The San Francisco call., 1896-05-31

announcements were made of the results
OF my work in vacuum tube lighting"
said he recently, II found few people who
would admit that 1 had ANYTHING more
NV visitors all said, What beautiful
effectsp and in the next breath, How
utterly monumental
To-day [ believe, not that the ultim ate
is attained, but that l have already pro-
duced thoroughly practical and CONNER
cial method of vacuum tube lighting,
vastly more economical than either the
arc or incandescent systems, and which
will be marked advance over the present
methods.
AZ found the causes of loss of energy and
have largely overcome them. Already
can deliver 10 per cent of the initial energy
in pure white light. This is three times
the efficiency of an ordinary indcandes-
cent lamp"
81 have long since discarded the vibrator.
l found it impossible to produce one which
would last more than a few hours, so l
found better way, and now use no vibra-
tor at all"
But, Mr.. Tesla" the reporter said,
chow can i explain to layman just how
you start the ether in your exhausted
bulbs into such rapid vibrations and pro-
duce this light with no mechanical Vi
brator?"
'You can't explain it. I don't know
that l could. You might say,' said Mr..
Tesla laughingly, that it is the music OF
the celestial spheres.
''There is no direct connection between
my conducting copper wires and the inte-
rior of the exhausted bulbs. The current
passes through the glass. There is no vi
brator, no mechanism"
Asked what vibratory speed is now
attainable Mr.. Tesla replied:
About 100000 a second now. In a
short time l expect to produce 50,0000 900
per second"
How do you measure them, Mr..
Tesla?"
In two ways, one of which 1 will not
describe. But the second is by my ear
only. Taking one of these little bulbs !
can distinguish the periods of vibration
almost as accurately as the musician can
distinguish the tones of the scale from his
tuning fork"
The light produced By Tesla's latest
tubes is pure white, possessing all the
visible qualities of sunlight. Moreover,
according to the great inventor, it has all
the purifying qualities of sunlight, and a
room. well ventilated, would be equally
healthy to live in whether lighted by one
or the other.
When it is remembered that in gas light
ing there is less than l per cent efficiency.
in incandescent electric lighting less than
per cent, and that Tesla can already
show 10 per cent, with promise of getting
a great deal more, the Importance of his
discovery in the commercial world is ap-
parent.
No expensive or complicated apparatus
is needed. A simple coil is provided,
which transforms the ordinary low-ten-
sion current, making it available for use
almost anywhere.
A particularly attractive feature of the
new light is that the new bulbs, once ex-
hausted, have practically unlimited life.
Mr.. Tesla has some which have been in use
in his laboratory almost continuously for
four years. and are still burning with un-
diminished brilliance and consuming no
more energy than when first lighted.
One little bulb now burning in the labo-
ratory is sufficient for parlor of ordinary
size, giving out as much light as an arc
lamp, glowing steadily without any waver-
ing, and consuming but fraction OF the
energy.
With the success of this vacuum bulb
lighting system practically assured the
treless inventor has not relaxed his ef-
forts and is working harder than ever.
Next in his mind is the perfection of the
oscillator, and after this, nothing less than
teIegraphy and telephony without wires.
"Do you actually believe that is possi-
bIeP' Tesla was asked.
II more than believe it. / am sure of it.
Further than that, | believe that with this
grand force nothing is impossible. Even
The most optimistic or visionary dreamer
would fail TO predict the accom- plishments
of the next decade"