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From: stekas@hou2g.UUCP (J.STEKAS)
Newsgroups: net.analog,net.physics
Subject: Re: Tesla anyone?
Message-ID: <406@hou2g.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 27-Feb-85 20:43:02 EST
Article-I.D.: hou2g.406
Posted: Wed Feb 27 20:43:02 1985
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Xref: watmath net.analog:165 net.physics:2187

In 1888, Tesla sold Westinghouse the rights to his AC patents for a few
hundred thousand dollars up front and royalties of $2.50 per
horsepower sold.  By 1897, Westinghouse was in financial trouble and
about $12,000,000 in debt to Tesla.  In apreciation of Westinghouse's
support Tesla sold the patents outright for $216,000!  Don't forget,
those were the days when you were doing well to make $500 a year.

Tesla's association with Edison's laboratory wasn't only as an outsider.
In fact, Tesla was an employee of Edison's and worked in his lab.  Tesla
told Edison he could improve the efficiency of his dynamos and Edison
offered him $50,000 if he could do it.  A year later, Tesla had completed
the job and asked to be paid.  Edison dismissed the agreement as a joke
and offered Tesla a raise to $18/week.  Tesla walked out.

The Tesla(AC)-Edison(DC) feud was long and bitter.  Edison had more than
his pride riding on DC, he had bet his fortune as well.  No dirty trick
was too low for Edison to employ on his own behalf.  He used his Wall
Street connections to financially strangle Westinghouse and promolgated
the idea that AC was dangerous.  He and his cohorts even had the electric
chair at Sing-Sing prison wired with AC to emphasize its "lethal" nature!

These facts come from the book "Tesla: Man Out of Time" by Margaret Cheney.

				Jim