The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-03-13
roYnaeEAspaAsLB UNUSHD
800. 80. -faOROHI ",a.s .., IIt
bewiiAering Prospect ofts Control Raised
~ the Eleetrscal Discoveries or Nicola Tesla.


On Wednesday. the Sd OF February. the Royal
Institution was crowded with one OF the most
critical scientific audiences In the world. who
were held spellbound for more than two hours
while Mr.. Tesla gave an account OF his dlscov-
cries. Mr. Tesla 10 young electrician born
atRieka. on the border ofMontenegro and low
domtciled In America. The interest OF the Ice.
ture lay. not in the beautiful experiments with
which twas illustrated, nor In the actual facts
put forward. but In the hope which II held out
that We may now draw back little further the
veil which hides one OF the most fascinat-
Ing mysteries Of nature. namely the relations
between light and electricity. and between
matter and motion.
The tendency Of modern science Is to remove
day BY day the barriers between it's different
branches. Our Views Of the phenomena OF
hight and heat OF electricity and magnetism.
and even OF matter and motion. are
rapidly merging into one general theory Of
molecular physics. which is perhaps best ex-
pressed BY the vortex theory OF Sir William
Thomson.
According to this theory the whole OF every
part OF space IL filed with a fluid called ether,
almost Infinitely thin. and almost infinitely
elastic. Tho historic experiments Of Fara-
day interpreted BY the mathematical re-
searches OF Clerk Maxwell have dem nstrated
almost beyond doubt that the same ether
whose waves carry light and heat from the sun
and stars to the earth also carries the waves OF
electric and magnetic induction which follow
each outburst OF solar activity.
Str William Thomson holds that all that
which we know as matter consists Of vortices
or whiripools Of this ether. which. from their
rapid rotating motion. resist displacement,
and therefore show the common properties OF
nardness ana strength In the same way as q
s9s IN 2s q s ssp
natter are independent matter OF. whether
Keep up an ncessant ham@erins w ONE se on .n any
p,oi CF9otss has shown that the forces
died. many millions Of horse power being CON
The M benR f esery possbIe
them e percelyable to our senses, but il ever
rectlon. We shall have at our dis posal forces as
%t as tSs bow sTucs se
II fact. as Nj. Tesla put it in his lecture. w.
Of Il Is I'll TO h sh9
out 70 u.s. hope. however distant. OF some day SO
Nicola Tesla are Of such ae insr
Rroi az. GiEookes: IN his experiment. on ,raai-
method Of directing what. for. want Of more
.er e. we T call hs q
eSsnss Of but to he " sSct
Seeded II making that change manifest by re-
out from glass bulbs and tubes nearly ali the
sa efy e them ss
to travel in any course impaired to them with
oH Sor much h change caused by collision with
by means Of electricity. and gave us the beau
tiful phenomena Of phosphorescence and ra-
diant matter which are now 80 we'll known in
tls.m 81 q shaped terminals
placed at that point il Becomes whte hot un rs
der the bomhardment from identicaily the
When shot strSes an an ran
get. II a ruby or other phosphorescent mate.
Ea is placed there it GI9ws Win ts Character
yane or windmill is placed go that the stream
L. Objected SP one side Of If fans it RAPIDLY
iments! we're. however. almost Indefinitely
Ssns sSe s
yet been able to penetrate.
Now for the advances made BY Tesla.
!, In FL the above experiments the electricity
he moieeuies Was efectrety Of oompsrs 20
lively slow alternation period namely. cleo
Z a seq Sad
through It With mn unbrefa. H ss would sIda0 Tn.
slowly that ordinary methods would be- insuf.
1cient to enable US to perceive Its motion. In
d. Ssh o. S
Dry; Mr.. Tesla. seeing this. abandoned the
ordinary dynamo. which. as We have already
md the. ordinary induction coil. which Gives
about the same number; and constructed q
hey reached i.OOO.00o or i.5iUooO per second.
ma appeared and the eSperimenter entered
sGon OF mystery md md hope One Of the first
ng vibrations in the nerves OF the body. or
rom some other cause, no shock is felt from
ent at 1000 volts viii Kill yet this Current fu at
1000 volts cannot be felt at all.
i solid matter V1icante is one Of the bess
nsulators known. and will entirely stop any |
through hcf Sheet " 81 y ts as
fs no With b.Es S than
All the "Srookes" phen9mena q radiant
he blow Of mitraiilense bullets compared to |
he 6loT b Of ,o an air ball thrown against The
Vlnu Inc FORCES can be directed Tor q cOnSid- |
rable distance through space without tho aid |
4 wires. Electric lamps light easily when at |
ached to one single wire and require no return |
!ates are fixed on the roof and walls OF a room |
nd connected to the terminals. the whole at
nosphere OF that room. whether 1t be ether or |
7hether 1t be particles OF common matter. is |
brown into q state OF storm and agitation |
'hich can be, at once made perceptible by |
ringing into the space tubes OF. globes from
7htch the mir has been partially exhausted.
UGH tubes. though without any metallic con
sctions. yet glow and throb as II powerful
hem from an ordinary induction coil.
A. Crookes" radiometer placed near a
fetal conductor from which neither spark |
or glow Is perceptible. yet rotates as II It
'ere placed near lamp or heated body. but
otates In the wrong direction. and a true flame
urns in which nothing is consumed.
When tho, discharge Issues from Il suitable
ound OF q gas fame burning under too high q
ressurs: and gives of IL considerable heat: to
SO Mr.. Teslay words again: This Is not UNI
expected, as all the force and heat In the uni
erse IL due to the falling together OF lifted
'eights, and tho same result Is produced
neither these weights have been lifted apart
y chemical energy. and rest in the form OF
xygen and hydrogen ready to combine chem
ALLY. or In the form OF energy OF moving MOLE
!les directed by, the ELECTRIC current.