Tesla's Wireless Telegraphy

Nikola Tesla announces that “it may take eight months, and it may take longer,” to complete his wonderful system for communicating across the ocean by wireless telegraphy, but he is sanguine of success. If he realizes his hopes there will be no disputing the greatness of his achievement, but the public will have more faith in him when the wireless telegrams leap across the ocean.

The world has had many unfortunate experiences with roseate promises. Its remembrance of the Keeley motor is not conducive to faith. Mr. Tesla himself has not been particularly successful of late in converting his promises into reality. It will be remembered that some months before the Paris Exposition he talked quite confidently about transmitting from Niagara Falls all the power necessary to run the machinery on the banks of the Seine.

The electric current was to be transmitted through the air by means of the same mysterious oscillator with which he now promises to send wireless messages from New York to London. He was apparently as sanguine then as he is now. It is not strange that the public has become somewhat skeptical with regard to Mr. Tesla’s glowing but indefinite promises. One would prefer to see accomplished facts of some kind before indulging in further enthusiasm over his electrical achievements. In the meantime the world will maintain a non-committal attitude on the subject and hope for the best.