(The Address On the Occasion of the Commemoration of the Introduction of Niagara Falls

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Electrical Review, anuar! #&, "$%&
I ha/e scarcel! had courage enough to address an audience on a few una/oidable
occasions, and the e0(erience of this e/ening, e/en as disconnected from the cause of our
meeting, is 1uite no/el to me+ Although in those few instances, of which I ha/e retained
agreeable memor!, m! words ha/e met with a generous rece(tion, I ne/er decei/ed m!self,
and ,new 1uite well that m! success was not due to an! e0cellenc! in the rhetorical or
demonstrati/e art+ Ne/ertheless, m! sense of dut! to res(ond to the re1uest with which I was
honored a few da!s ago was strong enough to o/ercome m! /er! gra/e a((rehensions in
regard to m! abilit! of doing 2ustice to the to(ic assigned to me+ It is true, at times3e/en now,
as I s(ea,3m! mind feels full of the sub2ect, but I ,now that, as soon as I shall attem(t
e0(ression, the fugiti/e conce(tions will /anish, and I shall e0(erience certain well ,nown
sensations of abandonment, chill and silence+ I can see alread! !our disa((ointed
countenances and can read in them the (ainful regret of the mista,e in !our choice+
These remar,s, gentlemen, are not made with selfish desire of winning !our ,indness and
indulgence on m! shortcomings, but with the honest intention of offering !ou an a(olog! for
!our disa((ointment+ Nor are the! made3as !ou might be dis(osed to thin,3in that (la!ful
s(irit which, to the en2o!ment of the listeners is often dis(la!ed b! belated s(ea,ers+ On the
contrar!, I am dee(l! earnest in m! wish that I were ca(able of ha/ing the fire of elo1uence
,indled in me, that I might dwell in ade1uate terms on this fascinating science of electricit!, on
the mar/elous de/elo(ment which electrical annals ha/e recorded and which, as one of the
s(ea,ers 2ustl! remar,ed, stam( this age as the Electrical Age, and (articularl! on the great
e/ent we are commemorating this da!+ 4nfortunatel!, this m! desire must remain unfulfilled,
but I am ho(eful that in m! formless and incom(lete statements, among the few ideas and
facts I shall mention there ma! be something of interest and usefulness, something befitting
this uni1ue occasion+
5entlemen, there are a number of features clearl! discernible in, and characteristic of, human
intellectual (rogress in more recent times3features which afford great comfort to the minds of
all those who ha/e reall! at heart the ad/ancement and welfare of man,ind+
First of all the in1uir!, b! the aid of the microsco(e and electrical instruments of (recision, into
the nature of our organs and senses, and (articularl! of those through which we commune
directl! with the outside world and through which ,nowledge is con/e!ed to our minds, has
re/ealed their e0act construction and mode of action, which is in conformit! with sim(le and
well established (h!sical (rinci(les and laws+ 6ence the obser/ations we ma,e and the facts
we ascertain b! their hel( are real facts and obser/ations, and our ,nowledge
is true ,nowledge+ To illustrate) Our ,nowledge of form, for instance, is de(endent u(on the
(ositi/e fact that light (ro(agates in straight lines, and, owing to this, the image formed b! a
lens is e0actl! similar to the ob2ect seen+ Indeed, m! thoughts in such fields and directions
ha/e led me to the conclusion that most all human ,nowledge is based on this sim(le truth,
since (racticall! e/er! idea or conce(tion3and therefore all ,nowledge3(resu((oses /isual
im(ressions+ But if light would not (ro(agate in accordance with the law mentioned, but in
conformit! with an! other law which we might (resentl! concei/e, whereb! not onl! the image
might not bear an! li,eness to the ob2ect seen, but e/en the images of the same ob2ect at
different times or distances might not resemble each other, then our ,nowledge of form would
be /er! defecti/e, for then we might see, for e0am(le, a three-cornered figure as a si0 or
twel/e-cornered one+ 7ith the clear understanding of the mechanism and mode of action of
our organs, we remo/e all doubts as to the reality and truth of the im(ressions recei/ed from
the outside, and thus we bar out3fore/er, we ma! ho(e3that unhealth! s(eculation and
s,e(ticism into which formerl! e/en strong minds were a(t to fall+
8et me tell !ou of another comforting feature+ The (rogress in a measured time is nowada!s
more ra(id and greater than it e/er was before+ This is 1uite in accordance with the
fundamental law of motion, which commands acceleration and increase of momentum or
accumulation of energ! under the action of a continuousl! acting force and tendenc!, and is
the more true as e/er! ad/ance wea,ens the elements tending to (roduce friction and
retardation+ For, after all, what is (rogress, or3more correctl!3de/elo(ment, or e/olution, if
not a mo/ement, infinitel! com(le0 and often unscrutini9able, it is true, but ne/ertheless
e0actl! determined in 1uantit! as well as in 1ualit! of motion b! the (h!sical conditions and
laws go/erning: This feature of more recent de/elo(ment is best shown in the ra(id merging
together of the /arious arts and sciences b! the obliteration of the hard and fast lines of
se(aration, of borders, some of which onl! a few !ears ago seemed unsur(assable, and
which, li,e /eritable Chinese walls, surrounded e/er! de(artment of in1uir! and barred
(rogress+ A sense of connectedness of the /arious a((arentl! widel! different forces and
(henomena we obser/e is ta,ing (ossession of our minds, a sense of dee(er understanding
of nature as a whole, which, though not !et 1uite clear and defined, is ,een enough to ins(ire
us with the confidence of /ast reali9ations in the near future+
But these features chiefl! interest the scientific man, the thin,er and reasoner+ There is
another feature which affords us still more satisfaction and en2o!ment, and which is of still
more uni/ersal interest, chiefl! because of its bearing u(on the welfare of man,ind+
5entlemen, there is an influence which is getting strong and stronger da! b! da!, which
shows itself more and more in all de(artments of human acti/it!, and influence most fruitful
and beneficial3the influence of the artist+ It was a ha((! da! for the mass of humanit! when
the artist felt the desire of becoming a (h!sician, an electrician, an engineer or mechanician
or3whatnot3a mathematician or a financier; for it was he who wrought all these wonders
and grandeur we are witnessing+ It was he who abolished that small, (edantic, narrow-
groo/ed school teaching which made of an as(iring student a galle!-sla/e, and he who
allowed freedom in the choice of sub2ect of stud! according to one<s (leasure and inclination,
and so facilitated de/elo(ment+
=ome, who delight in the e0ercise of the (owers of criticism, call this an as!mmetrical
de/elo(ment, a degeneration or de(arture from the normal, or e/en a degradation of the race+
But the! are mista,en+ This is a welcome state of things, a blessing, a wise subdi/ision of
labors, the establishment of conditions most fa/orable to (rogress+ 8et one concentrate all his
energies in one single great effort, let him (ercei/e a single truth, e/en though he be
consumed b! the sacred fire, then millions of less gifted men can easil! follow+ Therefore it is
not as much 1uantit! as 1ualit! of wor, which determines the magnitude of the (rogress+
It was the artist, too, who awa,ened that broad (hilanthro(ic s(irit which, e/en in old ages,
shone in the teachings of noble reformers and (hiloso(hers, that s(irit which ma,es men in all
de(artments and (ositions wor, not as much for an! material benefit or com(ensation3
though reason ma! command this also3but chiefl! for the sa,e of success, for the (leasure
there is in achie/ing it and for the good the! might be able to do thereb! to their fellow-men+
Through his influence t!(es of men are now (ressing forward, im(elled b! a dee( lo/e for
their stud!, men who are doing wonders in their res(ecti/e branches, whose chief aim and
en2o!ment is the ac1uisition and s(read of ,nowledge, men who loo, far abo/e earthl! things,
whose banner is E0celsior> 5entlemen, let us honor the artist; let us than, him, let us drin, his
health>
Now, in all these en2o!able and ele/ating features which characteri9e modern intellectual
de/elo(ment, electricit!, the e0(ansion of the science of electricit!, has been a most (otent
factor+ Electrical science has re/ealed to us the true nature of light, has (ro/ided us with
innumerable a((liances and instruments of (recision, and has thereb! /astl! added to the
e0actness of our ,nowledge+ Electrical science has disclosed to us the more intimate relation
e0isting between widel! different forces and (henomena and has thus led us to a more
com(lete com(rehension of Nature and its man! manifestations to our senses+ Electrical
science, too, b! its fascination, b! its (romises of immense reali9ations, of wonderful
(ossibilities chiefl! in humanitarian res(ects, has attracted the attention and enlisted the
energies of the artist; for where is there a field in which his 5od-gi/en (owers would be of a
greater benefit to his fellow-men than this une0(lored, almost /irgin, region, where, li,e in a
silent forest, a thousand /oices res(ond to e/er! call:
7ith these comforting features, with these cheering (ros(ects, we need not loo, with an!
feeling of incertitude or a((rehension into the future+ There are (essimistic men, who, with
an0ious faces, continuousl! whis(er in !our ear that the nations are secretl! arming3arming
to the teeth; that the! are going to (ounce u(on each other at a gi/en signal and destro!
themsel/es; that the! are all tr!ing to outdo that /ictorious, great, wonderful 5erman arm!,
against which there is no resistance, for e/er! 5erman has the disci(line in his /er! blood3
e/er! 5erman is a soldier, But these men are in error+ 8oo, onl! at our recent e0(erience with
the British in that ?ene9uela difficult!+ Two other nations might ha/e crashed together, but not
the Anglo-=a0ons; the! are too far ahead+ The men who tell !ou this are ignoring forces which
are continuall! at wor,, silentl! but resistlessl!3forces which sa! Peace>
There is the genuine artist, who ins(ires us with higher and nobler sentiments, and ma,es us
abhor strife and carnage+ There is the engineer, who bridges gulfs and chasms, and facilitates
contact and e1uali9ation of the heterogeneous masses of humanit!+ There is the mechanic,
who comes with his beautiful time and energ!-sa/ing a((liances, who (erfects his fl!ing
machine, not to dro( a bag of d!namite on a cit! or /essel, but to facilitate trans(ort and
tra/el+ There, again, is the chemist, who o(ens new resources and ma,es e0istence more
(leasant and secure; and there is the electrician, who sends his messages of (eace to all
(arts of the globe+ The time will not be long in coming when those men who are turning their
ingenuit! to in/enting 1uic,-firing guns, tor(edoes and other im(lements of destruction3all
the while assuring !ou that it is for the lo/e and good of humanit!3will find no ta,ers for their
odious tools, and will reali9e that, had the! used their in/enti/e talent in other directions; the!
might ha/e rea(ed a far better reward than the sestertia recei/ed+ And then, and none too
soon the cr! will be echoed e/er!where+ Brethren, sto( these high-handed methods of the
strong, these remnants of barbarism so inimical to (rogress> 5i/e that /aliant warrior
o((ortunities for dis(la!ing a more commendable courage than that he shows when,
into0icated with /ictor!, he rushes to the destruction of his fellow-men+ 8et him toil da! and
night with a small chance of achie/ing and !et be unflinching; let him challenge the dangers of
e0(loring the heights of the air and the de(ths of the sea; let him bra/e the dread of the
(lague, the heat of the tro(ic desert and the ice of the (olar region+ Turn !our energies to
warding off the common enemies and danger, the (erils that are all around !ou, that threaten
!ou in the air !ou breathe, in the water !ou drin,, in the food !ou consume+ It is not strange, is
it not shame, that we, beings in the highest state of de/elo(ment in this our world, beings with
such immense (owers of thought and action, we, the masters of the globe, should be
absolutel! at the merc! of our unseen foes, that we should not ,now whether a swallow of
food or drin, brings 2o! and life or (ain and destruction to us> In this most modern and
sensible warfare, in which the bacteriologist leads, the ser/ices electricit! will render will
(ro/e in/aluable+ The economical (roduction of high-fre1uenc! currents, which is now an
accom(lished fact, enables us to generate easil! and in large 1uantities o9one for the
disinfection of the water and the air, while certain no/el radiations recentl! disco/ered gi/e
ho(e of finding effecti/e remedies against ills of microbic origin, which ha/e heretofore
withstood all efforts of the (h!sician+ But let me turn to a more (leasant theme+
I ha/e referred to the merging together of the /arious sciences or de(artments of research,
and to a certain (erce(tion of intimate connection between the manifold and a((arentl!
different forces and (henomena+ Alread! we ,now, chiefl! through the efforts of a bold
(ioneer, that light, radiant heat, electrical and magnetic actions are closel! related, not to sa!
identical+ The chemist (rofesses that the effects of combination and se(aration of bodies he
obser/es are due to electrical forces, and the (h!sician and (h!siologist will tell !ou that e/en
life<s (rogress is electrical+ Thus electrical science has gained a uni/ersal meaning, and with
right this age can claim the name @Age of Electricit!+@
I wish much to tell !ou on this occasion3I ma! sa! I actuall! burn for desire of telling !ou3
what electricit! reall! is, but I ha/e /er! strong reasons, which m! cowor,ers will best
a((reciate, to follow a (recedent established b! a great and /enerable (hiloso(her, and I
shall not dwell on this (urel! scientific as(ect of electricit!+
There is another reason for the claim which I ha/e before stated which is e/en more (otent
than the former, and that is the immense de/elo(ment in all electrical branches in more recent
!ears and its influence u(on other de(artments of science and industr!+ To illustrate this
influence I onl! need to refer to the steam or gas engine+ For more than half a centur! the
steam engine has ser/ed the innumerable wants of man+ The wor, it was called to (erform
was of such /ariet! and the conditions in each case were so different that, of necessit!, a
great man! t!(es of engines ha/e resulted+ In the /ast ma2orit! of cases the (roblem (ut
before the engineer was not as it should ha/e been, the broad one of con/erting the greatest
(ossible amount of heat energ! into mechanical (ower, but it was rather the s(ecific (roblem
of obtaining the mechanical (ower in such form as to be best suitable for general use+ As the
reci(rocating motion of the (iston was not con/enient for (ractical (ur(oses, e0ce(t in /er!
few instances, the (iston was connected to a cran,, and thus rotating motions was obtained,
which was more suitable and (referable, though it in/ol/ed numerous disad/antages incident
to the crude and wasteful means em(lo!ed+ But until 1uite recentl! there were at the dis(osal
of the engineer, for the transformation and transmission of the motion of the (iston, no better
means than rigid mechanical connections+ The (ast few !ears ha/e brought forcibl! to the
attention of the builder the electric motor, with its ideal features+ 6ere was a mode of
transmitting mechanical motion sim(ler b! far, and also much more economical+ 6ad this
mode been (erfected earlier, there can be no doubt that, of the man! different t!(es of
engine, the ma2orit! would not e0ist, for 2ust as soon as an engine was cou(led with an
electric generator a t!(e was (roduced ca(able of almost uni/ersal use+ From this moment on
there was no necessit! to endea/or to (erfect engines of s(ecial designs ca(able of doing
s(ecial ,inds of wor,+ The engineer<s tas, became now to concentrate all his efforts u(on one
t!(e, to (erfect one ,ind of engine3the best; the uni/ersal, the engine of the immediate
future; namel!, the one which is best suitable for the generation of electricit!+ The first efforts
in this direction ga/e a strong im(etus to the de/elo(ment of the reci(rocating high s(eed
engine, and also to the turbine, which latter was a t!(e of engine of /er! limited (ractical
usefulness, but became, to a certain e0tent, /aluable in connection with the electric generator
and motor+ =till, e/en the former engine, though im(ro/ed in man! (articulars, is not radicall!
changed, and e/en now has the same ob2ectionable features and limitations+ To do awa! with
these as much as (ossible, a new t!(e of engine is being (erfected in which more fa/orable
conditions for econom! are maintained, which e0(ands the wor,ing fluid with utmost ra(idit!
and loses little heat on the walls, an engine stri((ed of all usual regulating mechanism3
(ac,ings, oilers and other a((endages3and forming (art of an electric generator; and in this
t!(e, I ma! sa!, I ha/e im(licit faith+
The gas or e0(losi/e engine has been li,ewise (rofoundl! affected b! the commercial
introduction of electric light and (ower, (articularl! in 1uite recent !ears+ The engineer is
turning his energies more and more in this direction, being attracted b! the (ros(ect of
obtaining a higher thermod!namic efficienc!+ Auch larger engines are now being built, the
construction is constantl! im(ro/ed, and a no/el t!(e of engine, best suitable for the
generation of electricit!, is being ra(idl! e/ol/ed+
There are man! other lines of manufacture and industr! in which the influence of electrical
de/elo(ment has been e/en more (owerfull! felt+ =o, for instance, the manufacture of a great
/ariet! of articles of metal, and es(eciall! of chemical (roducts+ The welding of metals b!
electricit!, though in/ol/ing a wasteful (rocess, has, ne/ertheless, been acce(ted as a
legitimate art, while the manufacture of metal sheet, seamless tubes and the li,e affords
(romise of much im(ro/ement+ 7e are coming graduall!, but surel!, to the fusion of bodies
and reduction of all ,inds of ores3e/en of iron ores3b! the use of electricit!, and in each of
these de(artments great reali9ations are (robable+ Again, the economical con/ersion of
ordinar! currents of su((l! into high-fre1uenc! currents o(ens u( new (ossibilities, such as
the combination of the atmos(heric nitrogen and the (roduction of its com(ounds; for
instance, ammonia and nitric acid, and their salts, b! no/el (rocesses+
The high-fre1uenc! currents also bring us to the reali9ation of a more economical s!stem of
lighting; namel! b! means of (hos(horescent bulbs or tubes, and enable us to (roduce with
these a((liances light of (racticall! an! candle-(ower+ Following other de/elo(ments in (urel!
electrical lines, we ha/e all re2oiced in obser/ing the ra(id strides made, which, in 1uite recent
!ears, ha/e been be!ond our most sanguine e0(ectations+ To enumerate the man! ad/ances
recorded is a sub2ect for the re/iewer, but I can not (ass without mentioning the beautiful
disco/eries of 8enart and Boentgen, (articularl! the latter, which ha/e found such a (owerful
res(onse throughout the scientific world that the! ha/e made us forget, for a time, the great
achie/ement of 8inde in 5erman!, who has effected the li1uefaction of air on an industrial
scale b! a (rocess of continuous cooling) the disco/er! of argon b! 8ord Ba!leigh and
Professor Bamsa!, and the s(lendid (ioneer wor, of Professor Cewar in the field of low
tem(erature research+ The fact that the 4nited =tates ha/e contributed a /er! liberal share to
this (rodigious (rogress must afford to all of us great satisfaction+ 7hile honoring the wor,ers
in other countries and all those who, b! (rofession or inclination, are de/oting themsel/es to
strictl! scientific (ursuits, we ha/e (articular reasons to mention with gratitude the names of
those who ha/e so much contributed to this mar/elous de/elo(ment of electrical industr! in
this countr!+ Bell, who, b! his admirable in/ention enabling us to transmit s(eech to great
distances, has (rofoundl! affected our commercial and social relations, and e/en our /er!
mode of life; Edison, who, had he not done an!thing else be!ond his earl! wor, in
incandescent lighting, would ha/e (ro/ed himself one of the greatest benefactors of the age;
7estinghouse, the founder of the commercial alternating s!stem; Brush, the great (ioneer of
arc lighting; Thomson, who ga/e us the first (ractical welding machine, and who, with ,een
sense, contributed /er! materiall! to the de/elo(ment of a number of scientific and industrial
branches; 7eston, who once led the world in d!namo design, and now leads in the
construction of electric instruments; =(rague, who, with rare energ!, mastered the (roblem
and insured the success of (ractical electrical railroading; Acheson, 6all, 7illson and others,
who are creating new and re/olutioni9ing industries here under our /er! e!es at Niagara+ Nor
is the wor, of these gifted men nearl! finished at this hour+ Auch more is still to come, form
fortunatel!, most of them are still full of enthusiasm and /igor+ All of these men and man!
more are untiringl! at wor, in/estigating new regions and o(ening u( unsus(ected and
(romising fields+ 7ee,l!, if not dail!, we learn through the 2ournals of a new ad/ance into
some une0(lored region, where at e/er! ste( success bec,ons friendl!, and leads the toiler
on to hard and harder tas,s+
But among all these man! de(artments of research, these man! branches of industr!, new
and old, which are being ra(idl! e0(anded, there is one dominating all others in im(ortance3
one which is of the greatest significance for the comfort and welfare, not to sa! for the
e0istence, of man,ind, and that is the electrical transmission of (ower+ And in this most
im(ortant of all fields, gentlemen, long afterwards, when time will ha/e (laced the e/ents in
their (ro(er (ers(ecti/e, and assigned men to their deser/ed (laces, the great e/ent we are
commemorating toda! will stand out as designating a new and glorious e(och in the histor! of
humanit!3an e(och grander than that mar,ed b! the ad/ent of the steam engine+ 7e ha/e
man! a monument of (ast ages) we ha/e the (alaces and (!ramids, the tem(les of the 5ree,
and the cathedrals of Christendom+ In them is e0em(lified the (ower of men, the greatness of
nations, the lo/e of art and religious de/otion+ But that monument at Niagara has something
of its own, more in accord with our (resent thoughts and tendencies+ It is a monument worth!
of our scientific age, a true monument of enlightenment and of (eace+ It signifies the
sub2ugation of natural forces to the ser/ice of man, the discontinuance of barbarous methods,
the relie/ing of millions from want and suffering+ No matter what we attem(t to do, no matter
to what fields we turn our efforts, we are de(endent on (ower+ Our economists ma! (ro(ose
more economical s!stems of administration and utili9ation of resources, our legislators ma!
ma,e wiser laws and treaties, it matters little; that ,ind of hel( can be onl! tem(orar!+ If we
want to reduce (o/ert! and miser!, if we want to gi/e to e/er! deser/ing indi/idual what is
needed for a safe e0istence of an intelligent being, we want to (ro/ide more machiner!, more
(ower+ Power is our mainsta!, the (rimar! source of our man!-sided energies+ 7ith sufficient
(ower at our dis(osal we can satisf! most of our wants and offer a guarant! for safe and
comfortable e0istence to all, e0ce(t (erha(s to those who are the greatest criminals of all3
the /oluntaril! idle+
The de/elo(ment and wealth of a cit!, the success of a nation, the (rogress of the whole
human race, is regulated b! the (ower a/ailable+ Thin, of the /ictorious march of the British,
the li,e of which histor! has ne/er recorded+ A(art from the 1ualities of the race, which ha/e
been of great moment, the! own the con1uest of the world to3coal+ For with coal the!
(roduce their iron; coal furnishes them light and heat; coal dri/es the wheels of their immense
manufacturing establishments, and coal (ro(els their con1uering fleets+ But the stores are
being more and more e0hausted; the labor is getting dearer and dearer, and the demand is
continuousl! increasing+ It must be clear to e/er! one that soon some new source of (ower
su((l! must be o(ened u(, or that at least the (resent methods must be materiall! im(ro/ed+
A great deal is e0(ected from a more economical utili9ation of the stored energ! of the carbon
in a batter!; but while the attainment of such a result would be hailed as a great achie/ement;
it would not be as much of an ad/ance towards the ultimate and (ermanent method of
obtaining (ower as some engineers seem to belie/e+ B! reasons both of econom! and
con/enience we are dri/en to the general ado(tion of a s!stem of energ! su((l! from central
stations, and for such (ur(oses the beauties of the mechanical generation of electricit! can
not be e0aggerated+ The ad/antages of this uni/ersall! acce(ted method are certainl! so
great that the (robabilit! of re(lacing the engine d!namos b! batteries is, in m! o(inion, a
remote one, the more so as the high-(ressure steam engine and gas engine gi/e (romise of
a considerabl! more economical thermod!namic con/ersion+ E/en if we had this da! such an
economical coal batter!, its introduction in central stations would b! no means be assured, as
its use would entail man! incon/eniences and drawbac,s+ ?er! li,el! the carbon could not be
burned in its natural form as in a boiler, but would ha/e to be s(eciall! (re(ared to secure
uniformit! in the current generation+ There would be a great man! cells needed to ma,e u(
the electro-moti/e force usuall! re1uired+ The (rocess of cleaning and renewal, the handling
of nast! fluids and gases and the great s(ace necessar! for so man! batteries would ma,e it
difficult, if not commerciall! un(rofitable, to o(erate such a (lant in a cit! or densel! (o(ulated
district+ Again if the station be erected in the outs,irts, the con/ersion b! rotating transformers
or otherwise would be a serious and una/oidable drawbac,+ Furthermore, the regulating
a((liances and other accessories which would ha/e to be (ro/ided would (robabl! ma,e the
(lant full! as much, if not more, com(licated than the (resent+ 7e might, of course, (lace the
batteries at or near the coal mine, and from there transmit the energ! to distant (oints in the
form of high-tension alternating currents obtained from rotating transformers, but e/en in this
most fa/orable case the (rocess would be a barbarous one, certainl! more so than the
(resent, as it would still in/ol/e the consum(tion of material, while at the same time it would
restrict the engineer and mechanic in the e0ercise of their beautiful art+ As to the energ!
su((l! in small isolated (laces as dwellings, I ha/e (laced m! confidence in the de/elo(ment
of a light storage batter!, in/ol/ing the use of chemicals manufactured b! chea( water (ower,
such as some carbide or o0!gen-h!drogen cell+
But we shall not satisf! oursel/es sim(l! with im(ro/ing steam and e0(losi/e engines or
in/enting new batteries; we ha/e something much better to wor, for, a greater tas, to fulfill+
7e ha/e to e/ol/e means for obtaining energ! from stores which are fore/er ine0haustible, to
(erfect methods which do not im(l! consum(tion and waste of an! material whate/er+ 4(on
this great (ossibilit!, which I ha/e long ago recogni9ed, u(on this great (roblem, the (ractical
solution of which means so much for humanit!, I ha/e m!self concentrated m! efforts since a
number of !ears, and a few ha((! ideas which came to me ha/e ins(ired me to attem(t the
most difficult, and gi/en me strength and courage in ad/ersit!+ Nearl! si0 !ears ago m!
confidence had become strong enough to (rom(t me to an e0(ression of ho(e in the ultimate
solution of this all dominating (roblem+ I ha/e made (rogress since, and ha/e (assed the
stage of mere con/iction such as is deri/ed from a diligent stud! of ,nown facts, conclusions
and calculations+ I now feel sure that the reali9ation of that idea is not far off+ But (recisel! for
this reason I feel im(elled to (oint out here an im(ortant fact, which I ho(e will be
remembered+ 6a/ing e0amined for a long time the (ossibilities of the de/elo(ment I refer to,
namel!, that of the o(eration of engines on an! (oint of the earth b! the energ! of the
medium, I find that e/en under the theoreticall! best conditions such a method of obtaining
(ower can not e1ual in econom!, sim(licit! and man! other features the (resent method,
in/ol/ing a con/ersion fo the mechanical energ! of running water into electrical energ! and
the transmission of the latter in the form of currents of /er! high tension to great distances+
Pro/ided, therefore, that we can a/ail oursel/es of currents of sufficientl! high tension, a
waterfall affords us the most ad/antageous means of getting (ower from the sun sufficient for
all our wants, and this recognition has im(ressed me strongl! with the future im(ortance of
the water (ower, not so much because of its commercial /alue, though it ma! be /er! great,
but chiefl! because of its bearing u(on our safet! and welfare+ I am glad to sa! that also in
this latter direction m! efforts ha/e not been unsuccessful, for I ha/e de/ised means which
will allow us the use in (ower transmission of electromoti/e forces much higher than those
(racticable with ordinar! a((aratus+ In fact, (rogress in this field has gi/en me fresh ho(e that
I shall see the fulfillment of one of m! fondest dreams; namel!, the transmission of (ower
from station to station without the em(lo!ment of an! connecting wire+ =till, whate/er method
of transmission be ultimatel! ado(ted, nearness to the source of (ower will remain an
im(ortant ad/antage+
5entlemen, some of the ideas I ha/e e0(ressed ma! a((ear to man! of !ou hardl! reali9able;
ne/ertheless, the! are the result of long-continued thought and wor,+ Dou would 2udge them
more 2ustl! if !ou would ha/e de/oted !our life to them, as I ha/e done+ 7ith ideas it is li,e
with di99! heights !ou climb) At first the! cause !ou discomfort and !ou are an0ious to get
down, distrustful of !our own (owers; but soon the remoteness of the turmoil of life and the
ins(iring influence of the altitude calm !our blood; !our ste( gets firm and sure and !ou begin
to loo,3for di99ier heights+ I ha/e attem(ted to s(ea, to !ou on @Electricit!,@ its de/elo(ment
and influence, but I fear that I ha/e done it much li,e a bo! who tries to draw a li,eness with a
few straight lines+ But I ha/e endea/ored to bring out one feature, to s(ea, to !ou in one
strain which I felt sure would find res(onse in the hearts of all of !ou, the onl! one worth! of
this occasion3the humanitarian+ In the great enter(rise at Niagara we see not onl! a bold
engineering and commercial feat, but far more, a giant stride in the right direction as indicated
both b! e0act science and (hilanthro(!+ Its success is a signal for the utili9ation of water
(owers all o/er the world, and its influence u(on industrial de/elo(ment is incalculable+ 7e
must all re2oice in the great achie/ement and congratulate the intre(id (ioneers who ha/e
2oined their efforts and means to bring it about+ It is a (leasure to learn of the friendl! attitude
of the citi9ens of Buffalo and of the encouragement gi/en to the enter(rise b! the Canadian
authorities+ 7e shall ho(e that other cities, li,e Bochester on this side and 6amilton and
Toronto in Canada, will soon follow Buffalo<s lead+ This fortunate cit! herself is to be
congratulated+ 7ith resources now une1ualed, with commercial facilities and ad/antages
such as few cities in the world (ossess, and with the enthusiasm and (rogressi/e s(irit of its
citi9ens, it is sure to become one of the greatest industrial centers of the globe+