Locos por la Geología

In his book «The American Claimant» (published in 1892) Mark Twain (Sam Clemens)-  also the author of Tom Sawyer’s Adventures and many other wonderful novels- seems to be far ahead his time.

Being Twain a humorist it is not easy to say wether the whole idea was considered by him as a possibility or  just as other of his absurd jokes.

Anyway, the following paragraph might be considered as an early ecological proposal. Just read it:

…everything is useful- nothing ought ever to be wasted. Now look at sewer gas, for instance. Sewer gas has always been wasted, heretofore; noboby tried to save up sewer- gas–you can´t name a man. Ain’t that so? you know perfectly well it´s so…

…Do you see this little invention here?–it’s a decomposer- I call it a decomposer. I give you my word of honor that if you show me a house that produces a given quantity of sewer- gas in a day, I’ll engage to set up my decomposer there and make that house produce a hundred times that quantity of sewer-gas in less than half an hour…

…for iluminating purposes and economy combined, there’s nothing in the world that begins with sewer gas. And really it don’t cost a cent. You put in a good inferior article of plumbing -such as you find everywhere- and add my decomposer, and there you are. Just use the ordinary pipes- and there yor expenses ends. ..

…in five years from now you won’t see a house lighted with anything but sewer-gas…