Electrical Fairy Tales

Recent Astonishing Stories Should Be Taken with Allowance.

Boston Transcript.

The columns of the daily press have been filled during the past week with stories of wonderful electrical invention. First Guglielmo Marconi Is credited with inventing the wireless telegraph system. Experiments were made in wireless telegraphy before Marconi was ever heard of. Second comes an alleged statement from Nikola Tesla to the effect that he has produced "an electrical disturbance of intense magnitude, which is continuing throughout the entire earth. In other words, I am producing, a disturbance of the earth's charge of electricity which can be felt to the uttermost parts of the earth." Then the startled reporter goes on to describe the provers. He said: "Tesla had his rooms in the laboratory on Houston-st. darkened. From the room adjoining the one in which he and his visitors stood a current, was turned on invisibly. A huge black disk hung on a frame about eight feet in diameter, from the center of which protruded a brass electrode seven inches in diameter. As the group gazed at this the apartment was filled with a crackling sound, which increased till it sounded like the rattle of musketry. Bright flames shot from the electrode, not from pole to pole, as in ordinary demonstrations. Like fiery serpents the wavy coils of flame darted in graceful lines around the disk. The longest sparks were fully eight feet from the point when they burst into dazzling brilliancy to the varnishing point. These electrical sparks were undoubtedly the longest flashes of light ever produced by similar means. It seemed like a terrific lightning display, with the snapping crackling sound displacing the reverberation of heaven's artillery, and all remarked the weird and awing effect of the exhibition."

On being questioned as to the result of this demonstration, Tesla answered: —

"Ah," his face lighting up and his spare figure vibrant with pride and enthusiasm, "that is almost incomprehensible. This electrical disturbance by means of certain simple instruments can be felt and appreciated at any point of the globe. In this way messages can be sent the entire earth around and be taken up at any part of the earth without the aid or intervention of wires in any way at all."

"What is the voltage?" Tesla was asked.

He motioned expressively with his long finger and said quickly: "As far as voltage is concerned, that is almost beyond computation. Yet, let me tell you, I stood in front of that flame and had that charge shot through me and experienced no unpleasant sensation. Dangerous? Yes, it is dangerous and I shall not repeat the experiment, for it exposes the blood to a terrific tension. If those tongues of living flame touched an artery and it burst, in an instant one would be bloodless and lifeless."

The readers of the public press should accept these statements with reservation covering about the whole of the stories.