The Teslian - Vol. I, No. 9 Page 3

THE 1899 COLORADO EXPERIMENTS

Unless an unsuspected notebook should turn up, possibly placed in the hands of a friend by Tesla years ago, the full story of his work at Colorado Springs may never be told. Technical details of the majority is lacking because Tesla disclosed little. It was not necessary for him to spend any time preparing notes on his experimental researches — his unfailing memory made this an unproductive effort. He knew he would not be anticipated by contemporaries because of the advanced nature of his work, and did not require records to show priority. What was expedient for Tesla, however, has proved frustrating to researchers. By piecing together fragmentary information does one comprehend the magnitude of this work.

Tesla's astounding "Magnifying Transmitter at the Colorado Springs" experimental station created bizarre effects. Lightning arresters in a 12 mile radius bridged with continuous arcs, stronger and more persistent than those of an electrical storm. An incandescent lamp filament could be broken by vibration when held manually 60 feet from the station. When the great 51-foot diameter transmitter coil was energized, butterflies were carried in a circle as in a cyclone. At night a stream of tiny sparks were seen between grains of sand, and between heels and ground when one walked, far from the station. One-inch arcs could be drawn from grounded metallic objects at 300 feet.