Tesla Radio Power Test is Demanded

Scientific Men Here Skeptical of Claims and Call for Demonstrations

REVOLUTIONARY, IF PROVED

Men of outstanding rank in the radio art, startled by the announcement of Nikola Tesla that he has perfected his system of wireless power transmission, are looking to the inventor today to back up his claims.

Scientific men have countered Professor Tesla’s announcement by stating that such a revolutionary discovery, of tremendous importance to humanity, calls for presentation before one of the recognized courts of judgment.

The experts said that four organizations would be glad to hear an elucidation of the Tesla system, presented in the customary form of a paper to be read at the next meeting. These organizations are the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, Institute of Radio Engineers, American Physical Society, or the National Academy of Sciences.

Tesla’s Claims Specific

In reply to the question whether it was possible to transmit power without wires in sufficient quantities for the operation of aircraft, ships, and all kinds of machines, Professor Tesla said last Saturday:

“Not only is it possible, but I am confidently expecting that by far the largest amount of energy will be transmitted in this manner. The system has been developed fully and demonstrated experimentally, but most of the experts are still at sea.”

He also said that he could “transmit electrical energy to the greatest terrestrial distances — say 12,000 miles — without any more loss than one-quarter of 1 per cent.” This did not take into account the power losses of the apparatus itself, which Professor Tesla reckoned at 4 per cent in the aggregate.

Men of science frankly admitted skepticism of these claims, although Professor Tesla, who is world famous for his many discoveries and inventions, said he was prepared to build a trial plant.

Prof. John Morehouse of Columbia University said he did not take the slightest stock in Prof. Tesla’s claims.

“It should be stressed,” said Prof. Morehouse, “that every radio telegraph or radio telephone transmitter is a transmitter of energy. But the amount collected by any receiver is so minute as to make preposterous the suggestion of deriving power for practical purposes.”

“Outside Present Concepts”

Dr. F. B. Jewett, vice-president of the Western Electric Co. and past president of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, said:

“Only a rash man would say today that anything is impossible.

“But the transmission of energy in appreciable quantities without wires is outside of our present physical concepts. Men of science have two courts of judgment. They may submit their claims to the Patent Office’s corps of experts or they may submit them before scientific societies of accepted standing.

“Until this is done we must reserve our individual judgments.”

Dr. A. N. Goldsmith of the College of the City of New York, prominent in the radio field, said:

“Radio engineers are perfectly satisfied with the Hertzian wave theory of radio telephony and telegraphy.

“There are many evidences that minute amounts of energy can be propagated by means of electromagnetic waves. But there is no evidence that the earth alone can be used as a medium for transmitting energy in some other form.”

Fair Hearing Promised

“However, engineers are not wedded to any ideas. They are only wedded to the search for truth, which must be conducted in the light of logic and reason. I believe that in spite of Professor Tesla’s procedure, scientific men will preserve open minds and will give his theories a fair hearing whenever they may be presented in a recognized way.

“There is an ethics of procedure among scientific men. When a discovery of moment to humanity is made, it may first be patented, and then elucidated in a paper presented before some authoritative body, such as the American Institute of Electrical Engineers or the Institute of Radio Engineers.”

The inventor may choose to make his work known either before some industrial body or a professional or purely scientific society.

The discovery of insulin is an illustration in point. Dr. Banting, after filing the necessary papers at the patent offices, went before the medical society a detailed inquisition on diabetes therapy by insulin.

This way lies open to Professor Tesla, who, all other considerations aside, will be generally regarded as having greatly weakened his claims by a wholly unscientific presentation of them.