Nikola Tesla’s “lost” patent - decoded

Now we all have access to Tesla’s patent Application 213,055 we should examine it a little closer as this is the only story that Tesla repeated more than twice.
Copies of the original patent application can be found in a book by Snezana Sarboh, M.Sc., “The Unresolved Patents of Nikola Tesla”. She has also added two drawings, but in my opinion those do not belong to this application. Fig. 1 of this application should look like one of these:

The most convenient way to explain this text is to put myself in Tesla’s shoes and explain it as if I were him. In doing this I draw on the many writings that I have read by him and I do not need to mix in my personal thoughts on this subject, keeping this as concise and practical as possible.

First the title: “Production and Application of Electrical Force”
When taken literally this patent deals with generating rain, not directly with the production of electrical force. The latter is only briefly mentioned and considering the enormous electrical power required to run this machine, it is very doubtful that any generated rain will produce enough energy to run this device, let alone running other equipment as well (as in claim #5)
To some this may be evidence that Tesla had completely lost his mind here, but to me it means that this is an analogy. My conclusions being supported by -among others- the fact that in defending this application Tesla mentioned that he was building this machine on Long Island and Wardenclyffe is on no other occasion being described as a rain making machine. The Wardenclyffe apparatus is being called a Magnifying Transmitter, and this machine is described in very similar analogies.

Skipping the formal introduction we read:
”It is well known that through the sun’s heat water is evaporated and elevated to more or less considerable heights, where it remains in a state of delicate suspension, until disturbing influences arise which cause a condensation of vapour particles and their fall to the earth’s surface under the action of gravity.”
The sun, being charged up to 216 billion volts, is a source of primary cosmic rays, which in turn are the source of the Earth’s internal heat, radiation that we refer to as Cosmic Background Radiation and the cause of radioactive decay.
Electric potential -being caused by a gaseous medium- can be raised by either compressing or heating this medium (or both). So the inner heat of the Earth causes the Earth to have a higher electrical potential than its surroundings, and the flow of terrestrial heat through the atmosphere can be interpreted as an electrical current. Thus our atmosphere contains electricity which during lightning storms is being made very visible.

“The body of water maintained in the air is like a heavy weight in labile equilibrium, which to topple over it requires an amount of energy minute in comparison to that developed by its fall.”
In lightning we see that relatively low voltages of 20 to 80 MV can produce discharges of many kilometres long. These lengths should require billions of volts, but they don’t. A small trigger discharge can set off an avalanche of electrical charges, building up a column of ionized air which, upon touching the ground, violently discharges.

“In endeavouring to solve this all-important problem I have discovered that the condensation of aqueous vapour is or may be brought about, by certain electrical discharges or oscillations of transcending intensity, which produce sudden and excessive compressions and rarefactions in the atmosphere.”
The phrase “all important problem” links this text to “the Problem of Increasing Human Energy” (Tesla’s most important article of June 1900) where Tesla proposes to burn atmospheric nitrogen to fertilize the earth. Here again the solution is in using electrical impulses to obtain something from our atmosphere that solves our problem. It is a very similar analogy.

Here I want to insert a small quote from Tesla’s autobiography where he discusses inventing the Magnifying Transmitter:
“If my memory serves me right, it was in November, 1890, that I performed a laboratory experiment which was one of the most extraordinary and spectacular ever recorded in the annals of science. In investigating the behaviour of high frequency currents I had satisfied
myself that an electric field of sufficient intensity could be produced in a room to light up electrodeless vacuum tubes.”
Keep this in mind when reading the following passage of this patent application:
“Basing myself on experimental facts and observations, I explain their action as follows: The air being compressed is heated above the temperature of the surrounding, and a portion of the heat thus evolved is instantly radiated away.
Rarefaction succeeding, the air is cooled, but only slightly, as some of the vapour in it condenses, this being attended by a liberation of latent heat and partial dissipation of the same, by radiation or otherwise. Upon the air being again compressed, the droplets formed are not re-evaporated, as this would require much more heat energy than consumed in their condensation, hence some of the heat generated is abstracted from the air as before. In the expansion following, the atmospheric gases are again cooled and more of the vapour is condensed. These actions are repeated in rapid succession, their effect being cumulative, resulting in a more or less copious precipitation of moisture.”
So, the rapid compression-expansion-cycles condense a fluid from the air. Now know that electricity was thought of as a fluid, which has left certain marks in modern language such as referring to it as “juice”.
In this light it is not far sought that Tesla meant to use high frequency currents to “condense” electricity from our atmosphere. And in early experiments he made this visible in his vacuum tubes, where electricity condenses more easily because there is less matter that it would cling on to. (see the intro in his article of May 20th, 1891: “Experiments with Alternate Currents of Very High Frequency and Their Application to Methods of Artificial Illumination”)

We continue the application text:
“The energy used up in the compression and expansion of the air bears to the gravitational energy of the vapour condensed a relation not unlike that which exists between the energy required to pull the trigger of a gun and that stored in potential form, in the explosive. Obviously the trigger-mechanism may be more or less sensitive, so too the energy necessary to precipitate water and the quantity of the latter will vary greatly according to circumstances, admitting the correctness of the preceding explanation, the atmosphere subjected to sudden compressions and rarefactions will not be able to contain as much vapour as under normal conditions, and from this it might be inferred, that condensation will always result.”
This is a wrap up of the preceding text.

“But it must be borne in mind that the air is receiving continuously new heat from the surrounding media, which tends to counteract the effect of the discharges or oscillations. Although the direct rays of the sun pass quite freely through the vapour-charged air, the rays reflected from the earth’s surface are almost wholly absorbed. To be effective, the energy of the oscillations must, therefore, be supplied at an enormous rate, even though for a very short time.”
Here Tesla reminds us of his theories concerning the cosmic rays as I already mentioned earlier.
Now remember that both heat and pressure of the medium will result in electric potential, so this should be read as, we aim to extract/condense electric charges by cooling, yet the surrounding medium will immediately replenish the heat. Therefore the rate at which we cool the medium must be higher than the rate at which the heat can be replenished.

“In the lightning discharges nature has provided an ideal means for precipitating moisture, and if electrical forces of such character could be artificially produced, an incalculable benefit to mankind could be secured through their intelligent control. Up to now such results have been thought unrealisable by any human agencies. Attempts to cause a fall of rain by firing bombs and guns have proved unsuccessful chiefly, I believe, on account of the limited activities thus obtainable amounting at most to a few thousand horsepower. But by gradual improvements of an electrical oscillator of the kind described in my patents Nrs: 645,576 and 649,621 which I have used in the transmission of energy without wires, I have have found it practicable to create in the atmosphere commotions, not only equalling, but by far surpassing in intensity those produced by lightning. Rates of many millions of horsepower are attainable with plants of very moderate size, by such means.”
Please note that Tesla is speaking about very short impulses of giga-watts. The energy required is the product of power and time interval. By making these time intervals very small, extremely powerful effects can be created with only a moderate amount of energy.

“In the drawings Fig. 1 represents schematically two resonating circuits such as described in my patents before mentioned and applications pending, more especially in my application serial number 90,245. These circuits, as will now be understood, produce electrical oscillations of transcending intensity. Adjustable terminals T T’ may be provided between which the discharges may be made to pass in desired intervals, though this is not absolutely necessary, as the silent waves caused by the rapid and excessive variations of potential are likewise effective. It may be therefore sufficient to employ but one circuit such as illustrated.”
The patent application 90,245 was granted as US patent 1.119.732. The adjustable terminals T and T’ are C1 and C2 in the image above.

So here we have it. A description of how Tesla intended to extract electrical energy from our atmosphere, the main purpose of his Magnifying Transmitter.
I hope you enjoyed reading it and that this sheds some more light on the work of Nikola Tesla.

For more info see my other posts:
The Key to Tesla's secrets,
Tesla’s Free Energy part 1, part 2, part 3,
Tesla’s Magnifying Transmitter part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4 and part 5.