index
Chapter 5
Chapter 6.
No subject to which I have ever devoted myself has called for such concentration
of mind, and strained to so dangerous a degree the finest fibres of my brain, as
the systems of which the Magnifying transmitter is the foundation. I put all the
intensity and vigour of youth in the development of the rotating field
discoveries, but those early labours were of a different character. Although
strenuous in the extreme, they did not involve that keen and exhausting
discernment which had to be exercised in attacking the many problems of the
wireless.
Despite my rare physical endurance at that period, the abused nerves finally
rebelled and I suffered a complete collapse, just as the consummation of the
long and difficult task was almost in sight. Without doubt I would have paid a
greater penalty later, and very likely my career would have been prematurely
terminated, had not providence equipped me with a safety device, which seemed to
improve with advancing years and unfailingly comes to play when my forces are at
an end. So long as it operates I am safe from danger, due to overwork, which
threatens other inventors, and incidentally, I need no vacations which are
indispensable to most people. When I am all but used up, I simply do as the
darkies who "naturally fall asleep while white folks worry."
To venture a theory out of my sphere, the body probably accumulates little by
little a definite quantity of some toxic agent and I sink into a nearly
lethargic state which lasts half an hour to the minute. Upon awakening I have
the sensation as though the events immediately preceding had occurred very long
ago, and if I attempt to continue the interrupted train of thought I feel
veritable nausea. Involuntarily, I then turn to other and am surprised at the
freshness of the mind and ease with which I overcome obstacles that had baffled
me before. After weeks or months, my passion for the temporarily abandoned
invention returns and I invariably find answers to all the vexing questions,
with scarcely any effort. In this connection, I will tell of an extraordinary
experience which may be of interest to students of psychology.
I had produced a striking phenomenon with my grounded transmitter and was
endeavouring to ascertain its true significance in relation to the currents
propagated through the earth. It seemed a hopeless undertaking, and for more
than a year I worked unremittingly, but in vain. This profound study so entirely
absorbed me, that I became forgetful of everything else, even of my undermined
health. At last, as I was at the point of breaking down, nature applied the
preservative inducing lethal sleep. Regaining my senses, I realised with
consternation that I was unable to visualise scenes from my life except those of
infancy, the very first ones that had entered my consciousness. Curiously
enough, these appeared before my vision with startling distinctness and afforded
me welcome relief. Night after night, when retiring, I would think of them and
more and more of my previous existence was revealed. The image of my mother was
always the principal figure in the spectacle that slowly unfolded, and a
consuming desire to see her again gradually took possession of me. This feeling
grew so strong that I resolved to drop all work and satisfy my longing, but I
found it too hard to break away from the laboratory, and several months elapsed
during which I had succeeded in reviving all the impressions of my past life, up
to the spring of 1892. In the next picture that came out of the mist of
oblivion, I saw myself at the Hotel de la Paix in Paris, just coming to from one
of my peculiar sleeping spells, which had been caused by prolonged exertion of
the brain. Imagine the pain and distress I felt, when it flashed upon my mind
that a dispatch was handed to me at that very moment, bearing the sad news that
my mother was dying. I remembered how I made the long journey home without an
hour of rest and how she passed away after weeks of agony.
It was especially remarkable that during all this period of partially
obliterated memory, I was fully alive to everything touching on the subject of
my research. I could recall the smallest detail and the least insignificant
observations in my experiments and even recite pages of text and complex
mathematical formulae.
My belief is firm in a law of compensation. The true rewards are ever in
proportion to the labour and sacrifices made. This is one of the reasons why I
feel certain that of all my inventions, the magnifying Transmitter will prove
most important and valuable to future generations. I am prompted to this
prediction, not so much by thoughts of the commercial and industrial revolution
which it will surely bring about, but of the humanitation consequences of the
many achievements it makes possible. Considerations of mere utility weigh little
in the balance against the higher benefits of civilisation. We are confronted
with portentous problems which can not be solved just by providing for our
material existence, however abundantly. On the contrary, progress in this
direction is fraught with hazards and perils not less menacing than those born
from want and suffering. If we were to release the energy of atoms or discover
some other way of developing cheap and unlimited power at any point on the
globe, this accomplishment, instead of being a blessing, might bring disaster to
mankind in giving rise to dissension and anarchy, which would ultimately result
in the enthronement of the hated regime of force. The greatest good will come
from technical improvements tending to unification and harmony, and my wireless
transmitter is preeminently such. By its means, the human voice and likeness
will be reproduced everywhere and factories driven thousands of miles from
waterfalls furnishing power. Aerial machines will be propelled around the earth
without a stop and the sun's energy controlled to create lakes and rivers for
motive purposes and transformation of arid deserts into fertile land. Its
introduction for telegraphic, telephonic and similar uses, will automatically
cut out the statics and all other interferences which at present, impose narrow
limits to the application of the wireless. This is a timely topic on which a few
words might not be amiss.
During the past decade a number of people have arrogantly claimed that they had
succeeded in doing away with this impediment. I have carefully examined all of
the arrangements described and tested most of them long before they were
publicly disclosed, but the finding was uniformly negative. Recent official
statement from the U.S. Navy may, perhaps, have taught some beguilable news
editors how to appraise these announcements at their real worth. As a rule, the
attempts are based on theories so fallacious, that whenever they come to my
notice, I can not help thinking in a light vein. Quite recently a new discovery
was heralded, with a deafening flourish of trumpets, but it proved another case
of a mountain bringing forth a mouse. This reminds me of an exciting incident
which took place a year ago, when I was conducting my experiments with currents
of high frequency.
Steve Brodie had just jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge. The feat has been
vulgarised since by imitators, but the first report electrified New York. I was
very impressionable then and frequently spoke of the daring printer. On a hot
afternoon I felt the necessity of refreshing myself and stepped into one of the
popular thirty thousand institutions of this great city, where a delicious
twelve per cent beverage was served, which can now be had only by making a trip
to the poor and devastated countries of Europe. The attendance was large and not
over-distinguished and a matter was discussed which gave me an admirable opening
for the careless remark, "This is what I said when I jumped off the bridge." No
sooner had I uttered these words, than I felt like the companion of Timothens,
in the poem of Schiller. In an instant there was pandemonium and a dozen voices
cried, "It is Brodie!" I threw a quarter on the counter and bolted for the door,
but the crowd was at my heels with yells, Ð "Stop, Steeve!", which must have
been misunderstood, for many persons tried to hold me up as I ran frantically
for my haven of refuge. By darting around corners I fortunately managed, through
the medium of a fire escape, to reach the laboratory, where I threw off my coat,
camouflaged myself as a hard-working blacksmith and started the forge. But these
precautions proved unnecessary, as I had eluded my pursuers. For many years
afterward, at night, when imagination turns into spectres the trifling troubles
of the day, I often thought, as I tossed on the bed, what my fate would have
been, had the mob caught me and found out that I was not Steve Brodie!
Now the engineer who lately gave an account before a technical body of a novel
remedy against statics based on a "heretofore unknown law of nature," seems to
have been as reckless as myself when he contended that these disturbances
propagate up and down, while those of a transmitter proceed along the earth. It
would mean that a condenser as this globe, with its gaseous envelope, could be
charged and discharged in a manner quite contrary to the fundamental teachings
propounded in every elemental text book of physics. Such a supposition would
have been condemned as erroneous, even in Franklin's time, for the facts bearing
on this were then well known and the identity between atmospheric electricity
and that developed by machines was fully established. Obviously, natural and
artificial disturbances propagate through the earth and the air in exactly the
same way, and both set up electromotive forces in the horizontal, as well as
vertical sense. Interference can not be overcome by any such methods as were
proposed. The truth is this: In the air the potential increases at the rate of
about fifty volts per foot of elevation, owing to which there may be a
difference of pressure amounting to twenty, or even forty thousand volts between
the upper and lower ends of the antenna. The masses of the charged atmosphere
are constantly in motion and give up electricity to the conductor, not
continuously, but rather disruptively, this producing a grinding noise in a
sensitive telephonic receiver. The higher the terminal and the greater the space
encompast by the wires, the more pronounced is the effect, but it must be
understood that it is purely local and has little to do with the real trouble.
In 1900, while perfecting my wireless system, one form of apparatus compressed
four antennae. These were carefully calibrated in the same frequency and
connected in multiple with the object of magnifying the action in receiving from
any direction. When I desired to ascertain the origin of the transmitted
impulse, each diagonally situated pair was put in series with a primary coil
energising the detector circuit. In the former case, the sound was loud in the
telephone; in the latter it ceased, as expected, Ð the two antennae neutralising
each other, but the true statics manifested themselves in both instances and I
had to devise special preventives embodying different principles. By employing
receivers connected to two points of the ground, as suggested by me long ago,
this trouble caused by the charged air, which is very serious in the structures
as now built, is nullified and besides, the liability of all kinds of
interference is reduced to about one-half because of the directional character
of the circuit. This was perfectly self-evident, but came as a revelation to
some simple-minded wireless folks whose experience was confined to forms of
apparatus that could have been improved with an axe, and they have been
disposing of the bear's skin before killing him. If it were true that strays
performed such antics, it would be easy to get rid of them by receiving without
aerials. But, as a matter of fact, a wire buried in the ground which, conforming
to this view, should be be absolutely immune, is more susceptible to certain
extraneous impulses than one placed vertically in the air. To state it fairly, a
slight progress has been made, but not by virtue of any particular method or
device. It was achieved simply by discerning the enormous structures, which are
bad enough for transmission but wholly unsuitable for reception and adopting a
more appropriate type of receiver. As I have said before, to dispose of this
difficulty for good, a radical change must be made in the system and the sooner
this is done the better.
It would be calamitous, indeed, if at this time when the art is in its infancy
and the vast majority, not excepting even experts, have no conception of its
ultimate possibilities, a measure would be rushed through the legislature making
it a government monopoly. This was proposed a few weeks ago by Secretary Daniels
and no doubt that distinguished official has made his appeal to the Senate and
House of Representatives with sincere conviction. But universal evidence
unmistakably shows that the best results are always obtained in healthful
commercial competition. there are, however, exceptional reasons why wireless
should be given the fullest freedom of development. In the first place, it
offers prospects immeasurably greater and more vital to betterment of human life
than any other invention or discovery in the history of man. Then again, it must
be understood that this wonderful art has been, in its entirety, evolved here
and can be called "American" with more right and propriety than the telephone,
the incandescent lamp or the aeroplane.
Enterprising press agents and stock jobbers have been so successful in spreading
misinformation, that even so excellent a periodical as the *Scientific
American*, accords the chief credit to a foreign country. The Germans, of
course, gave us the Hertz waves and the Russian, English, French and Italian
experts were quick in using them for signalling purposes. It was an obvious
application of the new agent and accomplished with the old classical and
unimproved induction coil, scarcely anything more than another kind of
heliography. The radius of transmission was very limited, the result attained of
little value, and the Hertz oscillations, as a means for conveying intelligence,
could have been advantageously replaced by sound waves, which I advocated in
1891. Moreover, all of these attempts were made three years after the basic
principles of the wireless system, which is universally employed today, and its
potent instrumentalities had been clearly described and developed in America.
No trace of those Hertzian appliances and methods remains today. We have
proceeded in the very opposite direction and what has been done is the product
of the brains and efforts of citizens of this country. The fundamental patents
have expired and the opportunities are open to all. The chief argument of the
Secretary is based on interference. According to his statement, reported in the
New York Herald of July 29th, signals from a powerful station can be intercepted
in every village in the world. In view of this fact, which was demonstrated in
my experiments in 1900, it would be of little use to impose restrictions in the
United States.
As throwing light on this point, I may mention that only recently an odd looking
gentleman called on me with the object of enlisting my services in the
construction of world transmitters in some distant land. "We have no money," he
said, "but carloads of solid gold, and we will give you a liberal amount." I
told him that I wanted to see first what will be done with my inventions in
America, and this ended the interview. But I am satisfied that some dark forces
are at work, and as time goes on the maintenance of continuous communication
will be rendered more difficult. The only remedy is a system immune against
interruption. It has been perfected, it exists, and all that is necessary is to
put it in operation.
The terrible conflict is still uppermost in the minds and perhaps the greatest
importance will be attached to the magnifying Transmitter as a machine for
attack and defence, more particularly in connection with TELAUTAMATICS. This
invention is a logical outcome of observations begun in my boyhood and continued
throughout my life. When the first results were published, the Electrical Review
stated editorially that it would become one of the "most potent factors in the
advance of civilisation of mankind." The time is not distant when this
prediction will be fulfilled. In 1898 and 1900, it was offered by me to the
Government and might have been adopted, were I one of those who would go to
Alexander's shepherd when they want a favour from Alexander!
At that time I really thought that it would abolish war, because of its
unlimited destructiveness and exclusion of the personal element of combat. But
while I have not lost faith in its potentialities, my views have changed since.
War can not be avoided until the physical cause for its recurrence is removed
and this, in the last analysis, is the vast extent of the planet on which we
live. Only though annihilation of distance in every respect, as the conveyance
of intelligence, transport of passengers and supplies and transmission of energy
will conditions be brought about some day, insuring permanency of friendly
relations. What we now want most is closer contact and better understanding
between individuals and communities all over the earth and the elimination of
that fanatic devotion to exalted ideals of national egoism and pride, which is
always prone to plunge the world into primeval barbarism and strife. No league
or parliamentary act of any kind will ever prevent such a calamity. These are
only new devices for putting the weak at the mercy of the strong.
I have expressed myself in this regard fourteen years ago, when a combination of
a few leading governments, a sort of Holy alliance, was advocated by the late
Andrew Carnegie, who may be fairly considered as the father of this idea, having
given to it more publicity and impetus than anybody else prior to the efforts of
the President. While it can not be denied that such aspects might be of material
advantage to some less fortunate peoples, it can not attain the chief objective
sought. Peace can only come as a natural consequence of universal enlightenment
and merging of races, and we are still far from this blissful realisation,
because few indeed, will admit the reality Ð that God made man in His image Ð in
which case all earth men are alike. There is in fact but one race, of many
colours. Christ is but one person, yet he is of all people, so why do some
people think themselves better than some other people?
As I view the world of today, in the light of the gigantic struggle we have
witnessed, I am filled with conviction that the interests of humanity would be
best served if the United States remained true to its traditions, true to God
whom it pretends to believe, and kept out of "entangling alliances." Situated as
it is, geographically remote from the theatres of impending conflicts, without
incentive to territorial aggrandisement, with inexhaustible resources and
immense population thoroughly imbued with the spirit of liberty and right, this
country is placed in a unique and privileged position. It is thus able to exert,
independently, its colossal strength and moral force to the benefit of all, more
judiciously and effectively, than as a member of a league.
I have dwelt on the circumstances of my early life and told of an affliction
which compelled me to unremitting exercise of imagination and self-observation.
This mental activity, at first involuntary under the pressure of illness and
suffering, gradually became second nature and led me finally to recognise that I
was but an automaton devoid of free will in thought and action and merely
responsible to the forces of the environment. Our bodies are of such complexity
of structure, the motions we perform are so numerous and involved and the
external impressions on our sense organs to such a degree delicate and elusive,
that it is hard for the average person to grasp this fact. Yet nothing is more
convincing to the trained investigator than the mechanistic theory of life which
had been, in a measure, understood and propounded by Descartes three hundred
years ago. In his time many important functions of our organisms were unknown
and especially with respect to the nature of light and the construction and
operation of the eye, philosophers were in the dark.
In recent years the progress of scientific research in these fields has been
such as to leave no room for a doubt in regard to this view on which many works
have been published. One of its ablest and most eloquent exponents is, perhaps,
Felix le Dantec, formerly assistant of Pasteur. Professor Jacques Loeb has
performed remarkable experiments in heliotropism, clearly establishing the
controlling power of light in lower forms of organisms and his latest book,
"Forced Movements," is revelatory. But while men of science accept this theory
simply as any other that is recognised, to me it is a truth which I hourly
demonstrate by every act and thought of mine. The consciousness of the external
impression prompting me to any kind of exertion, Ð physical or mental, is ever
present in my mind. Only on very rare occasions, when I was in a state of
exceptional concentration, have I found difficulty in locating the original
impulse. The by far greater number of human beings are never aware of what is
passing around and within them and millions fall victims of disease and die
prematurely just on this account. The commonest, every-day occurrences appear to
them mysterious and inexplicable. One may feel a sudden wave of sadness and rack
his brain for an explanation, when he might have noticed that it was caused by a
cloud cutting off the rays of the sun. He may see the image of a friend dear to
him under conditions which he construes as very peculiar, when only shortly
before he has passed him in the street or seen his photograph somewhere. When he
loses a collar button, he fusses and swears for an hour, being unable to
visualise his previous actions and locate the object directly. Deficient
observation is merely a form of ignorance and responsible for the many morbid
notions and foolish ideas prevailing. There is not more than one out of every
ten persons who does not believe in telepathy and other psychic manifestations,
spiritualism and communion with the dead, and who would refuse to listen to
willing or unwilling deceivers?
Just to illustrate how deeply rooted this tendency has become even among the
clear-headed American population, I may mention a comical incident. Shortly
before the war, when the exhibition of my turbines in this city elicited
widespread comment in the technical papers, I anticipated that there would be a
scramble among manufacturers to get hold of the invention and I had particular
designs on that man from Detroit who has an uncanny faculty for accumulating
millions. So confident was I, that he would turn up some day, that I declared
this as certain to my secretary and assistants. Sure enough, one fine morning a
body of engineers from the Ford Motor Company presented themselves with the
request of discussing with me an important project. "Didn't I tell you?," I
remarked triumphantly to my employees, and one of them said, "You are amazing,
Mr. Tesla. Everything comes out exactly as you predict."
As soon as these hard-headed men were seated, I of course, immediately began to
extol the wonderful features of my turbine, when the spokesman interrupted me
and said, "We know all about this, but we are on a special errand. We have
formed a psychological society for the investigation of psychic phenomena and we
want you to join us in this undertaking." I suppose these engineers never knew
how near they came to being fired out of my office.
Ever since I was told by some of the greatest men of the time, leaders in
science whose names are immortal, that I am possessed of an unusual mind, I bent
all my thinking faculties on the solution of great problems regardless of
sacrifice. For many years I endeavoured to solve the enigma of death, and
watched eagerly for every kind of spiritual indication. But only once in the
course of my existence have I had an experience which momentarily impressed me
as supernatural. It was at the time of my mother's death.
I had become completely exhausted by pain and long vigilance, and one night was
carried to a building about two blocks from our home. As I lay helpless there, I
thought that if my mother died while I was away from her bedside, she would
surely give me a sign. Two or three months before, I was in London in company
with my late friend, Sir William Crookes, when spiritualism was discussed and I
was under the full sway of these thoughts. I might not have paid attention to
other men, but was susceptible to his arguments as it was his epochal work on
radiant matter, which I had read as a student, that made me embrace the
electrical career. I reflected that the conditions for a look into the beyond
were most favourable, for my mother was a woman of genius and particularly
excelling in the powers of intuition. During the whole night every fibre in my
brain was strained in expectancy, but nothing happened until early in the
morning, when I fell in a sleep, or perhaps a swoon, and saw a cloud carrying
angelic figures of marvellous beauty, one of whom gazed upon me lovingly and
gradually assumed the features of my mother. The appearance slowly floated
across the room and vanished, and I was awakened by an indescribably sweet song
of many voices. In that instant a certitude, which no words can express, came
upon me that my mother had just died. And that was true. I was unable to
understand the tremendous weight of the painful knowledge I received in advance,
and wrote a letter to Sir William Crookes while still under the domination of
these impressions and in poor bodily health. When I recovered, I sought for a
long time the external cause of this strange manifestation and, to my great
relief, I succeeded after many months of fruitless effort.
I had seen the painting of a celebrated artist, representing allegorically one
of the seasons in the form of a cloud with a group of angels which seemed to
actually float in the air, and this had struck me forcefully. It was exactly the
same that appeared in my dream, with the exception of my mother's likeness. The
music came from the choir in the church nearby at the early mass of Easter
morning, explaining everything satisfactorily in conformity with scientific
facts.
This occurred long ago, and I have never had the faintest reason since to change
my views on psychical and spiritual phenomena, for which there is no foundation.
The belief in these is the natural outgrowth of intellectual development.
Religious dogmas are no longer accepted in their orthodox meaning, but every
individual clings to faith in a supreme power of some kind.
We all must have an ideal to govern our conduct and insure contentment, but it
is immaterial whether it be one of creed, art, science, or anything else, so
long as it fulfils the function of a dematerialising force. It is essential to
the peaceful existence of humanity as a whole that one common conception should
prevail. While I have failed to obtain any evidence in support of the
contentions of psychologists and spiritualists, I have proved to my complete
satisfaction the automatism of life, not only through continuous observations of
individual actions, but even more conclusively through certain generalisations.
these amount to a discovery which I consider of the greatest moment to human
society, and on which I shall briefly dwell.
I got the first inkling of this astonishing truth when I was still a very young
man, but for many years I interpreted what I noted simply as coincidences.
Namely, whenever either myself or a person to whom I was attached, or a cause to
which I was devoted, was hurt by others in a particular way, which might be best
popularly characterised as the most unfair imaginable, I experienced a singular
and undefinable pain which, for the want of a better term, I have qualified as
"cosmic" and shortly thereafter, and invariably, those who had inflicted it came
to grief. After many such cases I confided this to a number of friends, who had
the opportunity to convince themselves of the theory of which I have gradually
formulated and which may be stated in the following few words: Our bodies are of
similar construction and exposed to the same external forces. This results in
likeness of response and concordance of the general activities on which all our
social and other rules and laws are based. We are automata entirely controlled
by the forces of the medium, being tossed about like corks on the surface of the
water, but mistaking the resultant of the impulses from the outside for the free
will. The movements and other actions we perform are always life preservative
and though seemingly quite independent from one another, we are connected by
invisible links. So long as the organism is in perfect order, it responds
accurately to the agents that prompt it, but the moment that there is some
derangement in any individual, his self-preservative power is impaired.
Everybody understands, of course, that if one becomes deaf, has his eyes
weakened, or his limbs injured, the chances for his continued existence are
lessened. But this is also true, and perhaps more so, of certain defects in the
brain which drive the automaton, more or less, of that vital quality and cause
it to rush into destruction. A very sensitive and observant being, with his
highly developed mechanism all intact, and acting with precision in obedience to
the changing conditions of the environment, is endowed with a transcending
mechanical sense, enabling him to evade perils too subtle to be directly
perceived. When he comes in contact with others whose controlling organs are
radically faulty, that sense asserts itself and he feels the "cosmic" pain.
The truth of this has been borne out in hundreds of instances and I am inviting
other students of nature to devote attention to this subject, believing that
through combined systematic effort, results of incalculable value to the world
will be attained. The idea of constructing an automaton, to bear out my theory,
presented itself to me early, but I did not begin active work until 1895, when I
started my wireless investigations. During the succeeding two or three years, a
number of automatic mechanisms, to be actuated from a distance, were constructed
by me and exhibited to visitors in my laboratory.
In 1896, however, I designed a complete machine capable of a multitude of
operations, but the consummation of my labours was delayed until late in 1897.
This machine was illustrated and described in my article in the Century Magazine
of June, 1900; and other periodicals of that time and when first shown in the
beginning of 1898, it created a sensation such as no other invention of mine has
ever produced. In November, 1898, a basic patent on the novel art was granted to
me, but only after the Examiner-in-Chief had come to New York and witnessed the
performance, for what I claimed seemed unbelievable. I remember that when later
I called on an official in Washington, with a view of offering the invention to
the Government, he burst out in laughter upon my telling him what I had
accomplished. Nobody thought then that there was the faintest prospect of
perfecting such a device. It is unfortunate that in this patent, following the
advice of my attorneys, I indicated the control as being affected through the
medium of a single circuit and a well-known form of detector, for the reason
that I had not yet secured protection on my methods and apparatus for
individualisation. As a matter of fact, my boats were controlled through the
joint action of several circuits and interference of every kind was excluded.
Most generally, I employed receiving circuits in the form of loops, including
condensers, because the discharges of my high-tension transmitter ionised the
air in the (laboratory) so that even a very small aerial would draw electricity
from the surrounding atmosphere for hours.
Just to give an idea, I found, for instance, that a bulb twelve inches in
diameter, highly exhausted, and with one single terminal to which a short wire
was attached, would deliver well on to one thousand successive flashes before
all charge of the air in the laboratory was neutralised. The loop form of
receiver was not sensitive to such a disturbance and it is curious to note that
it is becoming popular at this late date. In reality, it collects much less
energy than the aerials or a long grounded wire, but it so happens that it does
away with a number of defects inherent to the present wireless devices.
In demonstrating my invention before audiences, the visitors were requested to
ask questions, however involved, and the automaton would answer them by signs.
This was considered magic at the time, but was extremely simple, for it was
myself who gave the replies by means of the device.
At the same period, another larger telautomatic boat was constructed, a
photograph of which was shown in the October 1919 number of the Electrical
Experimenter. It was controlled by loops, having several turns placed in the
hull, which was made entirely water-tight and capable of submergence. The
apparatus was similar to that used in the first with the exception of certain
special features I introduced as, for example, incandescent lamps which afforded
a visible evidence of the proper functioning of the machine. These automata,
controlled within the range of vision of the operator, were, however, the first
and rather crude steps in the evolution of the art of Telautomatics as I had
conceived it.
The next logical improvement was its application to automatic mechanisms beyond
the limits of vision and at great distances from the centre of control, and I
have ever since advocated their employment as instruments of warfare in
preference to guns. The importance of this now seems to be recognised, if I am
to judge from casual announcements through the press, of achievements which are
said to be extraordinary but contain no merit of novelty, whatever. In an
imperfect manner it is practicable, with the existing wireless plants, to launch
an aeroplane, have it follow a certain approximate course, and perform some
operation at a distance of many hundreds of miles. A machine of this kind can
also be mechanically controlled in several ways and I have no doubt that it may
prove of some usefulness in war. But there are to my best knowledge, no
instrumentalities in existence today with which such an object could be
accomplished in a precise manner. I have devoted years of study to this matter
and have evolved means, making such and greater wonders easily realisable.
As stated on a previous occasion, when I was a student at college I conceived a
flying machine quite unlike the present ones. The underlying principle was
sound, but could not be carried into practice for want of a prime-mover of
sufficiently great activity. In recent years, I have successfully solved this
problem and am now planning aerial machines *devoid of sustaining planes,
ailerons, propellers, and other external* attachments, which will be capable of
immense speeds and are very likely to furnish powerful arguments for peace in
the near future. Such a machine, sustained and propelled *entirely by reaction*,
is shown on one of the pages of my lectures, and is supposed to be controlled
either mechanically, or by wireless energy. By installing proper plants, it will
be practicable to *project a missile of this kind into the air and drop it*
almost on the very spot designated, which may be thousands of miles away.
But we are not going to stop at this. Telautomats will be ultimately produced,
capable of acting as if possessed of their own intelligence, and their advent
will create a revolution. As early as 1898, I proposed to representatives of a
large manufacturing concern the construction and public exhibition of an
automobile carriage which, left to itself, would perform a great variety of
operations involving something akin to judgment. But my proposal was deemed
chimerical at the time and nothing came of it.
At present, many of the ablest minds are trying to devise expedients for
preventing a repetition of the awful conflict which is only theoretically ended
and the duration and main issues of which I have correctly predicted in an
article printed in the SUN of December 20, 1914. The proposed League is not a
remedy but, on the contrary, in the opinion of a number of competent men, may
bring about results just the opposite.
It is particularly regrettable that a punitive policy was adopted in framing the
terms of peace, because a few years hence, it will be possible for nations to
fight without armies, ships or guns, by weapons far more terrible, to the
destructive action and range of which there is virtually no limit. Any city, at
a distance, whatsoever, from the enemy, can be destroyed by him and no power on
earth can stop him from doing so. If we want to avert an impending calamity and
a state of things which may transform the globe into an inferno, we should push
the development of flying machines and wireless transmission of energy without
an instant's delay and with all the power and resources of the nation.
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