OCR Text |
Show SUBTERRANEAN ENERGY. A British association, with the sanction sanc-tion of the government, is earnestly discussing the practicability of deep jbcrings, with the object of obtaiuiug power by means of steam generated deep down in the earth. Heports from Ijoudon say that immediate surveys of promising fields are contemplated and that not a few manufacturers of machinery ma-chinery are endeavoring to develop devices de-vices suitable for the utilization of this kind of power, if it is found. Meantime, experiments at deep boring bor-ing are being conducted iu South Africa in the hope of finding a water supply to relieve the drouth, which in some districts is said to be the worst in fifty years. Exploration has been so successful that a Port Elizabeth correspondent cor-respondent announces that an "inex-liaustiblo "inex-liaustiblo supply of water, rising at a high pressure, lias been struck and there is no Teason why by going down itep enough, similar results could not be obtained elsewhere in this country." coun-try." It is said that the presence of vast subterranean supplies is proved by the fact that in the vicinity of Algoa Bay an immeasurable flow of sweet, fresh water is to be found by digging a few feet. The government has been urged to bore as deep as 8000 feet to obtain water in sufficient quantity to mitigate miti-gate the effects of the drouth. While the deep borings in South Africa, Af-rica, have only an indirect bearing upon the new. project for utilizing the steam energy:nf subterranean "boilers." it is 6aid that the work there will furnish scientific data which will be of great value to the engineers who are looking for ppwer from the earth's interior. Should it happen that the belief in the possibility of controlling the force exerted by geysers, either active or thus far quiescent, is well founded, it will be a step in the direction of fuel conservation; and. since England has a serious coal problem, a. measure of relief may be found in pursuing the idea. Should power be obtained in the manner indicated, it would bo a simple matter to build suitable electric elec-tric generating stations, supplied with distributing lines. An announcement of the success of the British association's experiments would be of tremendous import to the industrial interests not only of Great Britain, but also of the whole world. |