Evening star., 1926-04-22
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

| the fiery center, like chimneys OF a
! furnace. This is abandoned, for if all
| the center were molten 1t would be
drawn by the tidal effect of the moon,
| causing great movements of the outer
| crust.
| Hypothesis No. 2-It was assumed
that while the interior solidlfied it held
| pockets of liquid molten rock, honey
combing its outer crust. But Mauna
| Loa and Kilauea in Hawaii are close
| together, yet differ 10000 feet in
| height and are independent of each
| other. 1t is argued that they could
not each be fed from a separate sub
! terranean lakelet of lava large enough
| to account for their immense out
i flows of original lava trapped when
the earth solidified billions of years
ago, without finally exhausting the
| supply.
Hypothesis No. 3-Penetration of
| surface air and water. resulting in
steam. This was discarded because
| of the great pressure which makes
| the strata impenetrable.
Other hypotheses-Lavas were as
| signed to relief of pressure. to melt
ing of rock by crushing, by depres-
sion of rocks containing water, which,
upon reaching lower strata with
|
| and finally the uprising of constantly
| increasing heat of the compressed
| center, due to the additions Of meteors
| falling upon the surface Of the earth
and increasing isostasic weight at
| such points.
| AS the authors remark, "For the
| present, these hypothesis must be left
| to work out their own destiny, serving
| in the meantime as stimulants OF re-
search"
| Whatever may be the finally &C.
| cepted explanation Of volcanoes, DIR.
| Henry S. Washington of the Geo
physical Laboratory, one of the high
est authorities in vulcanism in the
| world, points to the practicability of
harnessing their inexhaustible heat for
utilitarian purposes, and predicts that
| the day will come when our Yellow
| stone Park, which is a great volcanic
| region from which the volcanic
mountains have disappeared. leaving
geysers, will become one of the great
est Industrial regions OF the world.
| Other similar regions of volcanic heat
are the Sonoma Valley, Calf, and
possibly Hot Springs, Va. Assuredly
the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes,
Alaska, has unlimited potential power
in steam with which electricity may
be produced.
While the harnessing of geysers
and other volcanic heat has been but
theory in the rest of the world. 1t
has been successfully accomplished
in Italy at the Steam Springs OF
Tuscany. The bore is only about
500 feet deep. The first experiment
was made by F. Larderel & Co. July
4, 1904. So powerful is the steam
pressure that barrel set over
closed vent will be shot up 800 or
400 feet when the steam is suddenly
released. The center plant, called
Larderello, Is connected with the two
main systems of electric distribution
of Tuscany by high tension lines at
$4,000 volts pressure, and runs with
the large hydraulic power plants on
the River Nera, in Umbria, and with
minor plants in the Apennines. The
city of Pisa is lighted by means OF
this volcanic steam converted into
electricity; power is utilized and from
the exhaust steam houses are heated
This power can be compared with
hydroelectric power, but is cheaper
than either water or steam.
Hawaii has experimental with
boring for similar steam power, but
the boring proved too costly because
of difficulties which broke the drills
The most promising field at present
is Sonoma County. Calf. Similar
geysers are scattered all along the
Andes, in South and Central Amer
lea. The industrial world, according
to DIR. Washington, will supersede
coal and even hydroelectric power
with the heat and steam extracted
from subsurface volcanic sources.
j Copyright. 1925. BY Phpl v. Collins.l