Rensselaer Republican, Volume 22, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 July 1890 — The Power of the World. [ARTICLE]

The Power of the World.

An interesting calculation has recently been made by the statistical bureau in Berlin. Four-fifths of the powpr machines at present in activity in the world have been erected in the last twenty-five years. The country which posseses the highest amount of horse power is the United States, with 7,500,000 horse power; then follow England, with 7,000,000; Germany, with 4,600,000; France, with 3,000,000, and 1 500,000. These figures do not include locomotives, of which there are 150,000 at work, with a total horse power of 3,000,000. Thus the total horse power in the world is 46,000,000. A steam “horse power” is equivalent to three actual horses' strength and each living horse represents the strength of seven men. Thus the total horse power of the entire world represents the work of 1,000,000,000 men, -or more than twice the total working population of the earth. Steam has thus tripled the entire human work powep of 1 the earth.