The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-24
TESLA, THE INVENTOR.
He ''WiII Not, Be Interviewed" but,
Nevertheless, lie Talks.


The Criterion.
A tall. spare man entered from the side
door. He had keen face-the dome of the
head seeming to overbalance the sensitive
chin
This was the man who jounced the read
ing world out of it's usual apathy several
days ago by declaring that war would be
abolished-the means being an invention Of
his, by which a torpedo or boat could be
controlled from shore, although entirely cut
off from ordinary means of communica ton
the governing impulses to be sent through
the air.
You must excuse me- he said, with
pleasant foreign accent. but 1 cannot be
interviewed. There is so much put down
that / do not say and the subject is of
too great Importance to be treated lightly"
But, Mr.. Telsa, am l to understand that
your invention remains to be perfected or
is it now ready for operation?"
1T is now!' he answered, eagerly. with
in three days can be made ready a launch,
torpedo boat, or what you will. There are
four-five-men in the world who could APP
ply these principles-not more-but they, by
taking a piece here and something there,
now that l have disclosed my idea, could
utilize the invention at once. do not care
to make it quite so strong for publication,
as every new idea arouses antagonism, and
many people may call me fanatic, for that
statement, but it is true
could not man-of- war have your send
ing apparatus on board. and thereby defeat
the object of the people on shore, who send
out the torpedo bOat?
mo. they cannot thwart me. If they send
signals they do it blind-as If shooting in the
dark Were there no protection but that,
/ Ch hn 70 lN1tf va on
beyond that 1t is an arrangement whereby
the apparatus will recognize no signal but
my own. II they attempt to thwart me they
than this, should they by any chance de-
stroy the boat--what harm? Send out an
other-fOur-ten-Why not?
Would 1t not be difficult to hit man-of-
war at a distance of, say, twenty miles? 1t
would be a good target close ut hand, but
rent, a draft of wind or any one of num-
Der of things might cause your torpedo
boat to miss her mark
Great accuracy is not Of necessity. A
boat loaded with five hundred pounds of
gun cotton would shake a vessel sorey by
exploding within five hundred yards of her
think. then, of exploding five hundred
tons! The size of my vessel is not limited.
Why, 1t would raise wave four hundred
more surely man-of- War--they are all top
heavy"
Then you think that this invention is a
practical thing at the present timer
Yes, sir; it is so. 4 think. also, that
it is the greatest discovery of the age There
IS something artistic-an appeal to the
imagination-in ii that the telephone, phono-
graph and other fine inventions lack. Think
of the adjustment of war. And the means
of doing it-by a vessel which ! can control
merely by touch on an instrument nor
connected with it in any way. No wire
nothing! More than that, do. not have 10
touch the instrument.
Now, there's something, Mr.. Tesla. that
brings us to the psychological part Of 1t.
The papers quoted you as saying that you"
"Couid control the apparatus by an effort
of will, broke in the inventor There 1t
was they perverted my meaning. Now listen
= can sta nd two meters away from that
instrument, and by mere Stiffening of my
muscles cause it to send a signal. IT is so
delicate in its adjustment that the disturb
ance of the electrical equilibrium caused by
my muscular action affects it. Inasmucb
as Sir William Crookes, that distinguished
scientist and my good friend, has not hest
tated to state openly his belief in telepathy.
it is a reasonable flight of fancy for me to
affected by the human will. But that is all
IL iS-merely a pleasant speculation. founded
on logical grounds ] have no evidence to
support 1t, but / have perfect right to
state 1t. understand me, as a possibility
no more"
But is not an apparatus of such extreme
delicacy little suited to the rough-and-ready
usages of warfare?"
"No-that is provided for. True it would
take experts TO handle it. but they could do
it. 1t is a great invention. Had 1 nothing
else 10 show for a lifework this would put
the laurels of everlasting fame on my head.
The people at the Patent Office were aston
tshed that so simple and reasonable an idea
had not occurred to someone before. / am
sick with working ON 1t. but 1t is COM
nlete. II is strange. but when / have an in
| Sriration. always II seems to ME as II my
mother were near meat my bedside-duT-