Evening star., 1933-01-14
No Air Pockets in Realm of
Perpetual Day, Geographic
Society Told.
C0SMlC RAY LIKENED
TO SPARK FROM ANVIL
Brussels Scientist Declares Source
Of Heat and Energy for World
Limitless in Water.

Six-hour flights across the Atlantic
through the eternal calm and deep
purple darkness of the shakespeare. 10
miles above the earth's surface, were
visualized by Prof. Auguste Picard. the
Brussels college professor, who last
Summer broke all recolds for the height
OF balloon ascension, in lecture be-
fore. the National Geographic Society
last night.
This was Prof Piccard's first public
appearance in the United States. Pic
card and his assistant are the onlv
mortals who have actually been in the
stratosphcre, that zone of the earth's
atmosphere which lies just above the
range where cold increases with height.
HIS experiences there convince him. he
said. that this stormless, windless region
OF intense cold where the stars shine
at midday, is the ideal superhiphWav
Tor mankind. Once in the stratosphere.
ne said, the dangers incident to almost
any other form Of travel are absent.
There are no storms such as buffet ships
at sea. There are no winds or air
pockets such as cause airplane acci-
dents. Air resistance is at a minimum.
d
the surface of the earth. Hence, enor-
nous speeds can be attained and kept
up with safety. such as 500 miles an
hour across the Atlantic.
Cosmic Rays Discussed.
Much of Prof. Piccard's address was
devoted to coSmic rays, to study which
he made his own historic ascent into
the stratosphere. He referred to them
as like sparks of a Creators anvil
thrown out into space" 1t is not vet
known, he said, whether they come
from far-of nebulae, from the stars.
from the mysterious depths of limit
less space, from the upper layers Of the
atmosphere or from the sun.
The energy contained in an indi-
vidual ray" he continued, sis much
greater than that of any other raw.
The most penetrating radiation known,
besides the cosmic rays are the ultra
gamma rays Of radium. but a cosmic
ray Is more than a million times more
penetrating still
"Cosmic rays are produced by the
modification of atoms, but what these
notifications are and under what con-
dition they take place we do not know.
Theoretical conclusions show that when
these notifications or patterns are pro-
duced great quantity of energy must
be liberated, and when we are able to
manufacture these rays artifcially on
earth we will be able to utilize Elat vast
energy and can snatch out of handful
OF air, from source now invisible,
sufficient energy to operate hundreds
OF high-powered machines.
Power In Three Drops Of Water.
"Scme idea of the potential power of
these rays will be grasped when / tell
you that have by precise calculation
shown that the transformation of the
atoms of three drops Of water would
produce enough cosmic rays and enough
energies to light the whole city Of
Washington through a whole night.
"Cosmic rays are the energy of the
future and when this source of power
is made available, producing limitless
energy almost free. the coal that re-
mains in the earth's veins will sudden
ly become valueless. The raw materials
for manufacturing cosmic rays would
cost nothing, water being the chief one
have in mind. 1t is conceivable that
somewhere along the milky way in the
celestial laboratories these rays are fly.
ing off from the very process Of crea-
tion while new worlds are being FASH
ioned.
Coal daily is drawing toward its in
evitable, ultimate exhaustion, and when
it Is gone by what means will our civil
ization be saved? 1t is high time we
were preparing a fuel supply and I
envlSage the cosmic ray as the solution
OF this ponderous problem"