z^ 



PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS SECTION A. 



Isle of Wight, but proved a failure. Various large schemes have 

 been brought forward from time to time during recent years, 

 the most important being the Chichester, Alenai Straits, and 

 Bristol schemes. The Chichester scheme was estimated to pro- 

 vide 8,000 h.p. at a capital expenditure of £300,000. That at 

 the Menai Straits was to cost £542,000 and yield 14,500 h.p. ; but 

 the most ambitious proposal is that for Bristol, estimated to give 



Fig. 20. — Tidal ^lill at Walton-on-the-Naze. 



240,000 h.p. available for the whole day at neap tides, with an 

 additional 300,000 h.p. available for 10 hours per day at spring 

 tides, the capital exj^enditure to involve the enormous sum of 

 £9,534,000. Capital has not, so far, been forthcoming, but the 

 inventors continue to be enthusiastic. Picturing the time when 

 the world's power will be derived from the tides, one says : " The 

 manufacturing city, no\\- one of eternal smoke and vitiated atmos- 



Fic. 21. — Mill driven by a stroain from a tidal reservoir. 



phere, will then Ik'couk' the city of light, health, and cleanliness." 

 It would a])iiear to be fairly certain that there is no field for tidal 

 schemes as long as coal remains at its present value. 



IVater Power. — Flowing water was applied for the produc- 

 tion of power over 2,000 years ago, and it is the earliest utilised 

 motive i)ower of which we have any records. In the early appli- 

 cations crude water-wheels were used, generally ai)plied to the 



