Evening star., 1925-10-03

The Atlantic Ocean is to be har-
messed at the Bay of Fundy and set
10 grinding the mills of its conquer
ors. as did Samson for his masters.
Long has mankind endeavored to sub
due the strength of the seas. Will il
at last become a blind and tractive
slave?
This is an age of mechanical power.
Manual labor is no longer the means
OF production. Since James Watts
invention of the steam hammer. III
1884. the evolution which is to take
over the white mans burden" upon
the shoulders of the mechanical serv-
ants of man has been a continued
DEVELOPMENT of levers and engines.
When the centennial exposition also
celebrated the centennlal-or near
centennial-of steam power, by re-
vealing the possibilities of the great
Corliss engine, it was assumed by
many that almost the ultimate OF
la Dor sa wing machinery had been
achieved.
But, behold the progress since that
celebration, Steam has been largely
superseded by gasoline and electricity
Without these more modern means
there could have been no aviation nor
automobile. Yet they date back less
than three-Score years-in fact, praC-
ticallv less than half that period
and have almost completely elini,
mated even the muscles of the beast OF
burden. and supplanted them with
the sinews of Vulcan.
< ): :. ::
But, with either steam or gas. there
is combustion of natural fuel stored
from the energy of the sun through
millions of years. and now being used
faster than continuing solar storage
maintains the world supply. Even
tuallv. therefore, the fuel for steam
internal gas combustion or electric
power will he exhausted, and the
world must look for other sources OF
energy.
Efforts have been made to harness
sunbeams and utilize their heat and
power, but such a source has not
proved practicable except in very linn
tied localities. where clouds do not in
terfere with d constant supply OF sun
shine Wind, too. proves so variable
that II no longer completes. even IN
pushing sails over the ocean. Water
falls have been used from the begin
ming of history, but the expense OF
installation of necessary machinery Is
often out of proportion to the horse
power produced. and floods and
droughts are serious handicaps to
such a source. VIII man ever succeed
In his age-long efforts to utilize "old
oceans gray and melancholy waste?
Men see the tides rise and fall and
know that in their ceaselesS motion
lies power in unreasonable surplus 10
do all the drudgery of mankind and
that it is forever inexhaustible. Yet
who holds the key to the means of
utilizing it?
< x x *
Dexter p. Cooper who built the
Keokuk Dam across the Mississippi
River and who has had much expert
ence in connection with the Niagara
and Muscle Shoals dams. has declared
that he will harness the Atlantic at
the Bay of F'undy, where there is the
highest tide in the world, and he will
there produce more power than can
possibly be utilized in the State of
Maine.
Before his project could be financed
it was necessary that the laws of
Maine. which forbade sending out of
the State any power produced within
it's boundaries, should be so amended
as to enable the surplus energy of the
Bay Of Fundy project to be marketed.
That authority has been accorded
within the last fortnight by a popular
vote.
* y X
AS the international boundary be
tween Canada and the United States
lies in the Bay Of Fundy. it will be
necessary to obtain sanction Of both
governments: but there Is believed to
be no question as to securing such
authority as soon as Congress and
Parliament convene. The fina ncing
required will be stupendous. and the
labor of construction, employing 5000
men, will cover at least fve years