The Portland daily press., 1895-08-17
TEsLA's MAGIC MOTOR.
A Reporter Visits the Inventors Workshop
From the New York Recorder.

From the New York Recorder
While the Westinhouse Electric Com
pany and the Baldwin Locomotive Works
are combining the resources of their ire
mendous plants and are exerting all the
energy that lies in millions upon millions
OF dollars to develop the possibilities of
the Tesla motor, which some day will
draw cars at a speed of $50 miles an hour,
the inventor, Nicola Tesla, plods along in
his workshop planning and scheming and
experimenting and maintaining pro-
found silence.
This workshop-a long, bare room at 46
East Houston STREETS fitted up with
only few electrical appliances There
Mr.. Tesla is found every day, sitting at
his desk, tinkering with figures and draw
ings. A "Recorder" reporter called
upon him yesterday to learn something
about this fabulous motor, which is going
to send heavy trains rushing through space
at such terrific speed. AS far as gain
ing any information from MIR Tesla was
concerned. the visit was fruitless.
Gently yet very nrmly--the manner
was born Of long experience-Mr Tesla
declined to be interviewed. The reporter,
however, was allowed to see the marvel
GUS motor, and later in the day, through
the kindness Of gentleman who had de-
voted much time to studying the principle
on which it Is constructed, was told ex-
actly how the motor works Truly, it is
marvellous invention. The secret lies in
turning the inert and seemingly lifeless
force OF magnetism into an active force
mora nGUQrfnt ON q a,tr
from dynamo.
III you take an ordinary magnet or
piece of iron, through which a magnetic
current is passing, and hold it close to
little pieces of iron or steel, twill at
tract them and hold them motionless.
This is practically all that the world has
ever known of magnetic force Now, it
seemed to Nicola Tesla-this was years
ago, when he was student in the Poly
technique-that this invisible force, pent
up within the confines of the magnet,
might, perhaps, be developed, or trans
mitted or changed or utilized in such
manner that it would become active and
quick where it had always lain passive
Upon this theory he worked for years. and
its triumphant development led to the
Tesla motor. The principle of the Tesla
motor is this:
An electric current is passed through a
circular magnet, in appearance resembl-
ing llIe- pfeserVer. IL consists simply OF
a ring ofsiron with copper wire bound
around it, The electric current generates
a strong magnetic current, which flashes
around and around the circular magnet at
terrific speed. Now, if one holds nail
close.to an ordinary electric magnet it will
be passive in tho hand until 1t is brought
close enough for the magnetic force to
seize it,, when it will fly out of the hand
straight to the magnet But-and here
lies the wonder of it all-if one holds a
nail close to this circular magnet of Tes-
las it will begin to revolve in the hand.
That is, if the nail is held by the head
and the point allowed to hang over the
hollow center of the magnet, the point
will move around in a circle, slowly at
first, then faster and faster, until, if it
is dropped upon the table in the center of