Did Japanese Use Wireless Torpedo?

Tesla Says He Gave the Details of His Invention to the Mikado's Men Three Years Ago.

Did This Torpedo Destroy Russia's Ships?

Photograph of a torpedo invented by Nikola Tesla in accordance with a principle discovered by him. It contains automatic propelling machinery and can be set free under the water and directed by wireless electrical waves in any direction and to any distance.

Reports of Japanese victories have hinted at the use against Russian battleships of a mysterious, wireless, dirigible torpedo. Such a craft was invented four years ago by Nikola Tesla, of this city, the principle of it being his own discovery. Mr. Tesla and Lewis Nixon are now perfecting the machine. Mr. Tesla was asked yesterday by an "American" reporter whether it could be that Japan had destroyed the Russian ships with his torpedo. He answered that while he had no information on the point, it was quite likely.

"I took out no patents in Japan." said he. "Of course, the Japanese are extremely skillful people, and the fact is that several officials of their Government and a number of scientific men visited me three years ago, and to these I gave the most complete information on all the patents. I gave to one of their men copies of my patents also.

"It would not surprise me if by this time they had succeeded in producing models of my automaton. Naturally, they would be more or less crude, but even if so they would be sufficient to accomplish their purpose.

Mr. Tesla's machine is not a mere engine of war, nor need it be used in the water exclusively. He can, with his apparatus, send an automobile overland on missions of war or peace, for pleasure or business. His idea in putting forward the machine as an implement of war is to make war bloodless by making its possibilities so terrible that all battles will be between mere automatic machines.

After a battle is fought between these machines, the nation deprived of its automatons will be forced to surrender because it will be so absolutely defenceless. It would be madness for it to attempt further resistance.

"I attained the result aimed at," says Mr. Tesla, "by means of an electric circuit placed within the boat, and adjusted, or 'tuned,' exactly to electrical vibrations of the proper kind transmitted to it from a distant electrical oscillator. This circuit, in responding, however feebly, to the transmitted vibrations, affected magnets and other contrivances, through which were controlled the movements of the propeller and rudder, and also the operations of numerous other appliances.

"By the simple means described, the knowledge, experience and judgment — the mind, so to speak — of the distant operator were embodied in that machine, which was thus enabled to perform all its operations with reason and intelligence. It behaved just like a blindfolded person obeying directions received through the ear."

Mr. Tesla and Mr. Nixon are waiting with intense impatience to hear certain news that the Tesla torpedo is being used by the Japanese. No other nation has the machine, and if it prove that Japan has perfected the terrible engine it practically makes her master of the sea, for no navy, however powerful in units or numbers, could hope to escape complete destruction with these submarine monsters directed against it.