The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-05-02
ghe aaaiehita Daily eagle guesdau Noruine gaY p 1888


one, at least, must mention-a name
which could not be omitted in a dem
| onstration of this kind. 1t is a name
associated with the most beautiful in
vention ever made. 1t is Crookes."
CroolSes is writer famous for his
descriptions Of experiments on radiant
matter.
Mr.. Tesla is such hard worker that
he has little time for social pleasures,
if, indeed, he has any taste in that d.
rection. He is a bachelor, tall, very
spare of build, has dark, deep set eyes,
jet black hair and an expression that
suggests at once the deep thinker.
Though polite and even friendly TO
newspaper men, he has no desire to ex-
plot himself in print. He has been
the talk of the scientific world for five
years, but the following interview l
had with him few days ago is the first
that has ever appeared in any journal
My interview with Mr.. Tesla COM
menced with a request that he give me
brief account of his life. He re-
piled:
II was born in little place called
SIniljan, on the border country of
Austria-Hungary, this special section
of territory being known as Liia. |
am now thirty-six years Of age. l have
gone through the educational training
that young man usually receives in
Europe, and nearly eighteen years OF
my life have been spent in schools
completed my preparatory IN Gospich
and Carlstatt, and the polytechnic
school in Gratz, Austria. My frst en-
ployInent was in engineering; then L
was connected with the hungarian
Government Telegraph company; after
ward l engaged IN teIepnonlc Work.
After this was interested in the cleo
trio light industry, and finally IN the
transmission of power
''In 1854 / came to this country, my
principal object being to develop GER
tain ideas Of inventions which l had
vainly tried to develop in Europe. For
awhile I worked with Edison. In the
beginning of 1855 a company was
formed in my name. l developed for
this company certain inventions,
brought out q system of lighting and
peculiar appliances belonging to that
system. In the following year another
company was formed - some time in
1Ss6-the object of which was to in
troduce a motor of my invention. This
motor is based on what is now the
wen-known discovery Of the rotating
magnetic field as it is technically
called.
MY father" he continued, twas a
prominent clergyman attached to the
Greek Oriental church, an orator and
educated, who spoke fluently great
many languages and also ranked high
as a mathematician. He was an ON
nivorous reader and possessed a large
library from which it was my privi-
lege to gather great deal of informa-
ton during the years of my life spent
at home. My uncle, his brother, was
fessor of a military academy in Austria.
He wrote number OF standard works
on mathematics.
my mother died about two years
ago. One of her brothers-the young
est-is one of the leading dignitaries
in the Greek Oriental church, having
the rank of cardinal. He is compare
lively young man and famous
ora tor.
1.-THE section Of country in which
was born was an exceedingly wild re-
gioh-a mountainous and rocky region
with, however, many stretches of
beautiful scenery, but poor from the
agricultural point OF view. In fact,
they had homely Though somewhat
sacrilegious saying in our land, that
when God distributed the rocks over
the earth He carried them in a sack,
and that when He was above our land
the sack broke.
II was interested in electricity al
most from the beginning of my educa-
tional career. / read all that l could
find on the subject. All the phenomena
witnessed in this line only excited
my interest. When l was a mere boy
l began to experiment with batteries
and induction coils; also with FRACTIONAL
and static machines When / attended
the polytechnic school at Gratz began
TO devote more and more of my time to
electrical studies, and after l left the
school | may say that practically, all
my time was taken up with the study
of electricity.
Originally I closely followed up the
course of mathematics and physics with
the view of graduating as a professor
of those sciences. 1t was, think, in 1875
or 1876 that we experimental in the
school with one Of the first
practical dynamo machines which was
brought out by NJ. Gramme, a French
man. 1t occurred to me that machine
might be constructed without the com
plication of what is technically called
and brushes. A commuta-
tor Is used on electric current general
crs and motors and on induction coils
and elsewhere for changing the direc
ton OF currents. The brushes are
bear against the cylindrical surface OF
the comnutator.
Il remember that my professor at
that time tried to demonstrate that
such machine was out of the ques-
tion-in fact an inpossibility. must
confess to feeling that !, in common |
with many better men. have had from
early youth As a youth when was
told that a certain thing was impos-
sible, it only served to arouse within
me a spirit Of contradiction In this
particular instance / began to think
about and TO work on a machine made
according 10 the idea that had occurred f.
to me. Day and night, year after year,
| worked inccssantly.
After working several years I am /
= L. L =