The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-05-06

thing which most occupied his time and
thoughts. however. all through this
period was his old discovery OF the
rotating field principle for alternating
current work. and the application OF II
in motors that have now become known
the world over"
Up to this time the alternating cur
rent wasn't In favor with electrical en-
gineers. They knew little about 1t and
did not realize its value. 1t wasn't
until 1856 that Tesla himself succeeded
in putting into practical operation the
idea he had conceived when he was
student at the Polytechnic Institute.
1t Is the completion and practical work.
ing Of this invention that will enable
the Niagara Falls Power company to
transmit its power far from the falls
where 1t is generated with the aid OF
the forces of nature.
THE MAN HIMSELF.
But before telling what Tesla has
done. more may be told about Tesla
himself and where and how he works.
He is a man Of very regular habits.
wherein he differs from Edison. who
works fifty or seventy-five hours at
stretch, sometimes longer. when he has
on hand something that interests him.
Tesla Is up every morning at 6E O'Clock.
He has a lot of gymnastic exercises
that he goes through with regularly.
He has light breakfast and then he
loses little time getting to his work.
He takes an hour for his luncheon in
the middle Of the day and the afternoon
Is devoted to hard work. He usually
works until o'clock in the evening, but
often it is until midnight. His labora-
tory Is at 4G East Houston street.
He has y clerk who attends to visit
| ors. keeps away cranks. keeps a scrap
book. and sees that everybody who has
| real business with the inventor Is pro-
vided with the latest copy of some SCI
| entific paper until Mr.. Tesla Is disen-
| gagged. He also has dozen or more
mechanics who are as loyal to him as
Edison's men are to him: but the ma
ture Of his work and the magnitude Of
the problems he sets himself to solve
| do not permit Of their rendering him
| the same sort of assistance that the
Wizards men furnish to their employ.
er A friend of Tesla's was asked what
| was the most interesting trait OF his
character. He replied:
His love of humanity and his friend
! ship for young men who are ambitious
to succeed and willing to work. Tesla
wants things accomplished. He is
worked on problem twenty years, and
was about realising success just as an
| other succeeded, he would be as happy
as II he had succeeded himself. His in
| terest in his work Is entirely a desire to
advance the science for the benefit of all
mankind. l think this is shown by the
fact that he is not rich man. He
could have been millionaire If he had
had any desire to be So"
| II he had devoted his time and ener-
gies and his inventive genius to money
making there Is no question but that
he would be rich today. Tesla can in
vent anything. Tell him, what you
want and he will work at It until he
accomplishes it. hut IL he devoted his
time to inventions Of that sort. the
broader propositions and problems
would 70 by the board. He would have
no time for them. 1t is to solve them
that he delights to work"
Now to take up some of the things
Tesla has done. 1t may be said, to start
with, that to talk about Teslas inven-
tiOns leads one into maze Of electrical
terms that defy the understanding Of
the mind not educated in electricity;
and anything like a description of the
technicalities Of his work. his discover
les, and his inventions here would be
about as valuable as a column Of He
attempted Is to tell what he has ac-
complished. First, take the transmits
sion of power.
When Tesla came into this field in
| America, as stated before, little was
known Of the alternating current. The
single alternating current was used but
for the purpose OF lighting only. The
continuous current was used almost ex-
clusively.
HIS FIRST TRIUMPH. O..
The continuous current system is
very good for short line work, but with
1t energy cannot be delivered success
fully at any great distance at high
pressure. To deliver the continuous
current at high pressure at a distance
would require the use of wires so heavy
that they would be cumbersome and en-
tirely impracticable for use. Tesla
made an alternating current motor that
permitted the transmission of energy
long distances at high pressure over
thin wires, the delivery being made
at the same pressure or at q lower or
a higher pressure, whichever was de-
sired, by means of a transformer Thus
the bridling OF the power in Niagara
was made possible and natural forces
4 everywhere can be similarly harnessed
and made to do the work that has here
.tofore been done at great cost by other
forms Of force and energy. A great
many smaller inventions are included
In this great one. Its possibilities are
just now beginning to be realized.
Teslas discoveries in connection with
this motor, it Is said, were the prime
cause Of the recent consolidation Of the
Edison and the Westinghouse Electric
companies.
In this motor two wires were used
for the transmission Of the current.
Tesla believed that the extra wire was
q useless expense; that all the work
could be done with ons, and no return
circuit was necessary. So he set him
self about the work of finding way
to accomplish this. He did accom-
plish 1t, and now 1t ia possible through
his invention to transmit the energy
with the aid of only one wire. This in.
vention, however, has not been of the
same practical use as the other 1t Is
merely O step In the direction Of &C.
complishing the third thing that Tesla
Is aiming at. That Is the Transmission
of power and intelligence without any
wires, by means Of the earth itself. II
such a thing can be accomplished the
. human mind can hardly conceive of the
possibilities. Tesla believes that 1t car
) be accomplished. The fact that he be.
, lieves it is proved by the ten years OF
. work he has devoted to experimenting
, on that line.
, -- Next in order, as Tesla mentioned
, them, Is the perfection of an apparatus
, for the production of electrical vibra.
tions. Electrostatics Is the science o
electricity at rest Tesla demonstrated
, that for the production of light waves
primarily, electrostatic effects mus
, be brought into play, and he formed
. the opinion that all electrical and mag.
, netic effects may be referred to electros
tatic molecular forces. In glass bull
! filled with enthusiastically charged
3 molecules he found that by agitatint
! them causing them to vibrate. to strik,
9 against each other. brilliant light wa.
produced No carbon was required
e such as is used in the ordinary incan
, descent light. There was nothing bu
the glass bulb Tesla's accomplish