The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-09-19
THE WIRELESS rE1EeRAPHY.
NiIsola Tesla Declares NJ. wiIIof's
Theory Is Not New.

NEW YORK, Sept 1s.-Nikola Tesla was
seen this morning in reference to the
statements Of the French electrician, ".
Willot, who said that electrical messages
are transmitted through the earth. not
through the air. NJ. Wiilot holds that the
ether wave theory has been disproven, and
that conduction through the earth is the
real means OF transmission. In his prac-
tice NJ willot means apparently to use
deep shafts as starting stations, transmits
ting his currents through different geo.
logical strata, suited to currents of differ
ent intensity by their density.
Regarding the idea in general. Mr.. Tesla
said:
1T is a pleasure to learn the news and
to know that scientific men who have been
working in these lines are recovering from
the erroneous notions which have been en-
tertained by many. Virtually the entire
literature Of this and of allied subjects
since the Hertzian experiments has to be
rewritten The popular belief is that when
a Hertzian spark apparatus is worked
rays similar to those of light are propa-
gated TO great distances. This is not trae.
There are no such rays. nor can we pro-
duee them by the most powerful electrical
apparatus Of which we have knowledge at
duced which are capable of passing through
the air to small distances remains still to
be positively demonstrated, but to great
distances they certainly do not penetrate.
In teiegraphy without wires to any con-
siderable distance the signals are trans
mltted exactly in the manner I long ago
described, by eonduction through the
ground, the earth merely serving in place
of wire. l have dwelt on this subject
fs,r,f nv l. L., IL
Century Magazine in which i endeay-
ored to dispel the erroneous notions which
prevail in this regard.
THE idea of the French engineer is NOT
novel. He proposes to transmit through
the ground. connecting the transmitter
at two points at different depths. To bs
sure, in this manner a distant receiver
similarly connected may be affected, hut
the amount of energy SO transmitted to
distance is limited and much more can
be conveyed by simply connecting the
transmitter to two distant points of the
earth's surface. The amount of energy
transmitted to the receiver which is sup
posed to be similarly connected is pro-
portienate to the distance of the two
points to which the transmitter is con-
nected and since ii is much easier to
have greater distance at the surface
than by sinking shafts into the earth.
tne iorner Scneme Is Huch more pre-
ferable than that proposed by the French
Engineer.
"But simple consideration shows that
still far more energy can be transmitted
to a distance by merely connecting one
pole of the transmitter to the ground and
the other to metallic plate or wire ele-
waited above ground. This is unquestion-
ably, the most efficient arrangement, and
has, besides, the advantages that the re-
eeiver may be anywhere and in whatever
position relative to the transmitter and
that the receiving circuit can be exactly
tuned. That the earth acts entirely like
an ordinary wire, have demonstrated re-
Gently by producing stationary electrical
waves. These waves virtually mean that
the waves produced by my apparatus have
spread all over the globe, result which
in my earlier WRITINGS. l have predicted"