Novel Use For Tidal Power

Various plans ha'ue been suggested at different limes for the utilization of the energy developed by the rise and fall of the tldes, but the intermlttent character of the power has usually prevented any satisfactory solutiou of the problem. There is, however, one Importance in which tide power haa been quite successfully ap'plled in a very simple manner. Along the river front at Liverpool there is a tendency for the accumulation of all silt against the doek wslls, requlrlng occasional dredging for its removal. Instead of using sooop dredges, this mud is removed at different periods by the use of tide povrer !n the following manner: Along the base of the doek walls is laid a pipe perforated wlth holes, directed outward, this pipe being connected with the interior of the dook system and suitable valves being provided to permlt or check the flow of water. When the tide is very low, and, consequeutly, the head of water measured from the surface in the docks is at its greatest, a sudden opening of the connectioii permlts a rapld flushlng action by the water escaping through holes in the pipe at the base of the walls, scouring out the mud and drfving it out into the river to be carried away. As the ti-des at Liverpool average about twenty-five feet or more, it is evident that this simple form of dredging apparatus may be very effctive, and as th? tinrs chosen for using it must be selecteJ when the supply of water is greatest, it does not interfere wlth the regular use of the docks. Ultlmately, no doubt, the introduction of practical and economical forms of pcwer storage will render the equalization of tide power commercially practicable, but at the present time this example serves to demónstrate the fact that solar and lunar attraction, as expressed by the tides, have been harnessed in a smail way at least.