Evening journal., 1914-03-27
New News Of Yesterday
How Westinghouse Gave
the Credit to NikOla Tesla
By Holland.

The early spring of 1892 the late
George Westinghouse invited me TO
join a party of men of science and
of large capital who were to visit
Niagara Falls with a view of inspect
ing the preliminary work which af-
terward became the colossal Niagara
Falls power plant.
lt was a distinguished company.
The great engineer, DR.. Coleman
Sellers, of Philadelphia, who had been
associated with those who were
undertaking this important work,
was Of the party. Nikola Tesla was
also one of the group. That brilliant
constructive genius of engineering
and finance, Edwin d. Adams, was of
the company. William Rankins, to
whose perseverance the organization
of the company was due, and Francis
Lynde Stetson, one of the ablest and
most distinguished of the members
of the American bar, who took keen
interest in this proposition, were also
there.
But easily the leader Of the group
was Mr. Westinghouse himself. Those
who were of the party gathered
around him at the opening of what
became the great tunnel. They list
ened eagerly to all he had to say,
They followed him here and there.
Yet he was distinguished for his
modesty and utter lack Of self-cou-
sciousness AT one moment when I
happened TO be by his side he nudged
me gently with his elbow and then,
pointing to Tesla, said:
THAT mans invention Of the step
down transformer, by means of which
a great voltage is converted into one
which is of commercial practicability.
has made all of this work possible"
This was a remark characteristic
OF Mr.. Westinghouse, who was singu-
larly free from jealousy of any kind.
asked Mr.. Westinghouse when
we were on the way back to the hotel
what particular feature of this pro-
posed work would be of special con-
sequence, in his opinion, to American
industry. He answered. without
hesitation: "The great problem in the
commercial utilization of electricity
for power purposes of all kinds will,
l think, be answered satisfactorily
after this Niagara Falls plant is COM
pleted,
1T will then be demonstrated that
electricity can be carried TO CONNER
cial advantages certainly from twen-
ty-hve 20 thirty miles. l believe that
when this work is completed the
energy which is i'm the Niagara
waterpower after it has been con-
verted into electric energy will be
carried to Buffalo, and IL will furn-
ish all the power needed I'm that citv
for its industries and for lighting and
for operating its entire system Of.
street car traffic"
He paused a moment as though
wondering whether he ought to say
something which he had in mind. APP
parently he decided to do so for he
continued. IF the current can be car
ried with commercial practicability,
as 7 believe it will be, to Buffalo, / see
no reason why perfected apparatus
should not be able to deliver it per-
haps as far away as Rochester or
even farther Il look too, for the
establishment Of industrial plants
here which viii require very high
electric energy, and will thereby give
the world something of great in
tustrial value"
All that Mr.. Westinghouse predict
ed was afterward justified by the
facts, and five years later so great
had been the development at Niagara
that Lord Kelvin came from Eng
land to make inspection of the won
derful electrical industrial plants es-
tablished there, and also the methods
by which electric energy has been so
utilized at Niagara as to furnish the
great city of Buffalo with power for
all commercial purposes. He came
as the guest of Mr.. Westinghouse,
with whom he had long maintained
intimate friendship.
Copyright. 1914, by E. J. Edwards.
All rights reserved).