by Bill Blowers
“Robert, let me sleep on this. I see the good in your proposal. It holds Uncle Nik’s interests at the core, but I’m troubled by signing his name.”
“I know this is a huge decision for you. Think it over carefully, and please contact me if you have any questions.”
Viko chose to walk thirty blocks to lower Manhattan and the Tesla Electric Company. He needed to think, and the fresh air would help. To sign or not to sign? What a dilemma.
He arrived at 31 South Fifth Avenue as confused as when he left the restaurant. But when he walked in the door, the scene before him made up his mind on the spot.
Tesla was in a shouting match with three men. Viko recognized Abe Cohen, the proprietor of the largest hardware supply in New York. Cohen and Tesla were nose to nose, screaming and gesticulating with their arms. The two in the background were large and burly and not there to have a nice chat.
Cohen shouted, “Pay the bill now! I have had enough of your promises. You have until tomorrow morning. The bill is $1,585. I want cash, and I want it no later than noon. Do you understand me? Do I need to have these men show you how serious I am? Charlie, how about a few broken fingers? Maybe a good kick in the balls? Maybe both?”
No one noticed that Viko had entered the room.
As the man called Charlie stepped toward Tesla, Viko quietly reached to his right, picked up an iron bar, and pushed one of Tesla’s fluorescent lamps onto the floor. The sudden crash, followed by the sound of imploding glass, caused everyone to spin around. Viko held the thirty-pound iron bar as he had seen baseball players hold their bats.
The two men began to move toward him. Viko raised the iron bar and calmly said, “I have served in the Serbian army; I have killed men with a bayonet. Step away from Mr. Tesla.”
Even Tesla showed signs of fear, not of the two apes that were about to work him over, but of Viko. Was this the young man he worked with day and night? There was something behind the voice—an edge that spelled danger. The thugs nervously glanced at each other trying to decide how to rush him, neither one willing to go first. Cohen broke the silence. “Okay boys, I think we’ve made our point. It’s time to leave.”
“Not so fast,” said Viko. “What’s this all about?” Abe, who knew Viko, tried to tell him that it was none of his affair. However, Viko insisted. He took a practice swing with the iron bar, and the look on his face caused everyone to back up a bit.
Abe explained about the past-due bill and the countless promises from Tesla. Viko glanced at his uncle, who was relieved that he wasn’t going to be nursing a broken hand or a very painful set of testicles, but was obviously very embarrassed that Viko had had to learn about their precarious financial condition in this way.
Viko told Cohen that he would have the money by noon the next day. Tesla started to say something, but an angry look from Viko made him think better of it. Viko repeated, “You have my word; your money will arrive by midday at the latest.”
Looking a little skeptical, Cohen and his “persuaders” left. Viko put down the iron bar. His hands began to shake. Slowly he shook his head. “How long has this been going on?”
“I owe you a debt of gratitude. Those men were going to hurt me; did you see how unreasonable Abe was with me? Why, he was demanding—”
“You owe me a huge debt of gratitude! I should have let them twist off a couple of your fingers or give you a good kick in the privates. How can you be so blind? Listen, Uncle, I care about you. You are a genius, but you have to stop living in your dream world that surrounds you like a cocoon. You are not a king to whom your subjects owe a living. This place has to run like a business, not like some kind of grand experiment. I look around and I see failure. I see piles of worthless paper, paper containing the greatest advances of the last hundred years, and yet because of this fantasy world you live in they result in nothing for you, but result in millions for those to whom you constantly owe money. You give away everything for a handful of change.
“From this moment, I am going to handle the finances around here. Do not question me. Do not get involved except to let me know how much you need and what it’s for. I will decide the rest. Do you understand me?”
Tesla just sat down, stunned. He stammered a bit, tried to speak. “I, I don’t know what to say.”
Viko said again, “Do you understand me?”
Tesla nodded hesitantly. “Yes, I understand. But may I ask where you intend to get the money to pay him by tomorrow? We only have about three hundred dollars.”
“As I said, do not ask. Consider it done. I want to see all the financial records of the company.”
As they strolled later that day down to a nearby park to watch the seabirds and look out over the water, Viko felt an inner strength he had not felt before.
That night over dinner, the tension of the afternoon dissipated, Nikola reflected, “You were very intimidating today. When did you serve in the army, and did you really kill people?”
“Was I that convincing? I was never in the army, and I have never been able to deliberately hurt anyone, but when I saw those men about to attack you, something in me snapped. When I worked in my father’s tavern I had to learn to deal with an occasional drunk. One day a man from the village, completely drunk, came in demanding wine. He grabbed an empty bottle, broke it off, and threatened to slice my face open. He rushed at me. I stepped aside and he fell, swearing and cursing as I had never heard before. I grabbed a chair and swung with all my might—it knocked him out!
“When I saw those men coming after you, I relived those moments, and something in me told me that I must defend you regardless of any danger to me.”
The next morning a smiling Viko walked into Robert Johnson’s bank. “Shake hands with the new finance officer of the Tesla Electric Company!”
Robert said, “Excellent! Let’s get to my office. I have an idea as to how we can do this without Nikola finding out.”
“No need to do that, my uncle agrees to it all.”
“Excuse me, but how?”
They sat in Robert’s office drinking their morning coffee. Robert listened as Viko told of his return to the office and the events that unfolded there.
“He doesn’t know about the Westinghouse check, and he doesn’t need to know. I can sign my own name to the check. Let’s get on with it. I need to get money to Abe Cohen before his goons come back and turn my uncle into a eunuch!”
It took Viko a month to straighten out the financial mess that Tesla had accumulated over the previous twelve years. Every time Viko got things under control, a new creditor would surface and he had to once again deal with another angry supplier. He found that Tesla had not invoiced legitimate deliveries, and he was able to bring in another $65,386 to the account.
When all was settled, Viko paid all creditors, old hotel bills, restaurant bills, attorney’s fees, patent filing fees, and back pay to the workers. It totaled $32,594, leaving a healthy balance in the accounts of the Tesla Electric Company. For the first time in a long time, Tesla was solvent, no longer hounded by creditors, and the change in him was remarkable. His health improved, his step quickened, and his creativity reached new heights.
CHAPTER 21
January 1903—Viktor Gracac Becomes Viktor Tesla
Nikola Tesla was forty-seven years old and knew that he would never marry; his life had no time for that kind of commitment. His hermitlike existence in the confines of the lab never gave him the chance to meet anyone of the opposite sex. Despite this, Tesla had a desire to be a father, if even of an adopted son.
As he and Viko worked together, the thought often crossed his mind, but he was reluctant to bring it up. Would Viko think it an insult if he asked him to be his adopted son? The physical resemblance between Nikola and Viko was uncanny. It was common for first time visitors to refer to Viko as Viko Tesla. Viko never corrected them. The misunderstanding gave Tesla a swell of pride. He wanted to be a father, and Viko would be the perfect son.
Viko’s twenty-seventh birthda
y would be in a few weeks, February 12, 1903. Tesla planned to use the occasion to ask Viko if he would consider changing his last name to Tesla. With Katherine’s help, he planned a surprise birthday party.
The twelfth arrived on a particularly cold and windy day, and Viko wanted nothing more than to go home to their apartment and sit in front of a warm fireplace. When Tesla told him the Johnsons had invited them for dinner he protested, “Since when do we get invited to the Johnsons’ on a Thursday? You go. Tell them I’m sick.”
Nikola had invited all Tesla Electric employees; they needed to leave work early to attend. He had to get Viko out of the way. “Viko, I forgot to mention that Robert is bringing a banker home tonight. He wants to talk to us about investing in the electric rifle I’ve been working on. You must be there! You know how bad I am when it comes to money details. That’s your department. You need to get home and take a bath; you smell like Edison.”
Hearing this, Viko knew he needed to be involved. He reached for his coat, gathered it about himself, and headed out the door. He was mildly exasperated at his uncle, thinking to himself, When, if ever, will this man learn a little organization, and when will he think to let me know about these things in advance? Brains and common sense do not always exist side by side.
An hour and a half later a very cold Viko Gracac and Nikola Tesla stepped out of a carriage and hurried to the Johnsons’ front door as the wind whipped down the street and did its best to blow their hats away. Katherine opened the door. “You two look like Eskimos!”
Viko grumbled, “Could we just get inside? I’m freezing.” They hung up their coats and went into the library where a warm fire burned in the fireplace. Viko started to ask about the banker. But before he could get the question out he heard a very loud “Surprise!” and turned to face all of his friends, fellow workers, and even a few engineers along with Thomas Allen from Westinghouse. The Johnsons’ young children were there, done up in their finest. Viko’s face turned a bright shade of crimson; he was embarrassed to be the center of attention.
After a sumptuous meal, everyone went into the library for cake and coffee. The Johnsons’ maid wheeled in a teacart with a beautiful cake and twenty-seven brightly burning candles. Viko took a deep breath and with a huge exhalation of air extinguished each candle to the great delight of the crowd.
After the applause died down, Robert said, “Well, Viko, what do you think of the cake and its decorations?”
Viko had been so preoccupied that he had not read the inscription on the cake: “Happy Birthday Viktor Tesla.”
He started to say that his name was wrong, but he looked at his uncle who was shaking his head slowly.
“No, Viko,” Tesla said, his voice cracking with emotion. “The cake is correct. Since everyone already thinks you are my son, I think it is time we make it official—consider yourself adopted.”
Viko had been an orphan for years, ever since those terrible days in Salonia. He had been forced to take on the burdens of adulthood almost overnight. Nikola Tesla was a close relative, his uncle, and for him to consider Viko a son was an affirmation beyond anything Viko could have imagined. From that day forward, Viko ceased to call himself Viko Gracac and proudly began to use the surname Tesla. In his mind, Uncle Nik would always be his uncle, and his memories of his parents would never fade away, but he had a renewed sense that he belonged someplace, no longer isolated, but part of a family again.
CHAPTER 22
Nikola Tesla and the Johnsons
Nikola Tesla and the Johnsons had been close friends for many years. Robert was the president of American Citizens Bank of New York, a small but very successful bank navigating the early waters of financing new business ventures. He and Katherine had been married for four years when Robert first met Tesla, a struggling scientist with a brain better suited for the technical world than for the financial world. Tesla had just left his employment with Edison and was striking out on his own.
When choosing those he would support, Robert looked for integrity, honesty, and expertise in their chosen field. Tesla possessed those qualities in abundance, but with a financial naiveté that was almost frightening. Tesla was so assured of his technical prowess that he deemed business matters irrelevant.
Their first meeting was accidental. Tesla was on his way to see John Astor when he inadvertently walked into American Citizens Bank. Robert politely said, “Sir, I think that you are in the wrong bank, but may I help?”
Tesla’s reply took him back a bit, and coming from a lesser person would have been laughable, but Tesla had such an air of confidence that Robert asked him to repeat what he had said. Tesla repeated: “You can help me only if you are willing to invest in the greatest motor developments yet to be introduced. I am going to revolutionize factory production techniques.”
Robert found him intriguing. Their relationship grew, and Robert became his most trusted confidant on business matters. He introduced Tesla to financiers, reviewed contracts for him, advised him on legal matters, and helped him find a trustworthy patent attorney. In the course of their many meetings, Tesla met Katherine Johnson while having lunch with Robert. The warm feelings were mutual; Tesla’s brilliance put Robert in awe, and his European charm and manners delighted Katherine.
He visited their home at least weekly for family dinners that were better than the famous restaurants he loved to frequent. Katherine learned of the dishes he had enjoyed as a boy, researched European recipes, and directed their cook to prepare meals especially for Tesla.
Robert and Katherine Johnson became his American family. Tesla was so involved in his work that he developed few close friendships, yet he was drawn to both of them. Katherine was one of the few women he valued as a friend, and at times her compassion for him filled in gaps that had been left open when his mother died.
Robert was invaluable as a source of financial advice, but he found Tesla’s strange attitude toward accepting money counter to intelligent business operations. Had it not been for the entrance of Viko into the picture, that part of their friendship would be very strained indeed.
BOOK 5
CHAPTER 23
1904—J.P. Morgan and the Fluorescent Lamp
After months of experimentation, Tesla and Viko reached a satisfactory level of reliable performance with the “Tesla lamp” (the forerunner of the modern fluorescent lamp). Tesla arranged for publications throughout the country to report on this new, wonderful cool source of indoor light. It attracted one of the richest men in America, and arguably the single most influential person as regards United States financial policy. J. Pierpont Morgan had such control over monetary policy that he forced President Howard Taft to support his plan for circumventing a major financial crisis in 1909. His business acumen, as well as his reputation for ruthlessness, was second to none. He epitomized the term Robber Baron.
Among Morgan’s achievements was the formation of the General Electric Company, which he created by combining the Edison General Electric Company with the Thomson-Houston Electric Company.
One of Morgan’s most extensive business developments was the formation of the IMM, the International Mercantile Marine. This led to his financial control of White Star Line and its manager, J. Bruce Ismay. He provided the majority of the funds to build Titanic.
When Morgan expressed interest in the new Tesla lamp, it represented not only a huge opportunity for Nikola Tesla, it also was a blow to Edison, whose hatred for Tesla was legendary. Edison was furious. Tesla’s AC was clearly superior, but Edison refused to accept it and did everything possible to discredit him.
Robert Johnson was approached by Morgan’s representative and set up a meeting between Morgan, Viko, and Nikola for a Tuesday afternoon at Tesla Electric. Robert warned Viko and Nikola, “He wants to see the lighting. This could be the break you have been waiting for, but be careful with him. He did not acquire a personal worth of eighty million dollars by giving money away. He will come in and seem to be willing to help, but before you know it he
will own everything of yours.”
The next Monday morning, as Nikola and Viko were putting plans together for the meeting with Morgan, they received an urgent message. A generator at Niagara Falls had gone down in the extreme cold and the remaining generators were unable to make up for the loss. Sections of the city of Buffalo were without power. Thomas Allen of Westinghouse needed someone there immediately. With Morgan about to arrive, the message could not have come at a more inopportune time.
Viko had supervised the Niagara installation. He spoke up immediately. “I should go.” He quickly gathered his notes, ran home, packed a few things, and caught the next train to Niagara Falls. His last words to Nikola were, “Go ahead with the demonstration, but remember what Robert said: Morgan is not to be trusted. Do not strike a deal with him until I get back.”
Morgan presented an unusual caricature. He was a short squat figure of a man and suffered from rhinophyma, a condition that caused his nose to swell to huge proportions resembling the red rubber nose that a clown might wear.
Pierpont, as Morgan preferred to be called, visited Tesla’s facility as planned and was thoroughly taken with Tesla’s amazing new lamp, mesmerized as it glowed with soft pure light while remaining cool to the touch. Morgan and Tesla talked throughout the afternoon and into the evening, discussing in detail a plan to manufacture the lamps with Morgan agreeing to provide all funding. He was quite aware of Tesla’s genius and the power of his inventions regarding electrical generation and distribution. He was reaping returns from the private investments he had with Westinghouse. To be involved in the manufacturing of this new lamp was simply icing on the cake.
Morgan owned a large unused warehouse in the Bronx with two hundred thousand square feet of manufacturing space and offices. He offered an incredible deal. “I will provide all financing. You will receive a 51 percent interest in the business, which gives you controlling interest. I think such a generous offer is fitting for a venture with this kind of promise. The business will be named the Tesla Electric Lamp Company. Will you assign the patents to a manufacturing company, assuming of course that you are properly compensated?”