The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1898-01-09
WIZARD TESLA'S LATEST.
Takes Photos at Midnight by the
Vacuum Tube.

The doom of flashlight photographs
has been decreed by Nikola Tesla, the
Sarvian wizard, who is about to SHOW to
New York and the world at large another
wonderful triumph Of electricity. He
announces to. day that he has perfected
vacuum tubes of such high illuminating
power that they may serve the greatest
lighthouses of the future, piercing even
the densest fog, while night will be made
as daylight to the photographer.
Even the painter may he able to distin-
guish Colors after the cleaning AS we'll
as in the clear light of monday.
The patient work Of several years, in.
terrupted for time by the burning of
his laboratory in West Broadway in 1895,
has been required to perfect the inven-
ton He is not yet ready tn describe IL
in detail, hut its success is beyond mere
possibility.
Mr.. Tesla announces the result of his
investigations in the Electrical Review,
which also reproduces two of the photo
gra Dhs obtained.
Mr.. Tesia's vacuum tubes AMI oscilla
tor have united to produce the light by
which the remarkable photographs now
completed we're produced Every line of
the objects photographed shows out with
great di-tiEctness
y picture of a man, made under the
light of II single vacuum tube at five
feet range, with AN exposure, reveals
every fine wrinkle in the mans face,
while the hairs Of the bead and the eye
lashes stand ont distinctly. And the
taking of this photo did net subject the
sitter To any OF the Inconvenience at
tending the use of flashlight.
Another remarkable photograph, that
of the hand of Tesla, was made by the
| lifrh I,f, 81, u
of / 900 candle power, at n distance of
four feet after an exposure of two seconds.
The lines Of the hand stand forth so
| clearly that the palmist may read them
as well AS with the living subject. The
veins of the wrists and the fine lines of
the cu;icle are faithfully shown. The
texture of the inventors coat is shown
in several inches If the sleeve and the
linen threads OF the cuffs are almost dis.
tinct.
Another photograph is that of an open
book upon electricity, Supported 10y two
hands. This was done by IL vacuum
tube, at distance of four feet, with an
exposure of two seconds.
Mr.. Tesla has made this statement of
his discoveries:
"The photographs shown were taken
by tube having Il radiating surface of
about 200 square inches. The frequency
OF the oscillations which we've obtained
from an Edison direct current supply
circuit. estimated to be about 1900, 900
second. The illuminating power of the
tube approXin ated about 1000 candles,
and the exposure ranged from two to flv e
seconds the distance of the object being
four to five feet from the tube.
"By producing tubes of much greater
candle power notable improvement in
+l>s L
vance prompted me to further efforts in
this direction, which finally resulted In
the production of tube OF an ilumina
ting power equal tc that of huudreds
and even thousands, of ordinary vacuum
tubes.
"What is more. ! believe that am far
from having attained the limit in the
amount OF light proGucible, and believe
that this method of illumination will be
eventually employed for lighthouse pur-
poses. This probably will he considered
the oldest and most unlocked. for devel-
opmsnt of the vacuum tube.
SIT might be asked why, with so high
an illuminating power, the exposure
should not be instantaneous? [ would
not undertake to satisfactorily answer
this question, which was put to me re-
Gently by II scientific mar, whose visit to
my laboratory still wildly recollect.
Likeness can, of course. be obtained
with instantaneous exposures, but it has
been found preferable TO Xpose longer
and at greater distance from the tt he.
The result so far obtained wonlh make
it appear that this kind of light will he
of great value in photography, not only
because the artist will be able to exactly
adjust the conditions in every depart.
meut so ms to secure the best results,
which is impossible with ordinary light
''He will thus he made entirely indie
pendent Of daylight, and will be abe to
carry on his work at any hour. night or
day. It might also be OF value to the
painter, though its use for such purposes
still consider probemdtical.'