The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-07-26

fermentation Of Electrical Power
Tie transnisslon Of electrical power 10
large volume over long distances has been
solved. it IS claimed by Nik0la Tesla. the
famous electrical expert and inventor. in
abe course " an interview a few days ago
De- zail- 81 ana now convinced beyond any
question that 90 is possible % transmit
electricity 90 commercial advantage over
a distance Of 5l miles. and deliver the cur
rent at half the cost Of generation by
steam. This. o. course. IS current gem
Grated ty water power. ana I only quail
ify this statement by adding that the
quantity transmitted must be- quite CON
Siderable 7 aga quite willing 20 stake my
reputation and my life upon this declar-
alton"
This statement, coming from so promi-
ueut ana successful an inventor and cleo
trlcaI engineer as Mr. Tesla, must be con-
sldercd as authoritative. it was Mr.. Tesla
who perfected the apparatus that carried
the current from Niagara Falls to New
York city during the recent electrical ex-
position in that city. and which current
sent around the world message written
by Chauncey ". Depew. II was proposed
by the managers Of the New York expo
sition that a current sufficient TO run
three-horse power dynamo should be
brought from Niagara by the apparatus.
But as the medium Of transmission ives
an ordinary commercial telegraph wire Of
.he Western Union Company. the insur-
auce people would not consent TO so high
"a voltage, because Of the danger Of fire.
The apparatus used at that time, however.
was not OF "a kind to permit OF the trans
mission Of current for commercial pur-
poses over so long a distance. The ex-
perts and engineers had to content them
selves with a current for exhibition pur-
poses. and they were enthusiastic at their
success in that line.
Mr. Tesla was not wholly satisfied, how
ever. He knew that the experiment was
only step towards something greater,
and he Immediately went to work to
evolve that something. His work in that
line has been successful according to his
announcement quoted above. The nature
Of the new apparatus Mr. Tesla. very nat
urally. does not make public. 1t is Of great
commercial value, and the inventor is not
working for glory alone. Moneyed men
have implicit confidence in Mr.. Tesla, and
the information is that they have sub
scribed a sufficient sum Of money to build
at once a conduit for the transmission of
power by his system from Niagara to New
York. This enterprise does not seem to
have been affected at all by the hard times.
, Mr.. Teslas announcement is Of vast i'm
portance to all sections Of the country. If
electrical energy generated by water can
be transmitted 800 miles at half the cost
Of steam. the chances are that we are up
on the eve of revolution in the matter of
driving mill and factory machinery, not
to say the drawing of railway trains. In
this state, for instance. water power sum-
cient TO turn every wheel in the state and
to have surplus left, could probably be
developed. If a method of distributing
such power at half the cost of steam pow
er has been discovered, it is self-evident
that steam will be driven out after while,
and before a very great while.