Steam power vs. water power

Is steam power to outdistance water power for generating electric current in the Pacific Coast country where “white coal” is king? This tendency is noted by the Journal of Electricity in an editorial declaring that cheapness of oil fuel and 300-per cent advances in the efficiencies of steam generating machinery during the past decade indicate that steam power may prove the more economical even in the water-powered state of California. Only one-third of the electric energy used in the state is generated by steam today, while hydroelectric plants produce the balance but engineers are prophesying the ratio may soon be reversed.