The Red Cloud chief., 1898-11-11
TESLA OUIDOES HIMSELF.
To Control Ships Actions Without
Wires at Any Distance.
IS A MARVELLOUS INVENTION.
a MAI on shore May Govers . Torpedo
Doat hiies Away - Wanted to Try II
on Csrvers's riect--rho ruyentor's ows
story.

NEW fONK, % O-NikOla Tcsla,
the electrician, In a Newspaper inter
view. describes an apr LEGATION OF cleo.
tricity whereby one man can control
and direct, with absolute exactitude.
the movements Of any typo OF vessel,
balloon or land vehicle, at any dis.
lance that may DO desired. From n
station on shore, or from tho deck OF n
vessel under way, q torpedo boat
equipped with Mr.. Tcsla's controlling
device. may DO propelled other on or
below tho surface, mancuvercd at will
In any direction and finally brought
into contact and exploded against tho
side oil q hostile vessel ut n point
within the range Of the vision Of the
operator. More than this, asumine
that IL were possible to accurately
locate the position of tho vessel which
IT Is desired to destroy, the torpedo
boat could be directed 10 IL, even IL tho
ship lay In the harbor of SOUTHAMPTON
and the operator was stationed st
Sandy Hook.
Mr.. Tesla said that some month,
had elapsed since no had fully deyol.
oped his device, for which no has nm.
Piled Tor n patent. When IL was
earned that Admiral Ccrvera was
bottled up ut Santiago IL was his IN
tention to supply his mechanism to
several launches and similar small
craft loaded with high explosives and
annihilate the fleet ut anchor. Ad-
miral Cervcrn, however, came Qua aud
met his fate under the guns of tho
American fleet before tho necessary
arrangements could be made. Then
Mr. Tesla planned n raid on the Span
ish vessels In Havana harbor, only TO
be thwarted BY tho proclamation of
h suspension OF hostilities
Hitherto" said Mr.. Tesla. .the
only means OF controlling the move.
ments oil n vessel from n distance have
been supplied through the medium OF
n flexible conductor such ~ an electric
cable but this system Is subject TO
obvious limitations such AZ arc I'm.
posed by tho length, weight and
strength OF the conductor which can
DO practically used; by the difficulty of
maintaining. with safety, the high
speed OF tho vessel or CHANGING tho
direction OF her methods with rapiditv.
the necessity OF effecting tho control
o q point which is practically Hxed.
and from many other drawbacks which
are ~inseparably connected with such a
system.
THE plan which I have perfected
involves none OF these objections, for
am enabled by the use Of my inven-
ton to employ any means Of propul.
sion. to impart to tho moving body or
vessel the highest possible speed, To
control tho operation OF its machinery
n to direct it's movements from
either . fixed point or from a BODY
moving and changing its direction.
however rapidly, and to maintain this
control over great distances. without
artificial connections between tho ves-
sci and the apparatus governing it's
movements, and without such restrict.
ions as these must necessarily i'm.
pose.
NO ARTIFICIAL CONNECTION.
I'm u broad sense. then, my iuvcn.
ton differs from all OF those system.
which provide for the control of the
mechanism carried by q moving object
and governing its motion. In that / rc.
quirs n intrmediate wires, cauIe, or
other form Of electrical or mechanical
connections with the object savo the
natural media In space, accomplish,
nevertheless, similar results and In q
much moro practical manner by pro.
ducing waves, impulses or radiations
which are received through the earth,
water or atmosphere by suitable an.
paratus on the moving body and cause
the desired actions, 80 long as the bod
remains within the active region or Of
fective range Of such currents, waves
impulses or radiations.
Having explained to you some of
the possibilities Of tho device, I will
now give you u practical example of
the workings OF the model before go
ing into a detailed description Of how
! am able to produce these results"
Elevated on stocks on q table in the
center OF the laboratory stood q model
Of . screw propelled craft. about four
feet long and somewhat disproportion.
ately wide and deep. MIR. Tesla ex-
planned that /. was merely . working
model which he had had made In order
to exhibit 10 President Mckinley and
that no attempt had been made
70 follow tho usual sharp lines
Of q torpedo boat. Tho deck il
slightly arched and surmounted
by three slender standards, tho
center n considerably higher than
the other two. which carry small In
candescent bulbs, u third bulb bsing
ixed at the bow. The keel consists of
a massive copper plate, the propeller
and rudder being in this usual positions.
Mr.. Tesla explained that the boat on
tanned the propelling machinery. con-
sisting OF an electric motor netuated
by . storage battery In the hold, an
other motor to actuats tina rudder and
tho delicate mechanism which per-
forms the function OF receiving
through the central standard the alec
trio impulses sent through thu atmos-
phere from tho distance Operating sta
ton. which set In motion the propsll.
ing aud steerage n~iotsrs, An1 throush