Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 651 Nikolai, you with thick eyebrows and big eyes, have also betrayed the revolution?

May 13, 1884, 5 p.m., Fifth Avenue Hotel, New York.

Lionel gave himself one last check in the mirror. The black tuxedo fit him perfectly, the white bow tie was neatly tied, and the buttons on the cuffs gleamed.

Sophie helped him tidy up his appearance, and now he looks exactly like a gentleman ready to attend an important occasion.

He took another suit from the closet, folded it neatly, draped it over his arm, and then walked out of the room and down the corridor to Tesla's door.

He knocked on the door, but no one answered, so he knocked a few more times. This time the door finally opened, and Nikola Tesla stood in the doorway.

Lionel was stunned. Tesla was still wearing a shirt and casual pants, the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, his hair was messy, and there were even pencil marks on his face.

"You didn't change your clothes?" Lionel asked.

Tesla didn't answer, but simply stepped aside: "Leon, come in quickly."

Lionel walked into the room and immediately noticed that the walls that used to be covered with paintings were now nailed with blueprints.

The sheets of paper, large and small, were laid out in a single sheet; some were sketches, others were densely packed with mathematical calculations.

The edges of the drawings are secured with thumbtacks, arranged neatly, with horizontal and vertical lines and consistent spacing.

Apart from that, the rest of the room was exceptionally clean, even the bed was perfectly smooth without a single wrinkle.

This was a consistent habit of Tesla's. He had severe obsessive-compulsive disorder and a fanatical pursuit of order.

Tesla's first requirement for its assistants is that they must clean the lab every day, put away used tools, and archive drawings by number.

One of the most important reasons he was able to accept Lionel was that Lionel was the most hygienic of all the "ordinary people" he had met in this era.

Especially during the Paris cholera outbreak, Lionel's promotion of disinfection, handwashing, and clean drinking water methods was particularly well-received by Tesla.

Before Lionel could even see what was nailed to the wall, Tesla exclaimed, "Leon, you're a genius!"

Lionel was baffled: "What?"

Tesla pointed to a picture on the wall: "This—the project you invested in for me a few days ago—George Junior Taylor's 'Hysteria Treatment Device'!"

Lionel's mind went blank for a moment.

George Junior Taylor, the hysteria therapy device, that stick, the steam engine-driven telescopic motion… He really wanted to erase that memory completely.

Lionel simply said that the investment would be made in Tesla's name and that Taylor should talk to Tesla. He didn't inquire about the specifics of the discussion.

Tesla walked to the wall and pointed to a sketch: "I went to his clinic yesterday. His machines are bulky and the design is flawed."

That steam engine was too big, taking up an entire room, and its transmission efficiency was low, limiting its operating frequency. From 1869 to today, there haven't been any major improvements.

Lionel could only listen quietly, unsure of what to say.

Nikola Tesla turned around: "But they had ideas! The Taylors lacked knowledge of mathematics and engineering, but they had a talent for invention."

The idea of ​​replacing manual labor with machines is correct! If I were to design it, I could reduce the size by 40% and increase efficiency by over 30% without using electricity.

"Nikolai, you with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, have you also betrayed the revolution?" This was the only thought in Lionel's mind.

Historically, wasn't Tesla a lifelong bachelor who only had a romantic relationship with a pigeon in New York? How could he possibly be interested in this machine that "cures" women?
Thinking of this, he finally spoke up: "You don't actually want to help them improve that machine, do you?" He didn't want Tesla to waste his precious time on this.

Tesla looked at him strangely: "Isn't this what you originally intended by investing in it?"

Lionel wanted to explain that he was forced into it, that he wanted to shut Taylor up, and that he wanted to get out of that awkward situation as soon as possible.

But before he could speak, Tesla continued.

“I spent the whole day drawing these diagrams. There’s a particularly important feature in Taylor’s machine that can improve many of our current devices.”

Lionel's interest was finally piqued: "What function?"

"Vibration function".

Tesla walked to the wall, pulled a sheet from the pile of drawings, and spread it out on the desk. Lionel leaned over to look at it.

It was a diagram of a mechanical structure, showing complex gears and connecting rods, with a strangely shaped wheel in the middle.

Tesla pointed to the wheel: "Cam structure. Taylor used this to convert rotational motion into reciprocating motion, achieving high-frequency, uniform, and controllable mechanical vibration."

Sixty beats per minute, very consistent. The doctor told me that his father developed tendonitis in his wrist from using his hands to treat patients years ago.

Later, he built a machine and tested it himself. The machine was much more stable than a human hand, and it was also faster.

Lionel listened, trying hard not to let his expression betray him.

Tesla, oblivious to his odd behavior, continued excitedly, "When I got back, I started thinking, where could this structure be used? The first thing that came to mind was a typewriter!"

Lionel was taken aback.

Tesla pointed to the blueprints: "Our typewriters have uneven printhead impact on the paper. Sometimes the same key is pressed too hard, and sometimes too lightly."

When the pressure is too heavy, the writing is so dark it tears the paper; when the pressure is too light, the writing is blurry and illegible. This problem has remained unsolved, and the typist's 'feel' has to be relied upon.

He pointed to another picture, which was a sketch of the internal structure of a typewriter: "If a cam structure is installed, the impact of the print head becomes a uniform reciprocating motion. This way, the force of each impact is the same, and the writing is clear and not uneven."

Lionel began to listen attentively.

Tesla continued, "Then I thought, if it can be used on typewriters, can it be used on telegraph machines? Especially automatic telegraph machines."

He then pointed to a diagram, which was a structural sketch of a telegraph machine: "The automatic telegraph machine needs to print the code onto the paper tape, and the problem with the existing machines is that the force is uneven."

Using this vibration structure will produce clearer dots and strokes, making them less prone to misreading.

Lionel stared at the blueprints, his mind racing.

Typewriters, telegraph machines, automatic telegraph transmitters. These were all technologies that were rapidly developing in the 1880s.

If Tesla can truly improve that vibration structure and enhance the performance of these machines—

"And another one," Tesla said, pulling out another image. "Look at this."

Lionel leaned closer. It was a more complex diagram, showing several cams connected together.

Tesla said, "If you combine multiple cams, you can achieve more complex movements, such as with a current textile machine, if you replace it with this vibration structure—"

Lionel interrupted him: "Wait. You've only been watching for a day, and you've already come up with so much?"

Tesla nodded: "I started drawing last night when I got back. I've been drawing until this afternoon."

Lionel stared at the dozens of drawings on the wall. Dense lines and numbers, neatly labeled. How much time must have taken this?

Lionel couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you rest?"

Tesla shook his head: "I can't sleep. My mind keeps racing. The structures just come to me automatically, and I have to draw them down, otherwise it'll be even more uncomfortable."

Lionel glanced at the blueprints on the wall, then at Tesla: "Does Taylor know that you've used his machines to create so many things?"

Tesla thought for a moment: "I didn't tell him, I just asked him for the blueprints of that machine. His machine was built by his father bit by bit, entirely by feel, without any blueprints."

I watched him operate the machine twice, then glanced at it a few times before coming back and drawing it himself.

Lionel was speechless. The machine that the Taylors spent over a decade building, Tesla could draw up a bunch of improvement plans in a single day. Is this what genius is?
"What about the machine itself? Are you still planning to help him improve it?"

Tesla thought about it carefully: "Although his machine is a bit clumsy in structure, the principle is correct. If it can be driven by an electric motor, it will indeed be more convenient to use."

Lionel didn't know what to say. Tesla's way of thinking was completely different from his.

When he saw that machine, he just wanted to run away, but Tesla saw all the technical details and possibilities.

Lionel took out his pocket watch and glanced at it: "These ideas are wonderful, but now, you need to change your clothes first."

Tesla looked at his shirt, then at the drawings on the wall, as if he didn't want to leave those paintings.

Lionel handed him the suit he had brought: "Now, we're going to meet the best and most powerful electrical engineers in all of America."

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1884年5月13日，晚上七点五十分，摩根家族的马车在东23街127号门前停下。

Lionel opened the car door and got out first, with Tesla following behind him.

This is the office building of the American Society of Civil Engineers, where the American Institute of Electrical Engineers will hold its founding ceremony.

Several carriages were already parked at the entrance, and the drivers were gathered together smoking and chatting.

As the two walked up the steps, they saw several people standing in the lobby, talking. One of them saw them and immediately came to greet them.

“Mr. Sorel! Mr. Tesla! Nathaniel Keith, Franklin Institute. Welcome.”

Nathaniel Keith was a metallurgical electrical engineer, and it was at his suggestion that America's electrical giants thought of setting up their own engineering society.

The next International Electrical Exposition will be held in Philadelphia this October. It would be quite embarrassing if the United States didn't have an organization to connect with its international counterparts.

Lionel shook hands with him: "Mr. Keith, congratulations. Today is a big day."

Nathaniel Keith smiled and said, "Yes, we've been preparing for a whole month. Please come with me; the meeting room is on the third floor."

The three walked up the stairs, and Keith said as they went, "There are about thirty people tonight. Some came from Philadelphia, and a few from Boston as well."

We are honored that you are here representing electrical engineers from Europe.

Before we knew it, we arrived at the conference room on the third floor. It wasn't a large space, with four or five rows of long tables, seating a total of more than forty people.

There are already more than twenty people here, standing and talking in groups of three or five.

Lionel scanned the room and immediately spotted Thomas Edison, who in turn spotted Lionel and Nikola Tesla.

Everyone in the conference room was well aware of the "grudges" between the two sides, and they involuntarily stopped talking, focusing their attention on the three of them.

The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder...

(First update, thank you everyone!)
(End of this chapter)