The Philadelphia Experiment: Tesla to the Rescue

When it comes to weird tales, nothing beats Al Bielik's account of “The Philadelphia Experiment.” Bielik was interviewed on the “Art Bell After Dark” talk radio program. According to Bielik, he is the only living survivor of the all edged U.S. Navy experiment which took place aboard the U.S.S. Eldredge in 1943. As the story goes, the Navy experiment caused the ship to disappear. Moments later, it appeared in Norfolk, VA. During the teleportation, some crew members were made to pass through the metal bulkheads. Unfortunately, a few didn't make it all the way through. Some became frozen in the walls of steel. Not to worry. They were extricated with a device invented by Nikola Tesla. I wonder why there has been no reference to this amazing invention in the major Tesla biographies and the numerous serious research papers on Tesla's work? Incidentally, Tesla's name does not appear in the index of the book by Berlitz & Moore. Draw your own conclusions.

Don Lancaster at It Again

It appears that Don Lancaster is so biased against Nikola Tesla that he is unable to muster up even one favorable comment about the inventor. I responded to one of Lancaster's hostile remarks and it seemed to have been effective in cooling down his rhetoric. That is, until the October '98 issue of ELECTRONICS NOW. This time, Lancaster attacks the Tesla turbine. “The apparent best use to date for the Tesla turbine seems to be for snowing thesis advisors.” Lancaster has a low opinion of experimenters who “deify” Tesla and charges that they have little knowledge of math or the faintest idea as to how to properly do a research. Rather than presenting specific examples, Lancaster's use of a paint brush to smear all Tesla researchers in one stroke is a reflection on his own psychological status. Trouble is, he has at his disposal a national publication to spew his venom.

The position Lancaster takes reminds me of J.R. Carson who, in 1922, presented mathematical proof as to why Frequency Modulation would not work. Edwin H. Armstrong, inventor of FM, was a hands-on experimenter who felt that experimental procedure came first and mathematical explanations of the results came later. Rave on, Don.

‘The Wonders of Physics’

In 1984, the University of Wisconsin began a program called “The Wonders of Physics.” The show is a fast-paced presentation of physics demonstrations by Professor Clint Sprott. He has given more than 100 lectures to a total audience of 32,000. The University has made available 15 video tapes of Sprott's lectures. Tape #15 includes a Tesla coil demonstration. Tapes are available at $25 from the University of Wisconsin, Dept. of Physics, 1150 University Ave., Madison, WI 53706-1390. Tel:608-262-2927 or e-mail to [email protected]. For those interested in Clint Sprott's Gateway web server, contact http://sprott.physics.wisc.edu/index.htm. (tip from Bob Larsen)

Editor's note: Ken Strickfaden made a number of tours of university campuses. He appeared at the University of Wisconsin several times. Other institutions of higher learning at which he appeared are the University of Kansas, the University of Minnesota, the University of Arizona, and world fairs and expositions. His lifetime total of public lectures numbered 1500 presentations.

‘Mystery Liner’

This is one of those “B” movies which theaters presented as double features. Mystery Liner is a ship being used for an experiment in radio control. Of course, foreign agents infiltrate the ship to secure the secret source of energy being used to propel the ship (it's contained in a standard test tube). The lab equipment used in the film is purely Strickfaden. For price and availability, contact Sinister Cinema, P.O. Box 4369, Medford, OR 97501-1068. Tel: (541) 773-6860.

Decision, Decisions, Decision

As of January 30th, I'll be on the high side of my 70s. That is, I'll be heading toward the big 80. The decision to be made is in regards as to how much longer I want to publish the newsletter. Maybe Volume 20 would be a reasonable goal to shoot for. As for the present, I am no longer ordering back issues. Stay tuned.