The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-07-29
COST OF POWER CUT half
TESLA'S LONG DISTANCE TRANS
MISSION y SUCCESS.
His New System Perfected Effective
Currents Generated at Niagara MAY
he Sold in New York City Fifty Per
Cent. Cheaper Than Steam.
Observation-Disclosures

~ -'i" i09io'
to Il special correspondent at Niagara
Falls. in the course of which the electrician
said: The transmission of electricity is
one of the simplest of PROPOSITIONS II i
but the application of pronounced and
accepted rules, which are as firmly estab-
liShed as the air itself"
In this connection CORRESPONDENT Uol-
land writes from New York to the Press
of this city:
After the long distance experim ent in
the Electrical National EXposition in
May Tesla became satisfied that before
capital could be induced inlarge amounts
10 invest in plants designed for the trans
mission of the electric current for long
distances he would be able to state to ear
italists Il am ready to demonstrate
that it is possible to convey great electric
power for a distance Of 800 miles and. To
do it with such economy rs to make it
commercially profitable
He knew that he did not need to de
velop further his two-phasc motor.
which is now recognized to he perhaps
the most important of all observation-disclosures
tons. but he felt assured that he needed
to discover how the electricity, after il
had been generated, could be communi-
Gated To the motor with great economy
and efficiency.
In plain English, he was to discover
how. with II small quantity of copper
small enough to be within the limits of
commercial advantage, he could. never
theless, caused to be carried IA volume of
electricity equivalent, at least. to 10000
horse power. 1t is the copper which costs
and it Is at the points of interruption
that the losses occur. 1t is at these
points that the current is reduced from n
high To low or commercial voltage
available for light, heat and power pur-
poses. That is to say, whenever a pur-
chaser OF electric power draws his cur
rent from.a commercial main. there the
loss of electricity occurs, and ii was the
saving of this which was the problem to
which Tesla devoted himself
Nearly three months have passed since
he began this work, and now he feels
authorized to announce that he is con
WINGED that he has found the solution
which ne sought. This he did, emphati
cally and explicitly. in answer To a ques-
ton asked of him this morning by the
Press correspondent.
II am now convinced beyond any qUes-
ton that II l. possible To transmit cleo
tricity To commercial advantage over Il
distance OF JOl miles and deliver the cur
rent at half the cost of generation by
steam This, of course, is "A current
generated by water power, and | only
qualify this statement by adding that the
quantity transmitted must be quite CON
siderable. am willing to stake my repu-
latlol ana my NE upon TINS declaration.
II i very likely that before Tesla felt
willing TO make this public announce
ment he had already Informed inquirng
capitalists that he had solved the problem
| 30 grcat.is the faith OF capitalists in him.
| so perfectly have his assertions in the
| past, when positively made, been verified
| that capitalists receive what he says as
something which may be relied upon and
, Justlfy the liberal investment of capital.
Ii Is TO ne inferred that this reliance has
ALREADY neth acted upon, for there is the.
| pest Oh authority Tor stating that within
the past lew days abundant capital has
oeen offered Tor the construction and
| equipment OF transmission lines from
| Niagara 10 New ork city
| Nlthlh SIXTY days the Cataract General
| Electric Company will have decided upon
one point III iegard to the establishment
oi 'he pant ana When that Is done the
| VOTE o! construction IRON Niagara TO
| rochester seNehty-hVe miles, Will be be-
gun ana continued through the winter.
| me point 20 he decided Is whether it is
better TO carry the wires underground or
| overhead. nat OF course, has nothing
10 90 WIN the lesia system OF transmits
son 1T evolves merely the question OF
the h4gheSt economy III establishing the
plant
me SUBWAY proposed consists % two
mettiitc tuoes separated by a packing of
phper hpIG' me irst cost OF such sub
way Wpuiu fe greater tnan that entailed
u9 "ui!u'hS oNTrhean wires, but 1t Is be-
!ieIe" 'iia' III me lohs run IL VII! he found
10 pe more ecohoiiiic"i Tor various rea-