Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-11-09
TO ABOLISH WAR.
TEsLa,s LATEST DISCOVERY WILL
RENDER 1T PRoHIBIToRY.
A HOST WONDERFUL INVENTION.
Electrical Transmission without
Wires-MOdeI of Ship Operated ny
Magnetic Wires from shore-Could
Control Balloon the Same Way.
New York Sun, Sth.)

most ranks of science, and whose appli-
cations of his discoveries have made him
recognized as one Of the worlds greatest
inventors makes public to-day his latest
discovery and invention, which he be-
lieves is also his greatest one. In brief,
Mr.. Tesla believes that this invention
will not only answer many useful pur-
poses in ordinary life, but that it would
make war so terrible as well as ex-
pensive, as to make it prohibitory, and
thus to assure peace between all the
nations.
Mr.. Tesla's latest invention consists Of
q combination of his devices Tor pro-
ducng and projecting into the air cur
rents of lectricity OF enormous Voltages
which will reach out for many miles, and
means for using electric waves thus
projected for controlling the driving
steering, and other machinery or
moving body. BY fitting out vessel,
balloon, or a wagon with his special me
chanical devices, Mr. Tesla can control
their movements on land or sea or in the
air by the projection without wires OF
currents OF electricity to great distances.
IL desirable that such vessel should
carry great quantities OF explosives,
bombs. or other destructive devices, the
operator at the distant point can direct
discharge and explode them at will.
Tesla years ago. and he has never lost
sight of IL since. but IL was not until the
war with Spain came and stirred him
with patriotism-for Mr.. Tesla Is Ameri-
can 10 the backbOne-that the scheme
took definite form and shape. Then the
idea completely possessed him and gave
him no rest until the problem was worked
out in its entirety.
Years ago." said Mr.. Tesla, i'm eX-
planning what led 10 this latest invention,
II used to argue that the human organ
ism was but a thermo-electric machine,
whose operations were controlled by the
impressions which came to IL through
the medium of the eye the ear, the nose,
the palate. or the touch. Light falls upon
the retina, i would argue, and conveys
an impression TO certain nerves, and
these transmit signal TO some part OF
the mechanism further back, which sets
in motion certain muscles. or perhaps.
sends signals further along. Could L but
make a machine which could receive i'm
pressions as does my eye, my ear, or
my other organs Of sense, then | could
make it do anything which i wished al
most as if IL were Il sensate being which
could reason as well as act"
THE WORKING MODEL.
That Is what Mr.. Tesla has succeeded
| in doing. In his laboratory in west Hou-
ston street stands the working model of
a vessel whose every movement Mr.. Tesla
| can control by the simple turning OF
crank in another part OF the room, with
| no other connection between him and the
| vessel than that formed by the atmos-
| pheric air Of the wooden floor. At one
| turn of the crank the vessels screw be-
| gins TO revolve. her rudder swings until
| it is in whatever position Mr.. Tesla de-
| sires, and then with another touch the
| rudder remains fixed while the screw
| drives away. Another touch and the
| rudder moves either way, little or much.
as desired, and at the win OF the operator
| signal lights fash out from STATS on the
vessel to tell just what position the rud-
| der is in. A green light tells that 1t Is
| TO port, a red light that il Is a-starbOard;
| and the flash of red and green together
| gives true word that IL is amidship. The
! lamps remain dark unless their signal
! warning is ordered by the operator )
| touch, or they flash for second or re-
| main glowing, Just as is desired. At an
| other touch a white light forward gloWs
| or flashes, as may De desired, without
! interfering in any way with the other
operations. and this is used by Mr.. Tesla
| TO signify that a giant charge OF gun
cotton has been projected or exploded, or
| that any other operation that might be
needed has been performed. When, with
Mr.. Tesla's guiding hand TO help,
one looks into the Interior of the 3-foot
! model vessel, and sees how these opera
tons and the stopping of the machinery
! or regulation OF It's speed TO either of
| three degrees of speed are produced. IL Is
| al once apparent that there is no opera
| tlOn winch goes VI dDOdiu the sItdlcSl
warship or merchant vessel. in a fort or
workshop. where automatic machines
! could replace the hand OF man that could
not be controlled by the master hand al
| the tiny crank with as much certainty
! and precision as If that hand were on
board the vessel. and IN direct touch
| with a master machine there. There
| might be a hundred, thousand ten thou
sand operations 10 be done, and all would
be under the entire control OF the opera
"a FNNH fla
termaster steers our great ships, by
! the touching of mechanism so frai
| that IL breaks like toy, or as surely as
! the men aboard modern WarShtp turn
| and handle her enormous turrets by the
| pressing OF a key or turning OF stop
| cock.
Air earth, or water Is all that is needed
| to make the connection between the ope'
rator and the moving mechanism. be i
! vessel wagon, or whatever, and ever
some Of these might be done away with
under certain circumstances. In the
| model which Mr.. Tesla has the power
| which controls the moving mechanism
is electricity. and Mr.. Tesla declares that
he can exercise the control from as fal
| away as a telescope could enable In,
J operator TO keep watch of the vessel
| But IL is not necessary to use electricity
| even to exercise such control. with de
| vices which any expert mechanic couf
| make the same control could be eXer
| cised by the notes of a whistle, or by
other means which would produce mea
| surable vibrations. Electricity is, how
| ever the necessary agent by which tn
| urinary control OF the machinery within
The controlled object Is made obedient
although beyond the primary device
| steam compressed air. or any othc
source of power can be used. In th'
model vessel Mr.. Tesla uses combina-
ton of storage batteries and Clockworh
TO produce the movements The use OF
these however. is but minor detail OF
mechanics. Balloons can be controlled
and directed as readily as any other
vessel, and sent hither and yon at VIII
or caused TO drop explosives wheneye!
the operator might desire, and yet b.
POSSIBILITIES.
The possibilities of the new invention
are thus mOdestly described by Mr.. Teslf
in the application FOR patent, winch NJ
filed at the Patent once AT washington
"The invention which l have described
will prove useful in many ways. Vessels
or vehicles Of any suitable kind may b.
used as life Dispatch, or ,pilot-boats
or the like. or for carrying letters. pack
ages, provisions, instruments, objects, o
materials OF any description, for estab
fishing communication with inaccessible
regions and exploring the conditions eX
listing in the same. for killing or cap
turing whales or other animals Of tn
sea. and FOR many other scientific, engi
neering. or commercial purposes. Bu
the greatest value OF my invention Wi
result from its effects upon warfare ant
ornaments; for. by reason OF its certain
and unlimited destructiyeness, II will
tend 10 bring about and maintain per
manent peace among nations"
III was when Cervera's feet took refug
I'm Santiago harbOr that the invention
assumed form in Mr.. Tesla's mind. Al
most by inspiration he says, the thin
shaped itself into a complete whole, EN-
bodying in the complete device the US