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.In it Istressed the usefulness of the discovery for deliveringpower to ships for travel across the ocean, thuseliminating the need for carrying fuel supplies, ratherthan its use as a weapon for defense or offense.On this occasion I tried to get him to reveal sometechnical details, but he successfully parried everyquestion and gave no information beyond the statement thatthe transmitting plant on shore was one which he would beable to erect at a cost of about $2,000,000, and the energywould be transmitted by a ray or beam of infinitesimallysmall cross section, one hundred thousandth of a centimeterin diameter.To other newspapers which copied my story hegave the figure as one millionth of a square centimeter.Later, I wrote a somewhat critical review of his plan andsought to draw him out by reviewing the properties ofelectro-magnetic radiation in all parts of the spectrum.Finding none that possessed any known characteristics213needed to make his ray practical, I also reviewed theproperties of all known particles of matter, and statedthat none of these would serve his purpose with thepossible exception of the unelectrified particle, theneutron.He made no revealing response to the article.At his birthday dinner in 1938, at the Hotel New Yorker,Tesla described briefly his combination wireless-powertransmission and death ray, adding little to what hasalready been stated; and in a later part of his speech hedeclared that he had developed a method for interplanetarycommunication, in which he would be able to transmit notonly communication signals of small strength but energiesinvolving thousands of horsepower.On this occasion I asked him if he would be specificconcerning the effects produced, and whether they would bevisible from the earth; for example--could he produce aneffect on the moon suffciently large to be seen by anastronomer watching the moon through a high-powertelescope? To this he replied that he would be able toproduce in the dark region of the thin crescent new moon anincandescent spot that would glow like a bright star sothat it could be seen without the aid of a telescope.It would appear probable that Tesla proposed to use forthis purpose the beam he described in connection with hiswirelesspower "death ray." The limitation of thedestructive effects of the beam, which he visualized as twohundred miles, was due to the fact that the beam had astraight-line trajectory.Tesla stated that the curvatureof the earth set a limit on the distance of operation, sothe two-hundred-mile span of operation gave an indicationof the greatest practical height of a tower from which thebeam could be directed.He expected to use potentials ofabout 50,000,000 volts in his system, but whether of director alternating current is unknown.The only written statement by Tesla on this subject is inhis manuscript of the talk which was delivered, inabsentia, some months later before the Institute ofImmigrant Welfare in response to its honorary citation.Inthis was included the following paragraph:"To go to another subject: I have devoted much of my timeduring the year past to perfecting of a new small andcompact apparatus by which energy in considerable amounts214can now be flashed through interstellar space to anydistance without the slightest dispersion.I had in mind toconfer with my friend, George E.Hale, the great astronomerand solar expert, regarding the possible use of thisinvention in connection with his own researches.In themeantime, however, I am expecting to put before theInstitute of France an accurate description of the devicewith data and calculations and claim the Pierre GutzmanPrize of 100,000 francs for means of communication withother worlds, feeling perfectly sure that it will beawarded to me.The money, of course, is a triflingconsideration, but for the great historical honor of beingthe first to achieve this miracle I would be almost willingto give my life [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]