Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-07-17
A COAL mi WHITE.

Somewhere, doubtless, the forces which stored
up heat in our known coal fields are still at work,
and at some time, perhaps, commissions of. nature
will bring to light new beds of coal for the use
of future generations. But the hard fact is that
SO far as the human life of this epoch is concerned.
we are drawing on our fuel capital without adding
to it, and some day the end must be reached.
More and more the Thought of men is being
directed to the utilization of the energy developed
by falling water, which has the advantage that it
is being constantly renewed, and is therefore in
exhatstible.
Enormous "super-power" projects are being
planned and developed all along the Appalachian
watershed, and little streams and great ones are
being harnessed on their way to the sea, and linked
up together, and the work which now demands
the consumption of millions of tons of coal will
presently be performed BY the force of gravitation
acting through the medium of water. Definite
plans have been prepared for the development,
collection and distribution of this power so that
it will serve a dozen states, providing power for
lnnumerable plants. A similar work is in progress
effectiveness Of the fall between Lakes Erie and
Ontario! and where other streams here and there
are being utilized for like purposes:
We are apt to think of Alaska as a frozen waste,
but in doing SO we overlook the fact that for a
thousand miles along the coast rain falls the year
round, and water tumbles all the way from the
mountains to the sea. Horsepower aggregating
millions is there, unutilized. and much of it capable
Of being utilized. In this region there are numerous
lakes which will serve as storage basins. and the
forest service of the United States government is
arranging for an air survey of the entire district,
so that all bodies of water there may be located
and photographed.
Alaska is a long way from the rest of the United
States 1t is beyond the limit of electrical trans
mission by any known methods. But much power
can advantageously be used locally in connection
with the timber. mining, fishing and other indus
messed the remarkable developments in the util-
ization of electricity during the past few years will
be slow to set limits on the distance to which. and
the means by which electrical energy may be trans
mltted within the next quarter of a century.
white coa1' is bound to play a \conspicuous
part in our future progress. And we must not
overlook the fact that in brown coal-the Ignite
OF our own state-we have a source Of energy,
latent, but enormous awaiting only the develop
ment of suitable methods for it's use to become
one Of the most important factors in our industrial
life.
In. hauling raw Ignite about the country we
are mourning an enormous waste. As taken from
the mine Ignite is saturated with water, and if
dried 1T crumbles so as to become unsuitable for
use except in furnaces specially constructed for
that purpose. 1t requires no very large vision to
toresee the construction. right in the Ignite dis
trlct, of great plants which will generate electricity
from the Ignite right on the ground. utilizing all
OF the heat units both in the solids and in the gases,
and from which transmission lines will run in every
direction, radiating power for railrods and factories
and farms, and perhaps delivering heat economically
to the homes Of North Dakota people.