The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1898-12-01

tience he labored and toi]ed on lesser
devices, which brought him the means
of carrying on his greater operations.
And now he has broken his silence by
announcing to the world the perfection
of an engine which, if it does but half
he claims for it, will revolutionize mod
ern warfare and completely change the
position of nations. In fact, the dis
armament of the powers would be a
necessity, and war would be so terrible
that no country could sustain it even
for a few weeks.
Mr.. Tesla's invention, to describe it
in a few words, consists in an applica-
ton of electricity whereby, without in
terposition of any artificial medium of
and direct with absolute exactness the
movements of any type of vessel, bal
Loom or land vehicle at any distance
that may be desired. From station
on shore or from the deck of moving
vessel a torpedo boat equipped with
this device may be propelled either on
or below the surface, maneuver at will
in any direction and finally brought
into contact and exploded at the side
of a hostile ship at any point within
the range of the operator. More mar
velous yet, assuming that it were pos
sible to locate the position Of the war
ship to be destroyed, the torpedo boat
could be directed to it, even if the YES
sci lay in European harbor and the
operator were stationed at Sandy Hook
or Fort Monroe.
The result of this invention2 Let Mr.
Tesla speak for himself:
"War will cease to be possible when
all the world knows that the most
feeble of nations can supply itself with
a weapon which renders it's coast Sc
cure and it's ports impregnable to the
assaults of even the united armadas of
the world. Battleships will cease to be
built and the mightiest ironclads and
the most tremendous artillery afoat
will be of no more use than SO much
scrap iron. And this irresistible power
can be exerted at any distance by an
agency of SO delicate, SO impalpable a
quality that I am justified in predict
ing the time will come, incredible as
it may seem, when it can be called into
action by the mere exercise of the hui
man will"
How does the new device work?
Hitherto the only means of control
ling the movement of a vessel from a
distance has been supplied through the
medium Of flexible conductor, such as
an electric cable. but this system, ac-
cording to Tesla, is subject to many
limitations, such as are imposed by the
length, weight and strength of the con-
ductor, blythe difficulty Of maintaining
with safety the high speed OF vessel
OF changing the direction of its move
ments with rapidity, by the necessity
of effecting the control from point
which is practically fixed. and from
many other drawbacks which are in
separately connected with such sys-
ten. y a.E -
Tesla's plan seems to involve none of
these objections. He ,isenabled by the
use of his invention to employ any
means of propulsion, to impart to the
moving body or vessel the highest pos
sible speed, to control the operation of
Its machinery, and to direct its move
1nents from either fixed point or from
= body moving and changing it's direc-
zion, however rapidly, and to maintain
this control over great distances with.
out artificial connections between the
vessel and the apparatus governing its
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