The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, November 13, 1898, Page 25

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1898. ESLA’S latest electrical wonder is out. It is out because he has just received patents on it in this and other countries. What Tesla proposes to do now is to transmit almost any amount of power almost any distance without and without loss. Although moving ships at sea may use the sys- tem for propulsion it is mainly intend- ed for use on land. To illustrate the anticipated results in the most concrete form it is pro- posed, for instance, that water power shall generate a great quantity of electricity on the lower courses of ns coming from the Sierras; that this electricity sh > conducted to a balloon arrange oating a mile or two above the earth; that there shall be in n Francisco a similar balloon high above the city and that all the ctrical energy conducted to the first bailoon shall pass without loss and without wires to the balloon over the from which it shall descend teo wheels and light lamps, etc. condary result would seem to be us boilers and minus wires, that s coal shall plow their way from the Golden to Puget Sound, their churning propellers being driven by tors which draw their energy zh the air from stations arranged or so along the shore. may seem a crazy idea to s but then it was a more ce ti an’s voice should 00 miles away and that a a mill a hundred ides Nikola Tesla wledged as one lectric experts in the p is a greater wizard than Edison. Th are twin wizards in the wondrous field of electrical sci- re wholly unlike. Edi- actical and he cares for ot make a com- spur is not dev with Fran < Ivani and the s rather Edison’s reverse He plunges into electrical K 3 phe- rather out for sight. the world n, but you t find his name on the patent plates any machines about town. He made electrical eng! ingly passing a electricity through his body and he showed them how to light a room bril- liantly with a simple empty tube laid on any connecting wires. he has led the entific world far toward t tery of this “form of radiat sla i & stem of electric 1 sion through natural mec descriptive title of this latest of hi t once suggests the ne without wir which mercial ture ¢ TOW Or next day, wholly different ne m the e wireless telegra atus sends out air, buildings, ¢ and water a serfes of “Hertzian waves” as a lighthouse lamp sends out light waves. The length and frequen are regulate and the recei aratus, if adar ed to th waves, responds. as one tuning fork will to its like. In this case the electrical phenomena proceed in all directions like sound or ripples from where a stone strikes in the water. Tesla, however, proposes to generate energy at one point and pass it all y an appar- ons through Generating Eiectric Energy by Water Power Out in the Mountains. Mustrating the Ilethod by Which Electric Power Is Conducted From One Place to The Balloons Act as the Poles of the Dynamos and the Current Flashes Across Through the Rarefied Air. Another Without Wires. without loss through the air direct to a distant point, w e it may be used for light or power comprehension of his invention depends upon an un- derstanding of ‘‘voltage.” An electric current may be large in quantity and low in intensity or small in quantity and high in intensity as a stream of water be large in volume and slow of motion or may be small and rapid. A stream of water an inch in diameter will t more power than a small river if the pressure is great enough: In handling electricity quantity is re- duced to intensity the reverse by means of ‘‘transf In long-dis- tance transmission of power the energy s transformed to a high intensity of voltage and then sent over the wires, and where it is received it is again transformed to lower voltage and greater quantit u another preparatory illustra- t people have seen electric mp from one brass ball to -"in electrical apparatus. The distance these sparks will jump de- pends not on the amount of electricity ated but on its intensity or volt- there are two .things which nderlie Tesla’s new scheme. he production of voltages be- i med of, ant the other is_the inc sonductivity of the air ,when it i efied as it is at high alti- tufles. Up to date 15,000 volts has been the measure of the intensity at which elec- tric power has been transmitted over copper wires, though now they are talking of doubling it. Tesla proposes to transmit it without wires at 2,500,000 volts or more. At this voltage a given quantity transmittes would produce about 200 times the ordinary amount of power when reduced with transform- ers. It is a well-known laboratory fact that rarefied air a conductor of elec- tricity, though one of much resistance. The Crookes tubes of X ray fame de- pend on this principle. With one sweep DIAGRAM ILLUSTRATING PRINCIPLE OF TESLA'S RECEIVER OF ELECTRIC POWER. C 1—Primary coll. Al1—Secondary coil. D 1—Recelving terminal supported by balloon. L M—Lamps ‘and motors energized by transmittsd current. Tesla takes this principle. from the laboratories where, only, men have put it to use, and goes up to the clouds with it. He produces a wonderful volt- age that will jump an enormous dis- tance in every-day air, and proposes to take it in balloons up to where the air is a sort of natural Crookes tube. In such an altitude it will jump long distances to another terminal, he says, the layer of heavy air below being a non-con- ductor and resisting it like the rubber wrapping of a wire, for ordipary air is not a good conductor. Tesla is the pioneer of high voltages. Some time ago he invented an “oscilla- tor,” a purely Tesla contrivance, for this purpose. He has been making them bigger and bigger and his last one gets up to 2,600,000 volts. The accom- panying illustration shows his latest oscillator in action. The dlagrams illustrate the theory of the apparatus. In the transmitting ap- paratus A is an insulated high tension coll about a magnetic core. C is a second coll of larger wire. The ter- minals of both coils are shown. G is the generator or source of current. D is a %glloon acting as a terminal itself or a terminal supported by a balloon to which the current passes. The cur- rent is supposed to pass through the rarefled upper air from D to D1, a re- ceiving balloon at a great distance. The primary and secondary colls of the receiving apparatus are the reverse of the transmitter. L and M indicate lamps and motors to be energized by the transmitted current, In the long descriptive text accom- 00000000000 0000000000000 0O000 000000000000 000000 Tesla’s model transformer or “oscillator” in action when creating an effective elec- trical pressure of two and a half million volts. The ac- tual width of space traversed by the luminous streams from the sipgle terminal is over sixteen feet. 200Q0 0000000 panying the inventor’s application for a patent it is said that the invention comprises a novel method for the transmission of electrical energy with- out the employment of metallic line conductors, but the results arrived at are of such character and magnitude as compared with any heretofore se- cured as to render indispensable the employment of means and the utiliza- tion of effects essentially different in their chara _eristics and actions from those before used or investigated. The systems depend, he clusively high pressures devised means to generate with safety and ease pressures measured by mil- lions of volts. Then he states some- thing that electrical engineers know mighty little about. He says: “First, that with electrical pressures of the magnitude and character which I have made it possible to produce, the ordinary atmosphere becomes, In a measure, capable of serving as a true conductor; se~-nd, that the conduc- tivity of the air increases so materi- ally with the increase of electrical pressure and degree of rarefaction that it . becomes possible to transmit through even moderately rarefied strata of the atmosphere electrical en- ergy up to practically any amount and to any distance.” If Tesla can bring electrical energy through the air in “any amount and to any distance” he can get a big contract out here. in California next week. But for all anybody knows we will soon be sending up balloons about the bay to catch the thunderbolts hurled from balloons away in the mountains, and be laughing at the poor colliers that will have to go into the lumber trade. “If there be high mountains in the vieinity,” says Mr. Tesla, “the termin- als should be at a greater height.” Electrical engineers seen yesterday declined to discuss this wonderful prop- osition for publication just yet, but said that they had no doubt that something of the sort would be done one of these days. It is, in fact, quite likely that future generations will look back with curfous interest on these days where people used poles and wires for elec- tricity and pictures and samples will be stowed in museums like old armor and the first steam engines. Mr. Tesla’s invention for handling vessels at sea without there being any- body on ‘board differs ' slightly from the apparatus for trans- mitting power across land with- out the. use of wires. In the latter the principle of overcoming re- sistance by placing the electrode high in air where there is little resistance is made use of. Just what principle is used in the movement of vessels is not clearly explained in the telegraphic re- ports from the inventor, but it would appear to be some application of the A DIAGRAM ILLUSTRATING THE PRINCIPLE OF TESLA'S TRANSMITTER OF ELEC- TRIC POWER. A—Primary coil. C—Secondary coil. G—Source of electrical energy. D—Terminal supported by balloon, principle that causes an X ray to glow even when removed several feet from the static machine. But whatever it is it is one of the greatest wonders of the age and surely destined to revolu- tionize warfare. In speaking of his ship moving and handling invention Tesla said: “Hitherto the only means of control- ling the movements of a vessel from a distance have been supplied through the medium of a flexible conductor, such as an electric cable, but this sys- tem is subject to obvious limitations, such a¢ are imposed by the length, welght and-:strength of the conductor which can be practically used; by the difficulty of maintaining with safety the high speed of the vessel or chang- ing the direction of her movements with rapidity; the necessity of effect- ing the control from a point which is practically fixed, and from many other drawbacks which are inseparably con- nected with such a system. “the plan which I have perfected in- volves none of these obfections, for I am enabled by the use of my invention to employ any means of propulsion to impart to the moving body or vessel the highest possible speed, to control the operation of its machinery and to direct its movements from either a fixed point or from a body moving and cmm&;&t its direction, however rapid- ly, and to maintain this control over great distances without any artificlal connections between the vessel and the apparatus governing its movements, and without such restrictions as these must necessarily impose.” SIX POLAR EXPEDITIONS. Mr. Wellman’s Polar Expedition, Mr. Wellman’s ship, the Fridtjof, has returned from Franz Josef Land, bring- ing news of the expedition down to Au- 2. Writing to us on that date, the leader announced party at Cape Tegetthoff, and his pro- posed start for the north a few The voyage to Franz Josef Land had been a successful one. days in the ice Cape Grant was reached on July 27, Cape Flora on the 2: the ship was turned back by ice, reach- ing Cape Tegetthoff on the 30th, after which the tour of Wilezek and islands was made before the final land- ‘‘Harmsworth House,” shell was taken from Cape Flora, had been erected at Cape Tegetthoff, but, in spite of the temptation to winter there, Mr. Wellman hoped to be able to adhere to his original plan and push north- Prince Rudolf Land, wintering there in an improvised hut of The house at Cape Tegetthoff would be of use to fall back upon in case of need. ward to Crown stones and snow. Germap Expedition to the Arctic Seas. The Heligoland, Captain Rudiger, with the German Arctic expedition un- der Herr Theodor Lerner on board, re- turned in August to Hammerfest with- out having discovered any traces Andree’s expedition. Some geographical Wwork has been accomplished neighborhood of Kong Xarls hand, which, according to published 'ound to consist of Swedish foreland, Jena ments, was islands, viz.: The Same Force M Island, and a third lying in the center, which was named August Scherl, afte the promoter of the expedition. This is at variance with the account of Arnok Pike, who, it will be remembered, main< tained that there is but one island i addition to Swedish foreland, \\'hil(‘:g last is not usually included under t name of Kong Karls Land. In spite ol much fce and unfa e weather, a passage was forced by fhe Heligoland! round the eastern coast of the islands,| and a latitude of 81 degrees 32 minutesf reached, via the east coast of North< east Land, the pack ice then preventin, further advance. Successful dredgina operations were carried out to the nort! and east in depths of over 600 fathoms, In August. Scherl Island, the breedin grounds of the ivory gull, were mel with. Swedish Andres Search Expedition. Quoting from the Aftonbladet n% Stockholm, the Mouvement Geograph.: ique (August 21) announced the arrival of M. Stadling, leader of the Andre search expedition, at the mouth of th Lena. The expedition had visited thef New Siberian Islands, as also th neighborhood of the Anabara and Indi= girka rivers, without finding a trace off the missing explorer. M. Stadling wa about to proceed to the Taimyr Pen insula, en route for the Yenesei. Th same paper also announced that th Norwegian navigator, M. Braekmoe,) had undertaken a journey to the Ne Siberian Islands in order to find ou whether the provisions left by Baro von Toll remain intact, but from a re cent telegram it would seem that h has returned without accomplishin his object. Lieutenant Peary’s Expedition. The steamer Hope, which took co and other supplies northward for Lieu. tenant Peary’s expedition, return from Greenland at the end of Augus! having parted from the Windward a Port Foulke, at the entrance to Smit! Sound. Lieutenant Peary, writing t us from Etah, August 13, states thal the season as far north as Cape Sabin is a late one; he was just starting fo the attack on Kane Basin and th channel above. So far his plans ha progressed fayorably. He had o board ten picked Eskimo (five couples). about sixty dogs, and the carcasses oa sixty walrus. Polar Exploration With Ice Breakers. At a recent meeting of the Russian} Geographical Society Admiral Makaroff] submitted a proposal of reaching th pole by means of powerful ice-breaker: Steamers specially built for breakif the ice were first resorted to in Russi: in 1864 by the engineer, Britneff, foi breaking the ice at Kronstadt. Latel; ice-breakers have been very much im+y proved in the United States, where the happy idea of providing steamers of that sort with twin screws at the stern, and a third screw at the stem, has proved to considerably increase thein breaking powers. More recently powerd ful ice-breakers have been constructed in the States and in England by Arm+< strong for Russia, for transporting the trains of the Siberian railway across Lake Baikal, and for keeping the port of Vladivostok clear of ice. Experi4 ments were made with such steatnersy and altogether the theory of ic breakers was worked out. It appearg that on the American lakes the ices breaker Ste. Marie, 3000 horsepower; armed with a screw at the stem, easily| makes her way through ice two and & half feet thick, and pierces, whe necessary, ice walls fifteen to twent; feet high; and Russian engineers hava calculated that, in order to sail through quite sound ice, twelve feet thick, a ice-breaker of 52,000 horsepower woula be required. Mr. Borchgrevinck’s Expedition. Mr. Borchgrevinck’s Antartic expedi: tion sailed on August 22 on the South ern Cross, and its safe arrival at Si Vincent has since been announced. Wiy ._{,..umfiwm ade to Run Factories, Street Cars apd Elestriy | Lights jn a City Miles Aw_ay. ,7 S