The Saint Paul globe., 1898-11-14
WORK OF THE WORLD
TESLA HOPES To DO 1T BY UsrxG
THE POWER OF THE
SUN
AIR INSTEAD OF WIRES
the Universe by the Use of
Natural Mediums-with Force
Created in America, the Inventor
Says, Machinery Can Be Run in
Europe-Preparing for Test.

practical test is soon to be made OF the
wonderful discovery OF Nikola Tesa of q
means by which electrical force may be
transmitted through the air to any point on
the surface of the earth.
Mr.. Tesla is now busy at work in his laeor-
story in East Houston street perfecting the
details for the trial That force can be 81
transmitted and that his machine can furn sh
il IN sufficient degree to be CT vast CONNER
cial importance Mr.. Tesla says is beyond
the stage of experiment and theory-it is q
demonstrated reality. He only wishes that
before a public exhibition is given every
necessary part should be thoroughly though:
out and arranged for, so that there can bs
no possible hitch In accomplishing resu Is.
In all the marvellous demonstrations Mr..
Tesla has made he has never once faiiel 10
do what he proposed 10 do. and the reszo on
for this is he always perfects his arrange
ments to the last minutia before attemr tiag
to give an exhibition.
The test which is soon TO be made VIII be
IN the United States IL that is sucees stu
Mt Tesla proposes to do what at first blush
seems the impossible. He will transm
electric force probably to the extent OF 90 90
horse power from a station in this county
TO the Creusot works in France. This is o-e
of the largest gun-Insking and steel p ants
in the world, and Mr.. Tesla has already ar
ranged with the owners for the trial when
the success OF the one in the United Sac:
has beer attained. Following this il The
result should be favorable, and Mr.. T5s a
has no doubt OF it, and eXhibi icn VIII be
made between this county and he Paris eX-
position in 1900
Astonishing as the first announcement of
Mr.. Tesla's invention showed II TO be. II
gave only faint hint Of its far-reaching
possibilities. The ability TO harness natural
forces ard transmit. their energy to any part
of the world is of the most tremendous com
mercial Importance, yet this practical inven-
tor. who deals in mathematical facts, in
watts. centimeters and amperes. is aiso a
philosopher and sees an ethical effect of mis-
discovery. In il he sees a force working
for universal peSce-good fellowship among
nations For" he says. vii a natioa
which realizes that another nation is able
TO furnish II the power to run 5 entire in
dustriaT system offend the source? And
so BY vastly increasing the mutual depend
ence OF the peoples Of the earth Nikola Iss-G
may pu. into operation peace measure
which viii make the late manifesto of The
car a feeble. inaudible whisper in the audi
torium OF the word.
TESLA'S DREAM.
Though the general outline of Mr.. Tesla's
discovery has been given, the inventor today
gave the frs. extended explanation of the
inception and progress Of his work.
"As far back as 1893" he said, Il de-
clared In my lectures that the great thing to
be sought was some means OF utilizing the
energy Of the sun. Here are the earth and
other planets spinning along through space
and driven and held in place by the same
nlimitable. continuous force. There must be
some means found Of making use OF Il. With
do our work, ] set about discovering a way.
"A little later / experimental in tele-
graphing through the air and demonstrated
that IL could be done at certain distances.
as is now shown by systems in use in Eu-
@Then the idea came to me of making the
transmission OF electricity through the air
commercially important While al the
worlds fair. in Chicago Prof. Helmholz, the
famous German scientist called on me and
considered IL would be q good chance TO ask
u fh0Mwbf ~ a.
transmitting electricity through the air sufi-
cient to make 1t available for power. He
agreed 1t would be feasible provided an ap-
paratus could be constructed which would
produce a high enough potential There was
the obstacle which l had recognized and
sought to overcome. The highest force
which had then been obtained was from 200,
900 70 3e0. 600 volts. But in order TO make
the idea Of any use several million volts were
necessary.
"A machine 10 do this was therefore es-
sentiaL / began to experiment on one and
have obtained the following results:
The. perfection OF an apparatus capable
OF producing the immense pressure Of $780,
coo volts. The capacity has been attained
in my own laboratory. and 1t wiz be quite
possible to produce 100000 volts just as
"This tremendous pressure. the pressure
OF lightning. can be handled with absolute
safety.
property OF passing through air, and expert
ments showed that the air became con-
ductcr.
when the air was rarefed the conducting
power increased so rapidly that when rare
per wire
with these facts established II was easily
demonstrated that unlimited rover can be
transmitted through an air stratum such as
exists in attitudes which have been reached
by balloons, as shown by exact records" 3"
NATURAL MEDIUMS.
This is the general statement Of the re-
suits OF Tesla's experiments. Il viii be seen
therefore, that instead Of the two wires or
cables which are used in transmitting cleo
tricity in the ordinary way. he used two
natural mediums-the stratum OF rarefed air
and the earth They cost nothing and are
continuous over the entire earth making the
distance 10 which electric energy may be
transmitted unlimited.
AS TO the practical working OF his appa-
ratus Mr.. Tesla said:
The mathematical de.ails have all been
studied and found perfectly practicable.
have consulted friends who are engineers,
and am an engineer myself and / am sure
OF the working OF them az II / were TO build
a bridge. A steel wire has been made which
will support its own weight for sixteen miles.
Balloons have been sent TO attitudes far
higher than II will be necessary TO operate.
IL will not take a wire larger than spiders
web 20 convey the current 70 the balloon
though the voltage at the point OF escape In
the apparatus in the balloon would be mil
lions. OF course in use there would be sew
eral wires. but that would be 20 insure
against accidents
Mr.. Tesla was asked what the effect OF
storms would be on the balloons-would
meteorological disturbances not make their
position uncertain
That was one Of the easiest obstacles
overcome" he said. The balloons viii be
far above the region Of the atmosphere where
storms exist Or form The ordinary storms
are Only from 1000 to 10 900 feet high, while
the balloons will be sent above the highest
stratum OF clouds. They viii be above the
frost like particles which exist above the
feather clouds. Wires such as ! shall use
have been tested and shown 70 have strength
70 withstand any hurricane. 50 there is no
possible mechanical difficulty with the under
taking They have been the easiest obstacles
TO overc0me."
The apparatus by which the tremendous
electric force is produced is called an -elec
would be understood only Sy experts and and
could be made only by an expert To the
lay man all II Is necessary 70 know is that this
oseillator produces the 10 000 00o 10 100 90 900
volts OF electric force. II VIII be in the bal
loon miles above the earth Natural power
such as Niagara falls, viii furnish the orig
inal current or. as Mr. Tesla says. pump"
7 from the earth This current Is conducted
by q wire 10 the osctllefo- IN the balloon.
The current need be only small; one ampere
Is sufficient The osclllator transforms Il
into millions Of volts OF force which f0w
away IN the rsrefsd stratum Of air as q con-
ductor. This makes this stratum Of air
therefore, a reservoir OF energy and 50
wherever another balloon Is sent up 70 tan
II. power may be obtained 70 any degree for
any purpose
Here, then Is Tesla's dream Of the sun do
ing the work realized The sun makes the
rivers, the rivers furnish the power 20 start
the FIRST electric current, and the energy Is
thus pumped TO run the machinery Of the
world
Coming From Korea.