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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
May 15, 1975     Shelton Mason County Journal
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May 15, 1975
 
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PEGASUS, recently completed by students at The Evergreen State College, stands ready to be mounted on an Evergreen truck for a test run this month. The furnace-like, wood-burning device will propel a regular internal combustion engine without gasoline. Marc Dimes to ive annual The annual meeting of the Mason County Chapter of the March of Dimes will be held in the conference room at the PUD building this evening (Thursday) at 7: 30 p.m. Steve Morris, field representative for the national foundation, will be present to discuss the latest programs of the foundation. Mason County Chapter officers will be elected for the coming year. The public is welcome to attend this annual meeting. Food Bank to be open Monday The Mason County Food Bank will be open Monday, it was announced by Helen Morrow, head of the food bank. It doesn't look like much - an old water tank with some peculiar pipes extending from it. It isn't even anything new. Europeans were building its ancestors 50 years ago. But the cylindrically-shaped stainless steel and sheet metal contraption now standing idle in the laboratory building at The Evergreen State College could change the lives of every driver in the world. Called a Pegasus, the furnace-like device turns plain old wood, coal, peat - even today's used newspaper - into fuel which can propel everything from the newest luxury automobile to the hardiest of tractors, from ocean-going barges to continent-crossing locomotives. First used extensively by the Germans during World War II, Pegasus - which stands for Petroleum Gasoline Substitute Systems - has recently been unearthed and reexamined by two Evergreen professors, Dr. Neils Skov and Dr. Mark Papworth. The two educators - Skov an engineer and oceanographer, Papworth an anthropologist interested in the history of technology - became alarmed in the winter of 1973-74 when the Arab oil embargo graphically dramatized modern civilization's vulnerability in its heavy reliance on inexpensive, though limited, fossil fuel supphes. The "energy crisis," as it was suddenly called for the first time despite the fact it had been building for years, was probably best typified in America by rising gasoline and oil prices and seemingly endless lines at those service stations which remained in business. Skov, a prisoner of the Germans near the end of the war, remembered riding in Pegasus-powered vehicles which the Germans had perfected in the late 1930's when they realized war was inevitable and that, when it came, their gasoline supplies would be extremely limited. Experimenting with all kinds of models, the Germans eventually were able to run tractors, cars, barges, trains and, later, even much of their war machinery - all without gasoline., Essentially, what they did was build a portable furnace, the Pegasus, which turned the country's plentiful natural resources - coal, wood and/or peat - into gases which propelled internal combustion engines. There were some problems with the device. Sometimes drivers got ill from the fumes. Sometimes fires got out of control. And, not just everyone could run them. But the vehicles worked and they worked well - without gasoline. Two years ago Skov returned to his native Denmark and tried to find a Pegasus to bring back for his students at Evergreen to study. The only one he found was in a museum. It seems that, as soon as the war was over and gasoline was available again, the Pegasus was cast aside, an eagerly forgotten reminder of war. Long gasoline lines in the winter of 1973-74 prompted Skov to team up with Papworth and publish a book, "The Pegasus Unit," which details "the lost art of driving without gasoline." In it, one can find a brief history of the units, first built in the early 1920's; detailed descriptions of how they work, complete with complex chemical formulas; and pictures of several working varieties as they were used in Axis-occupied Europe. Not satisfied with reading about Pegasus, a small group of Evergreen students, unknown to Skov and Papworth, decided to build one on their own. They say it cost less than $200 to construct. The total includes the price of an old water heater, some sheet metal and stainless steel. Pegasus is equally inexpensive to run. All the Evergreen model needs is wood. And, one six-inch chunk will propel a three-ton truck one mile. But the unit's low cost is not what most excites its contemporary re-inventors. It's the potential Pegasus has for solving both the gasoline/energy crisis -- and America's solid waste disposal problem. As Skov points out, each year Americans must dispose of mountains of solid waste, more than half of them paper and ~cardboard. With further If you don't know a adaption of'the Pegasus and by developing a means of pellatizing the paper and cardboard, Americans could solve their disposal problems while they drove to work, he theorizes. Excited about the prospects of solving two problems at once Skov adds that, in the six-county area served by the Ol ,mpia Air Pollution Control Board, 200,000 tons of waste wood are burned every year - just in "tee-pee" burners. If one six-inch chunk of wood will propel a three-ton truck one mile, how far would the average family automobile go on 200,000 tons of wood? These and other questions remain to be solved by mathematicians, engineers, ecologists, industrialists, economists and mechanics. But Pegasus has already been accepted by one major European automobile manufacturer as an answer to the gasoline crisis. That company (Volvo) reportedly stands ready to mass produce Pegasus-powered vehicles at the drop of an oil embargo. And Skov feels confident Americans can respond the same way. As he says in the preface to his book: "Knowing the enormous amount of collective ingenuity and initiative this nation possesses, I have no doubt that Americans will seize and improve upon the fuel substitute technology to the point of ultimate perfection. The potential for Pegasus units lies not just in wheeled vehicles but in virtually every combustion engine used, perhaps even elsewhere, too. The other day a fellow yachtsman pointed out to me how cozy a Pegasus would be on a boat, doubling as heater and fuel producer while burning sundry driftwood and flotsam. He is right, of course. And it is already technically feasible for you to read your morning newspaper and then use that same paper to power your automobile to commute to work." about Mason County Citizens for Animals, it's time to Stop pussyfootin' There is an organization that affords shelter and homeless an ma[s in our community You can membership simply by filling out the form bel nominal and the service is irreplaceable. Adults Juniors (under 14)$1.00 per year. Or, if you W membership is $100. Don't wait 'til it starts rainingcats and dogs. Fill and become an active member. Or if you'd rather may do so by sending your gift to Mason Animals Shelter Fund, P.O. Box 657, Shelton, WA I I I Address I Age Type of membership wanted | M.C. Citizens for Animals, P.O. Box 657 #I Pioneer School District did not lose $79,000 because of the state eq Pioneer School District's own budget showed these figures: Total revenues 1974-75 $228,509 This is $12,059 more revenue. 1975-76 $240,568 Pioneer Citizens Advisory Group cut $29,435 out of a budget that was than this year's current budget. 1974-75 expenditures' $257,396 1975-76 expenditures$327,041 (minus $29,435 equals $297,606) This $297,606 is still 16% higher than this year. Oil or latex For new wood or re-do, OLYMPIC STAIN is one of the most beautiful things you can do for wood. It lets the natural grain and texture show through while it penetrates for protection. And it never cracks, peels or blisters Buy 4 gallons now, and we'll give you a 5th gallon free! Old paint a problem? Dont repaint put on the Overcoat! It's guaranteed better than house paint! Try it If you're not convinced, just return the remainder of your first gallon with any unopened cans and we'll refund your money! Choose from 22 colors Buy 4 gallons now, and we'll give you a 5th gallon FREE O NOTE Specially marked $4 off Ftedwoo d Stain an d $3 off Outside White can s not included in this FREE offer. Sat. May 17 to Sunday May 25 t lynnwood, shelton L' first & pine 426.Z611 ~! MON.- FRI. 8-5:30 SAT. 8-4:30 SUN. 10-4:30 Pioneer School District has always paid for our Junior High and High SchoOl: out of our local tax dollars. Formerly the county withheld tax money to P now the state takes it all and returns it to Pioneer to pay its own Pioneer's secondary students. Pupil enrollment had increased no more than seven (7) students since the law went into effect January 1, 1975. This is a 3-1/3% increase. When and if Shelton passes all or part of their three-part levy, they will let there will be any additional payment, and how much. Pioneer budgets for Which is less? 1974-75 $257,396 1975-76 $297,606 #7 The total cost of the hot lunch program for 1975-76 will be $20,982. Reirnb will be $10,500. Does it make any sense to cut a program that benefits than other areas where the budget can be cut? Pioneer School teachers have had salary increases each year which they negotiated. A yes vote for the levy will mean a property tax increase next year for sure. Pioneer School is best for our children, best for the community and best taxpayer, if you vote NO on the levy. Paid for by Concerned Citizens for Better School Government Estelle Bunnell, Chairman, Shelton Shelton-Mason County 18 Thursday, May 15, 1975