﻿250 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1927 
  

  

  being 
  devoid 
  of 
  the 
  wings 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  and 
  the 
  caudal 
  propeller 
  of 
  

   the 
  fish, 
  is 
  at 
  a 
  natural 
  disadvantage 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  migratory 
  

   members 
  of 
  the 
  animal 
  kingdom, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  twentieth 
  century 
  he 
  

   has 
  surpassed 
  them 
  all 
  and 
  raised 
  himself 
  farthest 
  above 
  the 
  vege- 
  

   table 
  stage. 
  By 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  his 
  engines 
  he 
  can 
  now 
  outfly 
  the 
  eagle, 
  

   outswim 
  the 
  fish, 
  outpull 
  the 
  elephant, 
  and 
  outrun 
  the 
  deer. 
  This 
  

   new 
  freedom 
  he 
  has 
  emplo3^ed 
  unprecedently 
  in 
  tourist 
  travel 
  and 
  

   mass 
  migration. 
  

  

  The 
  mobility 
  of 
  modern 
  man 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  his 
  tapping 
  of 
  subterranean 
  

   stores 
  of 
  fossil 
  fuel, 
  coal 
  and 
  oil. 
  The 
  expansion 
  of 
  Europe 
  is 
  based 
  

   upon 
  the 
  expansion 
  of 
  gases. 
  The 
  power 
  of 
  the 
  peoples 
  which 
  now 
  

   dominate 
  the 
  world 
  in 
  war 
  and 
  peace 
  is 
  the 
  pressure 
  of 
  mutinous 
  

   molecules 
  released 
  from 
  bondage. 
  Modern 
  civilization 
  is 
  based 
  

   upon 
  atomic 
  anarchy. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  force 
  that 
  in 
  war 
  propels 
  the 
  

   cannon 
  ball 
  and 
  explodes 
  the 
  shell 
  and 
  in 
  peace 
  pushes 
  the 
  piston 
  

   of 
  the 
  steam 
  engine 
  and 
  the 
  automobile. 
  Steam 
  reigned 
  undisputed 
  

   for 
  about 
  a 
  century, 
  saj^, 
  from 
  1776 
  to 
  1876. 
  After 
  that 
  date 
  came 
  

   the 
  internal-combustion 
  engines, 
  which 
  were 
  more 
  efficient 
  and 
  com- 
  

   pact, 
  since 
  they 
  produced 
  pressure 
  by 
  the 
  explosion 
  of 
  their 
  own 
  

   fuel 
  and 
  needed 
  no 
  fire 
  box 
  or 
  boiler, 
  the 
  Otto 
  engine 
  using 
  gas 
  in 
  

   1877, 
  the 
  Daimler 
  engine 
  using 
  gasoline 
  in 
  1892, 
  and 
  the 
  Diesel 
  

   engine 
  using 
  crude 
  oil 
  in 
  1897. 
  These 
  made 
  possible 
  in 
  the 
  twen- 
  

   tieth 
  century 
  the 
  airplane 
  and 
  the 
  automobile, 
  the 
  motor 
  boat 
  and 
  

   the 
  motor 
  cycle, 
  the 
  tractor 
  and 
  the 
  tank, 
  and 
  gave 
  to 
  shop 
  and 
  farm 
  

   a 
  convenient 
  motive 
  power 
  requiring 
  no 
  engineer 
  or 
  fireman. 
  

  

  The 
  mobility 
  of 
  man 
  is 
  measured 
  by 
  the 
  mobility 
  of 
  the 
  power 
  he 
  

   employs. 
  Consequently 
  the 
  efforts 
  of 
  technologists 
  are 
  now 
  directed 
  

   toward 
  increasing 
  the 
  fluidity 
  of 
  fossil 
  fuel; 
  the 
  finer 
  the 
  particles 
  

   the 
  more 
  fluid 
  the 
  form. 
  The 
  cheapest 
  and 
  most 
  abundant 
  source 
  of 
  

   energy 
  is 
  coal, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  solid 
  and 
  deeply 
  embedded 
  in 
  the 
  rocky 
  

   matrix 
  of 
  the 
  earth's 
  crust. 
  From 
  this 
  matrix 
  the 
  coal 
  has 
  to 
  be 
  torn 
  

   lose 
  by 
  explosives 
  and 
  then 
  broken 
  into 
  lumps 
  small 
  enough 
  to 
  be 
  

   shipable 
  and 
  shovelable. 
  By 
  putting 
  fuel 
  into 
  powdered 
  form 
  

   it 
  can 
  be 
  blown 
  into 
  a 
  furnace 
  on 
  a 
  blast 
  of 
  air. 
  But 
  combining 
  it 
  

   with 
  hydrogen 
  we 
  can 
  reduce 
  the 
  carbon 
  to 
  a 
  liquid 
  form 
  and 
  by 
  

   heat 
  convert 
  it 
  into 
  a 
  gaseous 
  state 
  where 
  all 
  the 
  molecules 
  are 
  free 
  

   and 
  independent. 
  

  

  But 
  the 
  atom 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  limit 
  of 
  divisibility, 
  although 
  that 
  is 
  what 
  

   its 
  name 
  implies. 
  As 
  we 
  now 
  know, 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  to 
  break 
  up 
  

   the 
  atom, 
  and 
  its 
  finer 
  fragments, 
  electrons 
  and 
  protons, 
  afford 
  us 
  

   a 
  still 
  more 
  fluid 
  form 
  of 
  energy, 
  the 
  electrical 
  current. 
  To 
  transport 
  

   solid 
  coal 
  from 
  mine 
  to 
  the 
  factory 
  requires 
  a 
  large 
  part 
  of 
  its 
  power. 
  

   To 
  transport 
  water 
  from 
  the 
  mountain 
  to 
  sea 
  requires 
  no 
  power. 
  It 
  

   will 
  flow 
  downhill 
  of 
  its 
  own 
  accord 
  if 
  you 
  will 
  only 
  provide 
  it 
  with 
  

  

  