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281
Heroes of the Telegraph
·
John Munro
120
From
the
problem
of
heating
a
room,
the
mind
of
Siemens
also
passed
to
the
maintenance
of
solar
fires,
and
occupied
itself
with
the
supply
of
fuel
to
the
sun.
Some
physicists
have
attributed
the
continuance
of
solar
heat
to
the
contraction
of
the
solar
mass,
and
others
to
the
impact
of
cometary
matter.
Imbued
with
the
idea
of
regeneration,
and
seeking
in
nature
for
that
thrift
of
power
which
he,
as
an
inventor,
had
always
aimed
at,
Siemens
suggested
a
hypothesis
on
which
the
sun
conserves
its
heat
by
a
circulation
of
its
fuel
in
space.
The
elements
dissociated
in
the
intense
heat
of
the
glowing
orb
rush
into
the
cooler
regions
of
space,
and
recombine
to
stream
again
towards
the
sun,
where
the
self-same
process
is
renewed.
The
hypothesis
was
a
daring
one,
and
evoked
a
great
deal
of
discussion,
to
which
the
author
replied
with
interest,
afterwards
reprinting
the
controversy
in
a
volume,
ON
THE
CONSERVATION
OF
SOLAR
ENERGY.
Whether
true
or
not--and
time
will
probably
decide--the
solar
hypothesis
of
Siemens
revealed
its
author
in
a
new
light.
Hitherto
he
had
been
the
ingenious
inventor,
the
enterprising
man
of
business,
the
successful
engineer;
but
now
he
took
a
prominent
place
in
the
ranks
of
pure
science
and
speculative
philosophy.
The
remarkable
breadth
of
his
mind
and
the
abundance
of
his
energies
were
also
illustrated
by
the
active
part
he
played
in
public
matters
connected
with
the
progress
of
science.
His
munificent
gifts
in
the
cause
of
education,
as
much
as
his
achievements
in
science,
had
brought
him
a
popular
reputation
of
the
best
kind;
and
his
public
utterances
in
connection
with
smoke
abatement,
the
electric
light.
Electric
railways,
and
other
topics
of
current
interest,
had
rapidly
brought
him
into
a
foremost
place
among
English
scientific
men.
During
the
last
years
of
his
life,
Siemens
advanced
from
the
shade
of
mere
professional
celebrity
into
the
strong
light
of
public
fame.
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