1985 article.
Siloam Springs, AR-- Interesting discovery in historic building attributed to Nikola Tesla
After the purchase of a historic monument and hotel, local developer, Moroni Cally began exploring the basement and found, to his surprise, a strange looking mechanical contraption that appeared dated.
"The previous owners said they rarely went into the basement and when they did it was only during tornado warnings," he said. "They never mentioned this machine--or whatever it is."
After some research, a local reporter found that the dating of the machine corresponds to a lengthy stay at the hotel by Nikola Tesla, a Serbian-American inventor.
"Sometime in 1893, Tesla had come into the area and found the place to his liking and decided to stay for awhile. Unfortunately, it was to the detriment of the hotel owners as he was a very demanding guest according to the notes found in the (previous) owner's journals and reports in a small local newspaper called the Sun."
A collector of Tesla objects and artifacts, Chin Trine, examined the machine and reported that though it probably could be attributed to Tesla, the machine was unlike any of the inventor's other contraptions, which generally had to do with energy production.
He also offered to purchase the machine from the new owner. Currently, the machine remains in the basement of the hotel. The owner has no intention of selling, but has said that anyone who would like to examine it, may do so by appointment.
Since the 1985 discovery, the mystery machine fell into obscurity with the hotel changing hands three more times. The machine has remained where it was initially found, probably because the thing looked so forbidding. I happened to find out about it, because one of the hotel owners, a regular at the corner coffee shop, overheard me mention a story about Nikola Tesla.
A conversation ensued and from that, an invitation to view the machine.
Gloria and I arrived at the hotel around noon, on a sunny Wednesday afternoon. The owner of the hotel (preferring to remain nameless) escorted us to the basement, but asked us not to take photos. Thankfully Gloria brought her Iphone and managed to sneak a couple of shots.
“I have no idea how the contraption works,” said the woman. “There is no electricity down here.”
I moved closer to a console which looked to me, like something out of a 1950s science fiction movie. Glancing across it, I noticed several buttons, but no visible cords or wires. Given the absence of power, I did not see how the thing could work. A large red button, sitting at the end of the panel seemed to call to me. Not sure why I did it, but I pressed the darn thing.
A whirring sound, from somewhere in the guts of the beast sounded loudly. Gloria backed away toward the basement door.
"Mom! What did you do?" she yelled over the cacophony of sound that ensued. The owner of the hotel bolted out the door, shoving Gloria aside, nearly knocking her over.
I stood looking at the thing and wondering what just happened. The whirring, was now eclipsed by a loud hum and vibration directly under our feet. "What is that?" I asked.
Gloria and I exchanged a look. "Mom, lets get outta here." She motioned for me to come with her, but I could not move. I had to know what the inventor had done.
My father had begun telling me about Nikola Tesla when I was but a pup. If this truly was his work, it could mean something crazy wonderful for the world. A new technology never before tapped.
Though he was not in the soundest of minds, especially during his later years, I wondered about many of the projects he had worked on. Most specifically the material and equipment the government confiscated after his death. Could this be something he had tried to hide?
I glanced back at Gloria and shook my head. "I've gotta know Honey. You go." I waved her away. "I have to know..."
She must have thought I had gone insane. The conflict showed on her face. Something between shock and curiosity was quickly replaced by anger. "Are you nuts? This thing is doing something--"
She was cut off by a sudden wind that blew through the room, hitting me full in the face. I went to my knees, smelling and tasting metal.
"Mom!" Gloria, her voice shrill and down on the ground, pointed to the wall behind the console. I peeked around the console and saw that part of the structure fading in and out. It was there, then it wasn't. Replacing it was a large, dark hole.
My immediate thought was that Tesla, in all his wisdom had created a black hole. Could he have? I felt sick with the thought, but knew I had to get out of there quick.
The wind stopped. The room grew silent but for our heavy breathing and the whirring of the console in front of me. I looked back at my daughter standing again near the entrance, clutching the door frame, as if afraid she would blow away.
I held up a hand to indicate I needed her to wait a moment. Obviously the thing had stopped working for some reason. But then a motion in the hole caught my attention and I panicked. I meant to hit the red button again to shut off the machine, but instead hit a white button next to it. Suddenly, the hole lit up and I saw it was not a hole at all, but a tunnel.
Behind me, I heard Gloria's exclamation. "My God! What is it?"
Moving to the other side of the room, afraid to get too close, I needed to get a better look. There was no 'light' at the end of the structure. In fact, it appeared to be a replica of one of those carnival fun house tunnels, with light panels imbed into the side. It also appeared to rotate.
"Hello!" a weak voice called from the tunnel.
"What the--" Gloria appeared even more startled than before. Her eyes grew wide as we both saw a tall figure emerge.
As we stood there, rooted to our respective spots, the late, great Nikola Tesla stepped from the tunnel. I recognized him only from his height and stark features. The man was hardly the fastidiously dressed individual I had read so much about. Neither was he the aged Tesla I would expect to see. But a younger, less vibrant specimen of what Tesla had been.
His tattered suit, an old standby of mid-nineteenth century business men, was not only worn, but ragged. Pieces had been ripped from the gray fabric and large tears showed in the legs. Threads had come apart at the seams. He appeared to be nearly bald, but I noticed clumps of hair had been taken from his head. As if, like the fabric, something had ripped it away.
Despite his slouching posture, he stood over six feet. His thin neck craned forward, bird-like, looking at us from eyes gray with age. Though younger, there were 'aged' traits to his appearance. He limped and I thought for some reason, this to be a result of the process that had brought him here.
Standing just outside the tunnel, he did not move forward. "Who are you?" he snapped.
Gloria had let go of the door frame. "Is that T-T-Tesla?"
I glanced back at her and nodded. "I don't think it's really him though. It's some kind of hologram or advanced imaging." I shook my head, disbelieving. "How could he have done this back then?"
"Of course it's me!" The Tesla image responded looking directly at me. "And you have used my Resurrector to bring me back. What is it you want?"
"Resurrector?" Gloria wondered, stepping closer behind me.
The man swiped the air in front of him, as if swatting a fly. "Yes. I have created a device that can tap the ether and bring back the consciousness of those who have passed over. Unfortunately, is--ggg-- not a-gugugu-- per--gugu--fect process. gugu-- problems." A gurgling began to sound in his voice.
A resurrector that could bring back the consciousness of the dead. What did that mean? "What kind of problems?" I asked.
He glanced down at himself and spread his hands, which appeared to be withering in front of us. Flakes of skin rose like dust and floated away. "We gugu--an still feel our bodies, despite the fa--gugu that we have been dis--gugu--orporated. And the body that I'm in is ban--gugu--rupt. I am fading."
He paused as if exhausted, then looked back up at us and smiled sadly, shaking his head. "I am a failure eh?"
"No sir!" I said. "You are a legend Mister Tesla. Everyone knows who you are, as they did when you were alive. But today people see that some of the things you spoke of like the wireless technology... well, it has come true."
His smile grew wider at that, then his glance fell on the console in front of me. "I gugu--annot move gugu--loser, or the effects of the tunnel will dissipate. I will be blown to bits." He gestured to the console. "You see the bla-- gugu-- nobs with numbers? There are green and red lights over them..."
I nodded. He swatted at the air again and I wondered what it was he saw that I couldn't. The thought caused me to pause and I hoped I would never find out.
"Turn those nobs to increase the amount of energy needed to amplify the effe--gugu--ts of the tunnel. Turn the bottom nob to six."
I reached over and noticed this was the highest setting. "What will this do?" I asked, hesitant.
"Woman!" He snapped at me, swatting the air once more. "It will gugu--eep me from falling to pieces. Please..."
I turned the nob and noticed an immediate rise in sound of the whirring from the console. The man in front of us changed. He stood straighter, tattered clothing repaired and he took a breath.
"That's better. Now," he gestured to the console once again. "to call back someone specifically you must have a photo of that individual and use the thought connector." He waved toward an area of the basement that was unlit. "You will place it on your head and use the photograph for visualization."
Gloria stepped next to me now. "You mean we can call anyone we want?"
He nodded. "Yes. You must have a clear image of an individual in your mind, or you will get me again."
"Kind of like a default consciousness," said Gloria, beside me now.
Tesla nodded, his head full of jet black hair now. "The consciousness you call last is stored in the machine. If you have no other individual, you will get that consciousness."
He swatted at the air again and I realized his hair was thinning once more. So the effect did not last long. "How long do we have before people we call begin falling apart?"
Shrugging his thin shoulders, "I don't know. Not long. Perhaps five minutes. Some are worse than others. "I suggest you do not call Friedrich Nietzsche or other disturbed individuals. They are unstable and may somehow escape the tunnel. In that case you could have problems."
"Ahhhh...agghhhh..." He groaned and put a hand on his chest. "Please let me go back now. Turn the power all the way down or hit the red button." The gurgling in his voice again caused me to shiver. I did not want to know what caused it.
I had to know one more thing. "How is this powered?" I asked. "There are no wires. No cords. Where does it get the energy to run?"
"The... a-ay--air!" He waved his hand in front of him. Energy is everywhere Child. Now let me-me--me-- go!"
I hit the red button and the man vanished. The tunnel disappeared. Gloria and I were alone again and rain had begun to fall outside.
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