Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1898-11-09
slSf5E NEW INVENTION
 OF NICOLA TESLA.
He Claims by His Electrical Invention That He Can Direct Vessels to
 Point From Shore.

New York, Nov 9.-Nicola Tesla, the electrician, in 9 newspaper interview describes an application of electricity whereby without the ilterposition of any artificial medium o. communication one man can control and direct with ab- solute exaetness the movement of any type of vessel, balloon or land vehicle at any distance that may be desired From station on shore or from the deck of vessel under way, torpedo boat equipped with Mr. Teslas controlling device, may be propelled either on or be- low the surface, maneuvered at will in any direction and finally brought into contact and exploded against the side of a hostile vessel as any point within the range of the vision of the operator
 More than this, assuming that it were possible to accurately locate tho position of the vessel which 1t is desired to destroy, the torpedo boat could be di- reeted to It, even if the ship lay in the harbor of SouthampttAa and the operator were stationed at Saniy Hook
 Mir. Tesla said that some months had elapsed since he had fully developed his device for which he has applied for patent. When it was learned that Ad- miral Cervera was bottled up at Santia- go it was his intention to apply his mechanism to several launches and sim liar small craft loaded with high explo- siyes and to annihilate the fleet at an. chor. Admiral Cergera, however, came out and met his fate unier the guns of the Amer.can h3et before the necessary arrangement could be made. Then MT Tesla planned q raid on the Spanish vessels i'll Havana harbor, only to be thwarted by the proclamation of the suspension of hostilities.
 'sHitherto, , said Mir. Tesla, -'the ony means of controlling the movements of q vessel from a distance have been supple through rhe medium of a flexible cenaueter such as an electric cable, fEt this system i5 subject to obvi- ous limitations such as are imposed by the length, weight, and strength of the conductor which caa ba prac ieally used by the difficulty of maintaining with safety the nigh speed Of the vessel or changing tte ar ioa If her move. ments with rapidhy. b. tne necessity of effect ng the control from point which is prfctie llly fiyed and from many other drawbacks which ara inseparably con- neofed with snch system
 'tThe plan which l have perfected in- wolves none of these objections, for 1 am enabled by the use of my invention to employ any means of propulsion to im- part to the moving body of the vessel the highest speed, 10 control the operation of its machinery and TO direct it's move ments from either fixed point or from a body moving and changing it's direc- tion, however rapidly, and to maintain this control over great distances with. out any artificial connections between the vessel ami the apparatus governing it's movements and without such re- strictions as these must necessarily i'm. pose.
 ''In broad sense, then, my invention differs from all these systems which provides for the con-roi of the mechan- ism carried by moving objects and gov erning it's motion in that I require no intermediate wires, cables CT other form of electrical CT mechanieal connection with the object save the natural medic in space. 1 accomplish nevertheless, similar results and in a much more praes tical manner by producing waves I'm. pulses or radiations which are received through tho earth water or atmosphere by suitable apparatus on the moving body and causes the desired actions so long as the body remains within the ac- tive region or effective rlnge of such current waves, impulses or radia- tions.