ORANGE COUNTY ALMANAC : That Sinking Feeling
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In 1907, Huntington Beach brothers Bert and Moris Stearns developed the Wavemotor, a device that was supposed to generate electricity from ocean waves.
They built a pier to operate the device, which was powered by large paddles connected to a generator. But with the first heavy swells, it was ripped loose from the pier and quickly sank beneath the waves.
Source: “Reflections in Orange,” by Merle and Mabel Ramsey
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