192 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XL. No. 1023 



and waterfalls. As far as large electric 

 power generation is concerned, the use of 

 the wind, or the tide, or the heat of the 

 sun, represents, up till now, nothing much 

 beyond a mere hope of future possibilities. 



In th« meantime, it so happens, unfor- 

 tunately, that many of the most abundant 

 water-powers of the woi'ld are situated in 

 places of difficult access, far removed from 

 the zone of possible utilization. 



But, precisely on this account, it would 

 appear, at first sight, as if the United 

 States, with some of her big water-powers 

 situated nearer to active centers of con- 

 sumption, would be in an exceptionally 

 favorable condition for the development of 

 electrochemical industries. On closer ex- 

 amination, we find, however, that the cost 

 of water-power, as sold to manufacturers, 

 is, in general, much higher than might be 

 expected; at any rate, it is considerably 

 more expensive than the cost of electric 

 power utilized in the Norway nitrate enter- 

 prises. 



This is principally due to the fact that 

 in the United States, water-power, before 

 it is utilized by the electrolytic manufac- 

 turer, has already to pay one, two and 

 sometimes three, profits, to as many inter- 

 mediate interests, which act as so many 

 middlemen between the original water- 

 power and the consumer. Only in such 

 instances as in Norway, where the electro- 

 chemical enterprise and the development 

 of the water-power are practically in the 

 same hands, can electric current be calcu- 

 lated at its real cheapest cost. 



Neither should the fact be overlooked 

 that the best of our water-powers in the 

 east are situated rather far inland. Al- 

 though this does not matter much for the 

 home market, it puts us at a decided dis- 

 advantage for the exportation of manufac- 

 tured goods, in comparison again with Nor- 

 way, where the electrolytic plants are 



situated quite close to a good sea-harbor 

 open in all seasons. 



Some electrochemical enterprises require 

 cheap fuel just as much as cheap power; 

 and, on this account, it has proved some- 

 times more advantageous to dispense en- 

 tirely with water-power by generating gas 

 for fuel as well as for power from cheap 

 coal or still cheaper peat. 



At present most of our ways of using 

 coal are still cumbersome and wasteful, 

 although several efficient methods have 

 been developed which some day will prob- 

 ably be used almost exclusively, principally 

 in such places where lower grades of cheap 

 coal are obtainable. 



I refer here particularly to the valuable 

 pioneer work of that great industrial chem- 

 ist, Mond, on cheap water-gas production, 

 by the use of limited amount of air in con- 

 junction with water vapor. 



More recently, this process has been ex- 

 tended by Caro, Frank and others, to the 

 direct conversion of undried peat into 

 fuel-gas. 



By the use of these processes, peat or 

 lower grades of coal, totally unsuitable for 

 other purposes, containing, in some in- 

 stances, as much as 60 to 70 per cent, of 

 incombustible constituents, can be used to 

 good advantage in the production of fuel 

 for power generation. 



"Whether Mond-gas will ever be found 

 advantageous for distribution to long dis- 

 tances, is questionable, because its heating 

 value per cubic foot is rather less than that 

 of ordinary water-gas, but this does not 

 interfere with its efficient use in internal 

 combustion engines. 



In general, our methods for producing 

 or utilizing gas in our cities do scant jus- 

 tice to the extended opportunities indicated 

 by our newer knowledge. 



Good fuel-gas could be manufactured 

 and distributed to the individual household 



