The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1893-04-24
EIGHT MINUS HEAT.
THE DISCOVERIES NIKoLA TESLA is
GIVING THE WORLD.

Streams 81 Mysterious Light ard Fail to
Hca. the wires That Garry These Won
derful Currents.
Almost from the time that the vibra-
tory theory of light was accepted scien-
tific men have looked forward to the day
when it would be possible to produce
light without heat. For it is an unfor-
tunate fact that so far every effort to
produce light has been accomc MED by
an enormou waste Of energy d Ii to the
production of useless heat. The simplest
way of producing light is by means of
the combustion of some compound of
carbon. 1t e.oes not matter whether the
carbon is solid. as in Il candle. or a fluid,
as il a lamp. or i'll & gas, as IN ordinary
illuminating gas. the process Is the same.
Tie Union 81 the carbon of the sub
stance with the oxygen of the air pro-
duces the rapid vibration that tho eye
recognizes IS li&ht. Carbon, though the
element usually employed. is not & neces-
sary factor, for magnesium. Potassium,
iron-;nGeed almost any of the elements
will take its place. Neither is oxygen
a necessary part in the production of
light. Chlorine will produce an even
more brilliant light with certain sub
| stances. |. is evident, therefore, that the
rate of vibration and not the element
I, employed is the principal factor i'll pro-
dEcing light.
Unfortunately all methods Of produc-
ing light by means Of chemical coinblil.-
tiuns such as the union OF the carbon OF
the candle With the oxygen Of the alr)
are ACCOMPANIED by a very large pro-
duction OF heat waves. which III the ma
jority Of cases are utterly useless. If not
absolutely troublesome. The old simile
of u musician desiring to produce Il GER
tain high note hciaS compelled to press
down all the keys Of his instrument is
an apt one. The lower notes are not
merely useless, but they are positively
annoying.
S~ingulariy enough. the first solution OF
the problem that was attempted success.
fully was by the aid of heat. a very
small amount of light waves are required
for recognition by the wonderfully de-
veloped special sense which man pcs
sesses. 1t is intensity, not quantity, that
is wanted. to use a technical term. Con
seguently if u very small particle is heat
ed to incandescence the light which i,
throws out bears Il far greater ratio t.
the amount OF heat required than itdoe'
if a large mass is similarly heated.
This Is one of the radical bases of thu
utility OF the incanaescent electric light
An extremely small filament is heated Il
incandescence through the resistance
which it offers to the flow of an electric
current. 1t generates heat. it is true
but the amount Of heat thus produced l
directly proportional to the mass of In
carbon. which Is very small. The ligh
produced, however, is amply sufficien
for all ordinary purposes.
This solution. however, is highly w
satisfactory to scientists, however usefsi
1t is to the public at large. Light anar
from heat altogether was wanted. Tn
FREELY, the phosphorescent sea animal
cules and even the exhausted tubes o
Geissler furnished the hope that Their
was vet some method of reaching III
high note without pressing down tn
whole keyboard.
/, Recently an extraordinary genius ha
appeared in this country who seem
, upon the verge of discovering, if not t
have actually discovered, a method b
! which this might be done. Nikola Tesla
a man of independent fortune and mos
brilliant mind, who was for a time cor
nected with Edison, has dared to exper
ment with rapidly alternating electri
currents. The result has surprised TIL
widest dreams of the theorizers. II
!, has succeeded in producing light OF con
. paratively high intensity without til
production of heat and apparently d
rectly by the use of electricity. TIL
q halls Of the Royal society of London an
of the Franklin institute of Philadelphi
have been illuminated by means Of tn
light radiated from bare copper wires i
8 the open air carrying these SO Gale
I Tesla currents.
e The wires were not hot. but they rad
ated from their surface light and SCI
from one to another bands and stream
ers of the mysterious light which we st
d in the aurora borealis. The effect mu.
be seen to be thoroughly appreciates
4 but when it is stated that the exper
4 menter without difficulty succeeded
radiating light not only from an e,
e hausted glass tube held in his hand, b,
$ also from his thumb, his nose and 9TH
features, the enthusiasm which swel
over his audiences in London and
Philadelphia may be appreciated.
As yet no useful application has bee
found for these wonderful new develo
% ments in electrical science, but the
n should be welcomed as a harbinger
J. further representations Sun.
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