New-York tribune., 1901-11-27
TESLA AND TELEGRAPHY
TRANSMUNDANE MESSAGES FROM WAR
DENCLIFFE.
PROGRESS OF PREPARATIONS - POWE
HOUSE. TOWER AND MACHINERY.

/
HOUSE TOWER AND MACHINERY.
Since Mr.. Tesa's purchase of land at War
dencliffe, Long Island. for q wireless telegraph
station last summer, much progress has been
made with his preparations. 1t is his intention
only to send messages from that point but
also to have suitable laboratory for expert
mental work and a factory for the manufacture
| of Instruments After the system is once in
operation. of course. it will be desirable to sup
ply the requisite apparatus for equipping other
stations This. in the main. will be made at Mr.
Teslas shops.
In designing the plant, therefore. both the
needs of the future factory and laboratory as
we'll the operation of the Wardencliffe tele-
graph alton. have been kept in view. The
principal building, in which power will be devel-
oped, has been practically completed, and
steam boilers and engines on the spot, be-
ing installed fast possible Owing TO a
variety of unforeseen causes, vexatious delays
have been experienced These have greatly tried
Mr.. Tesa's patience. although he takes such
annoyances phiIosophically. For the operation
of the Instruments at the station he estimates
that a hundred horsepower will be sufficient.
To a novice this amount may seem excessive,
but it be remembered that Mr.. Tesla eX-
poets make his impulses felt at a distance of
thousands of miles. Hence to his mind
this appears like modest provision. though 1t
has been adopted after elaborate calculation
and experiment. It should be added that in
order admit of occasional change from one
boiler and engine to another. this part of the
| plant will be duplicated at the outset.
The electrical machinery which IS to be set
up a Wardencffe has not vet arrived, but will
! ha put in place delivered The
dynamo can be made by outsiders. one very
Tpcf1 oil
or transformer will be built in part by the
inventor himself and this will embody a
number of recent improvements. All of the
apparatus here mentioned will be installed at
the surface of the earth.
Another feature of the Wardencffe equip
ment will be tower $50 feet high. At the pres
ent time the foundations are being laid. In the
mean time the tower is being constructed in
| separate sections. away from the site on which
| il is eventually TO rise 1t is hoped that within
three or four weeks the erection Of that struct-
may he begun 1t should then go ahead
rapidly. although another month may possibly
elapse before its completion In view of the
many delays already encountered. Mr.. Tesla IS
exceedingly cautious about making predictions,
even 10 himself. He also prefers not to go into
details about the tower although to some eX-
tent its function is indicated in his patents.
| There is a certain ma thematcal relation be
tween the length of upright conductor con-
n-ctet with the apparatus lot UtNtltpiHS IltI W
waves and the length of the waves themselves
| Then. too some of the electricians who nave
engaged in this class OF work have utilized an
upright conductor for obtaining storage OF
energy. or capacity.
Mr.. Tesla yesterdav described the operation
OF telegraphy itself IN something like these
terms. The current which | will use viii be OF
the familiar alternating type. The energy Whch
Is generated in that form VIII be stored IN a
condenser but after its discharge therefrOm the
intensity Of the vibrations will be magnifed
| ten thousand times. These vibrations Will be OF
the kind best calculated FOR transmission
through the earth which Is my real conductor
The energy thus developed will diffuse itself IN
all directions but will tend to spread over the
earth's surface penetrating to depth of four or
five feet At the receiving station l will pro
| vide means for magnifying the force OF the in
coming. but much weakened. vibrations a GUAR
| ter OF r. 'E''n times.
When ashed about his arrangements for nav
! ing his first few messages received at some other
! place Mr.. Tesla preferred not to go into par
! tfculars, although he says that he has practi-
! cally perfected his plans The suggestion nav
| ing been made TO him that perhaps the t+ittei
| Tower might serve his purpose. he laughed and
shook his head. He intimated that there We're
| much better places. Although tower is used
| at his transmitting station, the apparatus is
really at the surface OF the earth In like man
! ner the vibrations after Ions journey through
| the crust of the globe. would probably he more
| perceptibe at sea level than AT an elevation
| WardenCliffe is on the north shore OF Long
| Island eight or nine miles beyond Port Jeffer-
! son and sixty-five or siXty-SiN from Brooklyn.
! \ branch Of the Long Island Railway extends
| through it to Wading River. There is station
| at Warden")iffe.