Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1916-01-06

Il A<Ak0iu Cold . tHNCntiOus
] Nikola Tesla, the inventor, winner oi
the 1915 Nobel physics prize, has filed
patent appliances on the essential parts OF
machine the possibilities OF which test
a layman's Imagination and promise a
parallel of Thor's shooting thunderbolts
| from the skies to punish those who had
angered the gods, according to the New
York Times. DR.. Tesla insists there is
nothing sensational about il, that il is but
the fruition OF many years of work and
study. He is not yet ready to give the
details of the engine which he says will
render fruitess any military expedition
against country which possesses it.
Suffice it 10 say that the destructive in
vention will go through space with a
speed of 300 miles second, manless
airship with propelling engine or wings.
sent by electricity TO any desired point on
the globe on IFS errand OF destruction, if
destruction its manipulation wishes to ef-
feet.
Ten miles or thousand miles, il will
be all the same TO the machine, the in
ventor says. Straight to the point. on
land or on sea, ii will be able to go with
precision, delivering blow that will
paralyze or kill. as is desired. A man in
tower on Long Island could shield New
York against ships or army by working a
lever, if the inventors anticipations be-
come realizations.
at is not the time," said DR.. Tesla,
"to 60 into the details of this thing. II
is founded upon principle that means
great things in peace; il can be used for
great things lin war; But repeat, this is
no time TO talk of such things.
at is perfectly practicable to transmit
electrical energy without wires and pro-
duce destructive effects at distance.
have already constructed wireless trans
mitter which makes this possible, and
have described it in my technical publi-
cations. among which may refer TO my
patent l,ll9, 1872 recently granted. With
transmitters of this kind we are enabled
to project electrical energy in any amount
to any distance and apply ii for innumer-
able purposes, both in peace and war.
Through the universal adoption of this
system, ideal conditions for the mainten-
ance of law and order will be realized,
for then the energy necessary to the en-
forcement of right and justice will be nor
mallY productive. yet potential, and in
any moment available for attack and de-
fense. The power transmitted need not
be necessarily destructive, for if existence
is made TO depend upon it, its withdrawal
or supply will bring about the same re-
suits as those now accomplished by force
of arms.
but, when unavoidable, the same
agent may be used TO destroy property
and life. The art is already so tar de-
veloped that great destructive effects can
be produced at any point on the globe,
determined beforehand and with great ac-
curacy. Inview of this have not thought
il hazardous TO predict few years ago
that the wars OF the future will not be
waged with explosive, but with electrical
means"
DR.. Tesla then said that it would be
possible with his wireless mechanism to
direct an ordinary aeroplane. manless
airship, without propelling engine or army
and to discharge explosives of great
strength from the base OF operations.
Asked TO express an opinion upon the
announcement last Sunday of Charles H.
Harris, an electrical engineer Of Los An
gcles, that he would be able TO surround
this country with an electrical wall of fire
in time of war, Mr.. Tesla gave il as his
opinion that Mr.. Harris was not practical.
at is hard TO stamp as impossible such
results as those described in the press
dispatches to which you refer. Granted,
however, that the project is feasible, il
would take more than all the motive
power available in the United States to
throw a wall of fire around the country.
In fact, even the passage OF small currents
at considerable distances through air
consumes great deal Of energy on ac-
count of the immense pressure required.
So, for instance, in lightning discharges
energy may be delivered at the rate OF
billions of horse power, though the cur
rents are OF smaller volume than those
developed by electrical generators in our
power houses"