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  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1927 
  

  

  The 
  countries 
  that 
  are 
  short 
  on 
  petroleum 
  are 
  already 
  contriv- 
  

   ing 
  substitutes. 
  The 
  Germans, 
  who 
  were 
  well 
  supplied 
  with 
  coal 
  

   but 
  had 
  little 
  oil 
  before 
  the 
  war, 
  began 
  experimenting 
  on 
  methods 
  

   of 
  making 
  artificial 
  petroleum. 
  Since 
  they 
  have 
  lost 
  some 
  of 
  their 
  

   best 
  coal 
  fields 
  through 
  the 
  war 
  and 
  oil 
  is 
  harder 
  to 
  get 
  than 
  ever, 
  

   they 
  have 
  been 
  still 
  more 
  active 
  in 
  such 
  research, 
  and 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  

   amazingly 
  successful 
  of 
  late. 
  

  

  Theoretically 
  it 
  is 
  simple 
  enough. 
  Petroleum 
  is 
  a 
  mixture 
  of 
  

   compounds 
  of 
  hydrogen 
  and 
  carbon. 
  Just 
  hitch 
  up 
  these 
  two 
  

   elements, 
  and 
  there 
  you 
  are! 
  But 
  there 
  are 
  other 
  hitches 
  in 
  the 
  

   proceedings. 
  Either 
  carbon 
  or 
  hydrogen 
  will 
  unite 
  readily 
  with 
  

   oxygen, 
  but 
  they 
  have 
  little 
  liking 
  for 
  each 
  other. 
  Only 
  when 
  stirred 
  

   up 
  by 
  high 
  heat 
  and 
  forced 
  into 
  contact 
  by 
  high 
  pressure 
  will 
  they 
  

   combine. 
  Under 
  these 
  conditions 
  the 
  carbon 
  and 
  the 
  hydrogen 
  gas 
  

   unite 
  in 
  all 
  sorts 
  of 
  ways 
  and 
  form 
  gaseous, 
  liquid, 
  and 
  solid 
  products 
  

   of 
  various 
  usefulness. 
  

  

  The 
  coal 
  for 
  this 
  process 
  does 
  not 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  a 
  special 
  quality, 
  

   as 
  is 
  required 
  in 
  making 
  gas 
  or 
  coke 
  by 
  our 
  present 
  methods. 
  Any 
  

   kind 
  or 
  form 
  of 
  coal 
  can 
  be 
  used, 
  and 
  high 
  yields 
  of 
  the 
  hydrogen- 
  

   ated 
  products 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  brown 
  coal 
  and 
  

   lignite 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  and 
  many 
  other 
  countries 
  have 
  

   an 
  abundance. 
  Peat 
  may 
  thus 
  be 
  worked 
  up 
  to 
  gasoline 
  and 
  other 
  

   marketable 
  compounds; 
  also 
  pitch, 
  tar, 
  sawdust, 
  and 
  any 
  vegetable 
  

   material. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  first 
  trolley 
  car 
  ran 
  down 
  the 
  street 
  of 
  a 
  southern 
  city, 
  

   an 
  old 
  negro 
  watching 
  the 
  mysterious 
  vehicle 
  from 
  the 
  sidewalk 
  was 
  

   heard 
  to 
  remark: 
  

  

  Dese 
  Yankees 
  is 
  quah 
  i)eople. 
  Fust 
  dey 
  come 
  down 
  heah 
  and 
  free 
  de 
  

   slaves 
  ; 
  den 
  dey 
  come 
  down 
  and 
  free 
  de 
  mule. 
  

  

  That 
  is 
  a 
  good 
  summary 
  of 
  the 
  progress 
  of 
  civilization. 
  The 
  first 
  

   animal 
  that 
  man 
  enslaved 
  was 
  man. 
  Next 
  he 
  shifted 
  the 
  burden 
  in 
  

   part 
  to 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  ox 
  and 
  the 
  horse. 
  Now 
  human 
  slavery 
  is 
  at 
  

   an 
  end 
  and 
  we 
  are 
  gradually 
  getting 
  to 
  the 
  point 
  of 
  releasing 
  the 
  

   lower 
  animals 
  from 
  their 
  enslavement. 
  Eventually 
  all 
  the 
  hard 
  work 
  

   of 
  the 
  world 
  will 
  be 
  done 
  by 
  engines 
  run 
  by 
  inorganic 
  power. 
  

  

  Modern 
  civilization 
  is 
  based 
  upon 
  such 
  utilization 
  of 
  inanimate 
  

   energy. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  people 
  who 
  can 
  live 
  on 
  the 
  earth 
  and 
  the 
  

   comfort 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  live 
  depend 
  upon 
  how 
  much 
  energy 
  can 
  be 
  

   obtained 
  and 
  how 
  economically 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  employed. 
  Of 
  all 
  con- 
  

   ceivable 
  sources 
  of 
  energy 
  only 
  the 
  sun's 
  rays 
  are 
  actually 
  available 
  

   and 
  these 
  not 
  directly. 
  Until 
  some 
  practicable 
  solar 
  engine 
  is 
  in- 
  

   vented 
  we 
  must 
  rely 
  upon 
  indirect 
  means 
  of 
  making 
  the 
  sunshine 
  

   work. 
  

  

  