Brooklyn Eagle
July 10, 1932
Tesla Cosmic Ray Motor May Transmit Power 'Round Earth
Famed Scientist, on Eve of 76th Birthday, Says He Has Succeeded in Harnessing 'Penetrating Rays' to Operate Small Motive Device
by John J. A. O'Neill, Science Editor of the Eagle
"I have harnessed the cosmic rays and caused them to operate a motive
device," declared Nikola Tesla, famous scientist, in an interview last
evening on the eve of his 76th birthday...
Tesla, who all his life has worked in seclusion and struggles to avoid publicity
with all the vigor with which movie stars court it, permits a handful of
"science writers" to violate the rules as a sort of birthday party.
It is very much of an ordeal to the tall, straight, meticulously attired
gentleman whose inventions have been epoch-making and who is unable to
understand why the public should be interested in him.
"Cosmic ray investigation is a subject that is very close to me. I was the
first to discover these rays and I naturally feel toward them as I would toward
my own flesh and blood," said Dr. Tesla.
His statement is borne out by reference to clippings of interviews with him more
than a quarter of a century ago in which he discussed "penetrating
rays" and to which not much attention was given as no one was able to
comprehend the nature of them as he discussed them.
"I have advanced a theory of the cosmic rays and at every step of my
investigations I have found it completely justified." said Dr. Tesla.
Not Much Power Yet
Dr. Tesla stated that the amount of power he was able to develop in the device
was insignificant.
I asked him if its power output was of the same magnitude as that of Crookes'
radiometer, the device with four vanes in a glass tube that are rotated by
sunlight, and which is often seen in jewelers' windows. He stated that the power
output was many thousand times that of a Crookes' radiometer.
"The attractive features of the Cosmic rays is their constancy. They shower
down on us throughout the whole 24 hours, and if a plant is developed to use
their power it will not require devices for storing energy as would be necessary
with devices using wind, tide or sunlight."
Exceed Velocity of Light
"All of my investigations seem to point to the conclusion that they are
small particles, each carrying so small a charge that we are justified in
calling them neutrons. They move with great velocity, exceeding that of light.
"More than 25 years ago I began my efforts to harness the cosmic rays and I
can now state that I have succeeded in operating a motive device by means of
them."
I was able to prevail upon Dr. Tesla to give me some idea of the principle upon
which his cosmic ray motor works.
"I will tell you in the most general way," he said. "The cosmic
ray ionizes the air, setting free many charges - ions and electrons. These
charges are captured in a condenser which is made to discharge through the
circuit of the motor.
Hopes to Build Large Motor
"I have hopes of building my motor on a large scale, but circumstances have
not been favorable to carrying out my plan."
I asked Dr. Tesla if his plan for transmission of power between planets involved
the use of cosmic rays, and he stated that the two projects have no connection
whatever. He stated that he has continued his experimental work in the
laboratory on the interplanetary power transmission project and is certain of
its feasibility.
I also asked him if he is still at work on the project which he inaugurated in
the '90's of transmitting power wirelessly anywhere on earth. He is at work on
it, he said, and it could be put into operation.
Cited Two Principles
He at that time announced two principles which could be used in this project. In
one the ionizing of the upper air would make it as good a conductor of
electricity as a metal.
In the other the power would be transmitted by creating "standing
waves" in the earth by charging the earth with a giant electrical
oscillator that would make the earth vibrate electrically in the same way a bell
vibrates mechanically when it is struck with a hammer.
"I do not use the plan involving the conductivity of the upper strata of
the air," he said, "but I use the conductivity of the earth itself,
and in this I need no wires to send electrical energy to any part of the
globe."