i66 NIKOLA TESLA 



stronger and, after passing through a maximum, gradually 

 decreased and ceased once more. Many times, in regularly 

 recurring intervals, the same actions were repeated until the 

 storm which, as evident from simple computations, was mov- 

 ing with nearly constant speed, had retreated to a distance 

 of about three hundred kilometers. Nor did these strange 

 actions stop then, but continued to manifest themselves with 

 undiminished force. Subsequently, similar observations were 

 also made by my assistant, Mr. Fritz Lowenstein, and shortly 

 afterward several admirable opportunities presented them- 

 selves which brought out, still more forcibly, and unmistak- 

 ably, the true nature of the wonderful phenomenon. No 

 doubt whatever remained : I was observing stationary waves. 

 As the source of disturbances moved away the receiving 

 circuit came successively upon their nodes and loops. Impos- 

 sible as it seemed, this planet, despite its vast extent, behaved 

 like a conductor of limited dimensions. The tremendous 

 significance of this fact in the transmission of energy by my 

 system had already become quite clear to me. Not only was 

 it practicable to send telegraphic messages to any distance 

 without wires, as I recognized long ago, but also to impress 

 upon the entire globe the faint modulations of the human 

 voice, far more still, to transmit power, in unlimited amounts, 

 to any terrestrial distance and almost without any loss. 



With these stupendous possibihties in sight, with the 

 experimental evidence before me that their reaUzation was 

 henceforth merely a question of expert knowledge, patience 

 and skill, I attacked vigorously the development of my mag- 

 nifying transmitter, now, however, not so much with the 

 original intention of producing one of great power, as with 

 the object of learning how to construct the best one. This 

 is, essentially, a circuit of very high self induction and small 

 resistance which in its arrangement, mode of excitation and 

 action, may be said to be the diametrically opposite of a 

 transmitting circuit typical of telegraphy by Hertzian or 

 electromagnetic radiations. It is difficult to form an'adequate 

 idea of the marvelous power of this unique appliance, by the 

 aid of which the globe will be transformed. The electro- 

 magnetic radiations being reduced to an insignificant quantity, 



