Nikola Tesla Books
first hydro-electric power plant, was the basis of our electrical power service now used today, exceeding in magnitude and usefulness, the wildest dreams of those early days in the 1890's.
While Tesla's discoveries were spreading like wild-fire around the world, Dr. Tesla continued his experiments as he believed that there was a still more satisfactory and efficient means of transmitting power. In November, 1898, he made a very interesting announcement to the press. Just as he had predicted that he would someday harness Nature's energy at Niagara Falls and supply power to the factories and cities of New England which became history; he now predicted that he would supply electric power to the Paris Exposition from Niagara Falls "Without Wires"! A most astounding statement. Wouldn't it be interesting to know why his plans did not work out?
The following story appeared in a New York newspaper. Quote:
"Tesla proposes to run the machinery of the Paris Exposition with electric power sent instantly across the world from Niagara Falls. He has just pattented his machine for transmitting electricity without wires. He says that he can shoot thousands of millions of volts around and through the globe without metallic conductors. The Electrical Review says, 'It is like a tale from the Arabian Nights and if successful, it will open up unlimited resources of practically costless power. If successful, it means that from the great falls of Niagara, of the Yellowstone, of Alaska and of the Canyons of Arizona, unlimited power of millions of volts, can be delivered to New York, London, Paris, St. Petersburg and Pekin, in a second of time. Mountains, rivers and oceans would thus be annihilated.'
"Tesla said that his machinery worked perfectly; that he had demonstrated the seeming miracle beyond all possibility of failure. Tesla said, 'I will supply the Paris Exposition with Niagara's power. I will send it across the ocean without a wire. My invention is the crowning success of a great many years of thought and labor.'"
In explaining how he invents, he said that he first discovers the natural laws governing the secret he is after. Then he could predict just what his machine, when constructed in a certain way, would accomplish. He said, "When the laws controlling their appointed work in the Universe have been mastered, the making of the proper machine to act in harmony with the laws is a comparatively easy task."
When Tesla discovered the laws leading up to the invention of his famous oscillator to be used in his world power system, he was convinced that if he made certain wires in the machine exactly to the required length, the electricity of the globe would stream forth in flame. In 1899, he proved these discoveries in his experiments 14,000 feet up, on the top of Pike's Peak, Colorado Springs, Colo. It was during these experiments that Tesla discovered the theory of the "standing wave".
Already millions of dollars were invested in Tesla's polyphase system of power generation and A.C. power had spread throughout the world. A statement such as "transmission of power without wires does seem incredible, even with the dawn of the Atomic Age. Nevertheless, a great scientist such as Dr. Tesla, who so thoroughly understood electrical engineering and gave us A.C. power and all of the basic
