to
this world expert already has begun.
Water power, transformed into cleo
tricity, is to do the worlds work. At
any rate. it is to do the work Of the
United States, and this is irrespective
of the fact that great waterpowers
are few and far between, and of the
fact that, in the past, the utilization
of small waterpowers has been in
efficient and uneconomicaL Water
power already is doing more than most
people dream.
X X !: X b
ct TITLE water powers says the
great Steinmetz, now can be
harnessed and. each making its frac-
tion of electricity, throw it into a
stream to which all the others con-
tribute, thus creating whatever ag-
gregate of force the promoters Of the
enterprise desire. This collection and
combination Of the power Of many
minor waterfalls into single mighty
force already has begun. and is work.
ing with the utmost success in GER
tain sections Of New England"
had gone to the great electrical ex-
pert at his home in Schenectady, asking
him to prophesy. and he had instantly
refused-or said he did. He would tell
me. he insisted, only Of accomplished
facts.
But telling of the accomplished facts
he also prophesied, quite unconsciously.
and his prophesies were big in their inn
portance to the people Of this country
and the world.
'You have said," I suggested, that
the electrical age is coming rapidly.
What will it be like?''~
ST will not say that the electrical age
will come." he countered. II need not.
1t has come. It is here. 1t is around
US now. We are living in It and to
considerable extent we are living by it.
People do not realize the wonders which
surround them.
"A few more electric lights, trolley
road through remote district. great
Transmission line supplying power to
territory hitherto beyond the reach Of
the current-what do they mean to the
man who is not technically informed?
"To the man who Is, they may indi-
cate that great triumphs have been
won, great advances made, immense
difficulties overcome although they had
entirely bafiied experts Of the past: fine
things assured, not for the future. but
for now, to those who will take ad-
vantage Of them. It Is not question
Of the wonderful things which win hap
pen, but Of the wonderful things which
have happened and which surround ev-
cry newspaper reader IN the nation ev-
cry day. Things which. q few years
ago. would d>have been so startling that
they would have made men gasp with
wonder today are commonplace affairs,
parts Of the days work. The average
man does not see that which is going
on in his own neighborhood. I am not
a prophet or seer. do not predict.
N,,$ }a 70 hn q
prophet and a seer in order to reveal
to the non-expert IN electricity most
wonderful affairs. He lives among
them, but they are matters for the
experts and he does not recognize
them. At this very moment, almost
everywhere, at least in the United
States. the greatest marvels constant
ly are being accomplished.
"REcENTLY I gave an address be-
fore the Electrical Society and
some of the things said, as reported
briefly in the newspapers, occasioned
some surprise in the lay mind. Thirty
years ago spoke before the same So
ciety. The man with vision then knew
something about that which might
be accomplished. but he did not know
what would be done. The prophecies
of then fall far short Of today's ac-
complishment. Prophecies made to-
day. reviewed thirty years from
now. probably will show similar lack
Of comprehensiveness. We are not
taking advantage of our present
knowledge. Many things might be
done today which are not being done.
why? Perhaps because nobody
who knows how has the time to do
them: perhaps because, however won
derfu1 some possible accomplishments
might be, they might not be CONNER.
cially profitable. The thirty years be-
tween the two addresses were full OF
wonderful developments.
Even at the time of the first the
pioneer work had been done by the
great original inventors. Such men as
Edison, Elihu Thompson and Rudolph
Eickemeyer, creator Of the modern
railway motor, which has been very
important in the development Of the
trolley system Of electric traction. and
others, had done their basic work.
but their ideas had not been intro
duced into industry and the lives Of
tho people.
Thirty years ago electrical devel.
opment was in the transition stage
between pioneer work and practical