1 00:00:02,180 --> 00:00:05,145 Captions by vitac... www.Vitac.Com 2 00:00:05,146 --> 00:00:13,146 ♪♪ 3 00:00:17,284 --> 00:00:20,283 Captions paid for by discovery communications 4 00:00:20,284 --> 00:00:22,490 prince: We're looking for the missing pieces. 5 00:00:22,491 --> 00:00:23,835 It's got to be here. 6 00:00:23,836 --> 00:00:25,455 - We hit something. - What is that? 7 00:00:25,456 --> 00:00:27,904 - Oh, wow. - Dude, we got something. 8 00:00:27,905 --> 00:00:29,628 Murphy: Nikola Tesla was... And a lot of people 9 00:00:29,629 --> 00:00:30,800 will tell you this... 10 00:00:30,801 --> 00:00:34,007 The greatest inventor in American history. 11 00:00:34,008 --> 00:00:37,145 A.c. Power, electric motors, fluorescent lights, 12 00:00:37,146 --> 00:00:39,317 x-rays, wireless energy... 13 00:00:39,318 --> 00:00:43,179 Tesla paved the way for all of these technologies. 14 00:00:43,180 --> 00:00:46,179 Prince: Tesla was taking several of his inventions 15 00:00:46,180 --> 00:00:50,042 and putting them together to become this superweapon. 16 00:00:50,043 --> 00:00:53,076 He called it the death ray. 17 00:00:53,077 --> 00:00:55,179 Narrator: Now a military investigator... 18 00:00:55,180 --> 00:00:56,352 Murphy: But we're gonna have to go around 19 00:00:56,353 --> 00:00:57,628 some of these obstacles. 20 00:00:57,629 --> 00:00:59,007 Narrator: A historian... 21 00:00:59,008 --> 00:01:00,352 Prince: Holy [bleep] 22 00:01:00,353 --> 00:01:02,731 Narrator: And an engineer of Tesla technology... 23 00:01:02,732 --> 00:01:04,386 We're gonna build Tesla's death ray. 24 00:01:04,387 --> 00:01:05,662 Narrator: Unlock the mysteries 25 00:01:05,663 --> 00:01:06,869 behind what could be 26 00:01:06,870 --> 00:01:09,835 the greatest cover-up of the 20th century. 27 00:01:09,836 --> 00:01:11,248 We need to go deeper. 28 00:01:11,249 --> 00:01:13,455 You're telling me that Hitler actually ordered 29 00:01:13,456 --> 00:01:15,145 the assassination of Tesla? 30 00:01:15,146 --> 00:01:16,593 Yes. 31 00:01:16,594 --> 00:01:19,559 If something fails, there's going to be an explosion. 32 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:21,938 Murphy: Tesla moved from lab to lab. 33 00:01:21,939 --> 00:01:24,007 He left a paper trail all over the world... 34 00:01:24,008 --> 00:01:26,490 - How can we get in there? - Trunks of information. 35 00:01:26,491 --> 00:01:28,110 Have these documents ever been published? 36 00:01:28,111 --> 00:01:30,110 No. 37 00:01:30,111 --> 00:01:31,731 Murphy: Did Tesla invent the world's first 38 00:01:31,732 --> 00:01:33,110 weapon of mass destruction... 39 00:01:33,111 --> 00:01:34,593 3, 2, 1... 40 00:01:34,594 --> 00:01:36,455 and was he murdered for it? 41 00:01:36,456 --> 00:01:41,835 ♪♪ 42 00:01:41,836 --> 00:01:44,214 Narrator: January 8, 1943. 43 00:01:44,215 --> 00:01:46,593 As world war ii rages in Europe, 44 00:01:46,594 --> 00:01:49,490 america's most prolific inventor is found dead 45 00:01:49,491 --> 00:01:51,904 in a New York City hotel room, 46 00:01:51,905 --> 00:01:56,179 his safe empty, its contents stolen. 47 00:01:56,180 --> 00:01:57,904 Many of the journals and documents 48 00:01:57,905 --> 00:02:00,869 stolen the night of his death are never found. 49 00:02:00,870 --> 00:02:04,214 Rumors swirl that Nikola Tesla was working on secret, 50 00:02:04,215 --> 00:02:07,628 black projects... Weapons of unspeakable power. 51 00:02:07,629 --> 00:02:10,145 For decades, the rumors are dismissed, 52 00:02:10,146 --> 00:02:13,800 until September 2016. 53 00:02:13,801 --> 00:02:16,455 The FBI releases hundreds of pages 54 00:02:16,456 --> 00:02:19,352 of classified documents on the inventor. 55 00:02:19,353 --> 00:02:23,076 The question is... why was the FBI even interested in Tesla? 56 00:02:23,077 --> 00:02:26,593 He wasn't a bank robber, he wasn't a spy. 57 00:02:26,594 --> 00:02:28,248 So, why did the FBI have hundreds 58 00:02:28,249 --> 00:02:30,524 and hundreds of documents on an inventor? 59 00:02:30,525 --> 00:02:38,525 ♪♪ 60 00:02:45,491 --> 00:02:49,386 When you ask people about Tesla, they think it's a car. 61 00:02:49,387 --> 00:02:53,800 But the truth is, Tesla is really an American hero. 62 00:02:53,801 --> 00:02:56,042 Tesla was actually the most important inventor 63 00:02:56,043 --> 00:02:57,248 in the modern world. 64 00:02:57,249 --> 00:03:00,662 He gave us the lights, he gave us the motors. 65 00:03:00,663 --> 00:03:04,145 Tesla is the man responsible for bringing america 66 00:03:04,146 --> 00:03:06,421 out of the dark ages. 67 00:03:06,422 --> 00:03:09,628 I've been studying Tesla since I was a kid. 68 00:03:09,629 --> 00:03:11,524 As much as I know, 69 00:03:11,525 --> 00:03:15,904 there's still this shroud of mystery around him. 70 00:03:15,905 --> 00:03:19,352 Tesla kept his notes in shorthand or in code 71 00:03:19,353 --> 00:03:22,662 to protect them if they fell in the wrong hands. 72 00:03:22,663 --> 00:03:25,869 He was very secretive about what he was doing. 73 00:03:25,870 --> 00:03:29,214 There are mysteries about Tesla we're still uncovering, 74 00:03:29,215 --> 00:03:31,076 even to this day. 75 00:03:31,077 --> 00:03:32,697 If you talk to any of my childhood friends, 76 00:03:32,698 --> 00:03:34,179 they'll all tell you the same thing... 77 00:03:34,180 --> 00:03:36,421 That I was the guy who wanted to join the military. 78 00:03:36,422 --> 00:03:39,042 I was a green beret, I served in Iraq, 79 00:03:39,043 --> 00:03:42,076 and then I went over to special forces. 80 00:03:42,077 --> 00:03:43,731 These days, I'm a military analyst. 81 00:03:43,732 --> 00:03:46,422 I investigate top-secret government programs. 82 00:03:48,525 --> 00:03:52,110 My combat experience bleeds over into my experience 83 00:03:52,111 --> 00:03:53,593 as an investigator. 84 00:03:53,594 --> 00:03:55,214 When you've been shot at, 85 00:03:55,215 --> 00:03:59,007 your brain calibrates fear in a different way. 86 00:03:59,008 --> 00:04:01,766 I probably dive into situations more readily 87 00:04:01,767 --> 00:04:04,766 than most investigators would. 88 00:04:04,767 --> 00:04:08,800 Recently, I've been going over newly declassified FBI documents 89 00:04:08,801 --> 00:04:10,836 that could rewrite American history. 90 00:04:12,939 --> 00:04:17,042 So, this FBI document here says that when Tesla died, 91 00:04:17,043 --> 00:04:18,766 that his safe was broken into... 92 00:04:18,767 --> 00:04:22,042 Was forced open by parties unknown. 93 00:04:22,043 --> 00:04:25,214 Could any of the documents that were stolen from the safe 94 00:04:25,215 --> 00:04:27,352 be related to the death ray? 95 00:04:27,353 --> 00:04:28,421 Koscho: It's a hell of a weapon. 96 00:04:28,422 --> 00:04:29,973 I think everybody would want it. 97 00:04:29,974 --> 00:04:32,248 I mean, everybody wanted to get their hands on these documents. 98 00:04:32,249 --> 00:04:35,490 Everybody wanted to have this device. 99 00:04:35,491 --> 00:04:37,800 Tesla theorized, this weapon of his 100 00:04:37,801 --> 00:04:42,110 could take out military aircraft 250 miles away. 101 00:04:42,111 --> 00:04:44,766 He thought that this could be a device 102 00:04:44,767 --> 00:04:47,421 capable of delivering 1.5 gigawatts of power 103 00:04:47,422 --> 00:04:48,593 to a target. 104 00:04:48,594 --> 00:04:50,490 It really was absurd at the time, 105 00:04:50,491 --> 00:04:53,110 and frankly, it still is absurd now. 106 00:04:53,111 --> 00:04:55,179 That means we're taking a bolt of lightning, 107 00:04:55,180 --> 00:04:58,766 pointing it at something, and blowing it up. 108 00:04:58,767 --> 00:05:01,421 Murphy: Maybe he finished the death ray, 109 00:05:01,422 --> 00:05:05,421 maybe he finished the design for it, 110 00:05:05,422 --> 00:05:09,352 maybe he'd never had a feasible plan to begin with. 111 00:05:09,353 --> 00:05:10,904 But these documents prove 112 00:05:10,905 --> 00:05:13,214 that Tesla was working on the death ray, 113 00:05:13,215 --> 00:05:15,386 and they show that the events surrounding his death 114 00:05:15,387 --> 00:05:16,904 are highly suspicious. 115 00:05:16,905 --> 00:05:18,835 If Tesla's weapon was real, 116 00:05:18,836 --> 00:05:21,007 then we could have found a possible motive 117 00:05:21,008 --> 00:05:23,766 for the murder of an American hero. 118 00:05:23,767 --> 00:05:25,662 Aron, as an engineer, 119 00:05:25,663 --> 00:05:27,214 do you think there's enough technology 120 00:05:27,215 --> 00:05:28,938 and there's enough information out there 121 00:05:28,939 --> 00:05:31,973 for you to assemble Tesla's death ray? 122 00:05:31,974 --> 00:05:33,386 Yes, I think it's possible 123 00:05:33,387 --> 00:05:35,386 to build something like what he was after, 124 00:05:35,387 --> 00:05:37,973 but, you know, there's a lot of data missing. 125 00:05:37,974 --> 00:05:39,386 I've spent my whole life 126 00:05:39,387 --> 00:05:41,628 obsessed with Tesla's inventions. 127 00:05:41,629 --> 00:05:43,559 Building Tesla's tech is really the only way 128 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:45,283 to understand the man's genius. 129 00:05:45,284 --> 00:05:47,697 One of the coolest things about this death ray, to me, 130 00:05:47,698 --> 00:05:50,662 is that it was not just a weapon. 131 00:05:50,663 --> 00:05:54,662 Tesla theorized that a system like the death ray could be key 132 00:05:54,663 --> 00:05:58,490 to unlocking large-scale wireless power distribution. 133 00:05:58,491 --> 00:06:00,386 It's really the holy grail. 134 00:06:00,387 --> 00:06:01,869 Tesla saw the future. 135 00:06:01,870 --> 00:06:03,352 I mean, we're building technology now 136 00:06:03,353 --> 00:06:06,214 that this man conceived of over 100 years ago. 137 00:06:06,215 --> 00:06:09,214 On another page of these declassified FBI documents, 138 00:06:09,215 --> 00:06:11,593 what they say is that persons sympathetic to Russia 139 00:06:11,594 --> 00:06:13,559 were making an effort to secure models 140 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:16,110 or designs of possible military value. 141 00:06:16,111 --> 00:06:18,076 And when they say "military value," 142 00:06:18,077 --> 00:06:19,973 they have to be talking about the death ray, correct? 143 00:06:19,974 --> 00:06:21,662 Yes, I think that it's clear 144 00:06:21,663 --> 00:06:23,731 that the weapon is their primary concern. 145 00:06:23,732 --> 00:06:25,593 Tesla was aware of that, 146 00:06:25,594 --> 00:06:29,800 and maybe that's why he was so elusive about this machine. 147 00:06:29,801 --> 00:06:30,904 Toward the end of his life, 148 00:06:30,905 --> 00:06:33,179 Tesla filed a patent for this machine. 149 00:06:33,180 --> 00:06:35,421 It's an incomplete drawing. It's mostly theory, 150 00:06:35,422 --> 00:06:37,938 and that's all we have to go on right now. 151 00:06:37,939 --> 00:06:40,731 As you see it, the death ray is actually feasible. 152 00:06:40,732 --> 00:06:42,007 Can it be built? 153 00:06:42,008 --> 00:06:44,179 I think, Cameron, you and I can go search 154 00:06:44,180 --> 00:06:46,800 and try to dig up additional information. 155 00:06:46,801 --> 00:06:48,835 Hopefully, we'll find something new 156 00:06:48,836 --> 00:06:52,146 that will give Aron what he needs to finish this. 157 00:06:54,629 --> 00:06:57,559 Narrator: Jack and Cameron travel across the country 158 00:06:57,560 --> 00:07:00,697 to meet a key source of information about Tesla... 159 00:07:00,698 --> 00:07:02,835 His grandnephew. 160 00:07:02,836 --> 00:07:04,490 Murphy: Tell me what i'm walking into here. 161 00:07:04,491 --> 00:07:06,455 Who is this guy... Terbo... really? 162 00:07:06,456 --> 00:07:09,766 He is Tesla's last remaining blood relative, 163 00:07:09,767 --> 00:07:11,904 and the last person 164 00:07:11,905 --> 00:07:14,904 that is known to have met Tesla in person. 165 00:07:14,905 --> 00:07:16,110 This is a big deal. 166 00:07:16,111 --> 00:07:18,386 He's considered the subject-matter expert. 167 00:07:18,387 --> 00:07:22,317 1856... Nikola Tesla is born at home 168 00:07:22,318 --> 00:07:24,214 during a lightning storm. 169 00:07:24,215 --> 00:07:25,869 No ordinary child, 170 00:07:25,870 --> 00:07:28,110 he'd sometimes sit still for hours, 171 00:07:28,111 --> 00:07:30,938 memorizing entire books and inventing 172 00:07:30,939 --> 00:07:33,559 and testing machines in his mind. 173 00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:36,007 At 28, Tesla comes to america 174 00:07:36,008 --> 00:07:38,248 and reveals his signature invention... 175 00:07:38,249 --> 00:07:40,455 Alternating-current electricity, 176 00:07:40,456 --> 00:07:45,110 more powerful and efficient than Thomas Edison's designs. 177 00:07:45,111 --> 00:07:49,421 Drawn by his genius, Tesla is the toast of high society. 178 00:07:49,422 --> 00:07:51,697 The most powerful men in New York City... 179 00:07:51,698 --> 00:07:55,317 Like j.P. Morgan... Line up to fund his work. 180 00:07:55,318 --> 00:07:58,662 But the inventor is uncomfortable in the spotlight. 181 00:07:58,663 --> 00:08:00,110 He retreats to his lab, 182 00:08:00,111 --> 00:08:01,869 where strange vibrations in the area 183 00:08:01,870 --> 00:08:03,455 lead neighbors to believe 184 00:08:03,456 --> 00:08:07,110 he's building an earthquake machine. 185 00:08:07,111 --> 00:08:09,593 The rumors about Tesla's activities in his lab 186 00:08:09,594 --> 00:08:11,904 persist to this day. 187 00:08:11,905 --> 00:08:14,179 And now only one person alive 188 00:08:14,180 --> 00:08:16,421 can claim to have known the inventor. 189 00:08:16,422 --> 00:08:24,422 ♪♪ 190 00:08:25,111 --> 00:08:27,042 Ah, welcome. 191 00:08:27,043 --> 00:08:28,628 Mr. Terbo, how do you do, sir? 192 00:08:28,629 --> 00:08:30,662 I'm Cameron prince. Hopefully, you remember me. 193 00:08:30,663 --> 00:08:31,731 Oh, yes. Come right in. 194 00:08:31,732 --> 00:08:33,007 I'm Jack. Nice to meet you. 195 00:08:33,008 --> 00:08:34,456 Yes, very good. 196 00:08:37,905 --> 00:08:40,835 Murphy: I'm looking for any new information about Tesla 197 00:08:40,836 --> 00:08:42,283 or his death ray... 198 00:08:42,284 --> 00:08:44,731 A starting point that we can sink our teeth into 199 00:08:44,732 --> 00:08:46,731 and really kick off this investigation. 200 00:08:46,732 --> 00:08:51,628 Prince: First of all, I think, just tell us who Tesla was. 201 00:08:51,629 --> 00:08:54,283 Murphy: As a person... His personality. 202 00:08:54,284 --> 00:08:57,559 When I met Tesla, I was only about 9 years old. 203 00:08:57,560 --> 00:09:00,697 It was really a very important invitation 204 00:09:00,698 --> 00:09:03,559 to go to his lab. 205 00:09:03,560 --> 00:09:06,352 Tesla had many brilliant ideas, 206 00:09:06,353 --> 00:09:09,731 but he did not have an organized system of filing. 207 00:09:09,732 --> 00:09:11,835 When I visited him, that's one thing I noticed. 208 00:09:11,836 --> 00:09:13,662 And I believe that he was worried 209 00:09:13,663 --> 00:09:16,835 about people trying to take his research. 210 00:09:16,836 --> 00:09:20,870 So, Tesla worked on the basis of hiding things. 211 00:09:23,318 --> 00:09:25,110 The so-called death ray... 212 00:09:25,111 --> 00:09:28,248 We've reviewed some declassified FBI documents, 213 00:09:28,249 --> 00:09:30,731 and it seems that there were a number of different players 214 00:09:30,732 --> 00:09:32,869 who were interested in his inventions, 215 00:09:32,870 --> 00:09:34,869 particularly the U.S. government, 216 00:09:34,870 --> 00:09:36,353 the Soviet union. 217 00:09:37,284 --> 00:09:39,593 His idea of inventing 218 00:09:39,594 --> 00:09:42,386 something catastrophic like a death ray... 219 00:09:42,387 --> 00:09:44,559 If you want to prove that, 220 00:09:44,560 --> 00:09:46,352 then I think you really have to go 221 00:09:46,353 --> 00:09:48,386 to wardenclyffe. 222 00:09:48,387 --> 00:09:50,938 Narrator: Wardenclyffe... 223 00:09:50,939 --> 00:09:54,076 Tesla's most ambitious and mysterious laboratory. 224 00:09:54,077 --> 00:09:55,593 With funding from the deep pockets 225 00:09:55,594 --> 00:09:57,973 of financial giant j.P. Morgan, 226 00:09:57,974 --> 00:10:00,352 Tesla designs a lab with a power plant 227 00:10:00,353 --> 00:10:03,938 and massive transmission tower on long island, New York. 228 00:10:03,939 --> 00:10:05,869 Increasingly secretive, 229 00:10:05,870 --> 00:10:09,110 Tesla refuses to allow anyone access to the lab, 230 00:10:09,111 --> 00:10:12,352 including his beneficiary, j.P. Morgan. 231 00:10:12,353 --> 00:10:15,628 Rumors grow that Nikola Tesla is a mad scientist, 232 00:10:15,629 --> 00:10:17,973 using wardenclyffe as a secret testing ground 233 00:10:17,974 --> 00:10:20,662 for dangerous technology like the death ray. 234 00:10:20,663 --> 00:10:23,352 He even hires armed guards for the property. 235 00:10:23,353 --> 00:10:26,869 Under mounting pressure, j.P. Morgan pulls his funding. 236 00:10:26,870 --> 00:10:29,283 Tesla loses everything he built. 237 00:10:29,284 --> 00:10:32,524 Mystery still surrounds the lab at wardenclyffe. 238 00:10:32,525 --> 00:10:34,455 What was Tesla building there? 239 00:10:34,456 --> 00:10:36,076 Terbo: Tesla had a bad habit 240 00:10:36,077 --> 00:10:38,076 of raising money to do something, 241 00:10:38,077 --> 00:10:41,835 and doing what he thought was most interesting to do. 242 00:10:41,836 --> 00:10:44,697 And that was his problem... Wardenclyffe. 243 00:10:44,698 --> 00:10:47,904 He generated the kind of power that he thought he needed, 244 00:10:47,905 --> 00:10:50,904 and if he could focus significant amounts of energy, 245 00:10:50,905 --> 00:10:53,697 he could direct it to a warplane 246 00:10:53,698 --> 00:10:56,042 and shoot it down. 247 00:10:56,043 --> 00:10:58,731 Tesla's tower was demolished. 248 00:10:58,732 --> 00:11:02,042 What's there for us to look at? 249 00:11:02,043 --> 00:11:04,386 You know the tower that he had at wardenclyffe 250 00:11:04,387 --> 00:11:08,938 was an expensive element of the laboratory, 251 00:11:08,939 --> 00:11:12,283 but it was not operational. 252 00:11:12,284 --> 00:11:16,076 But what is under the ground might be of interest. 253 00:11:16,077 --> 00:11:17,869 All these auxiliary tunnels 254 00:11:17,870 --> 00:11:20,248 that have not been evaluated completely 255 00:11:20,249 --> 00:11:22,145 as it should be. 256 00:11:22,146 --> 00:11:26,110 There are so many rumors about what Tesla was hiding 257 00:11:26,111 --> 00:11:28,110 in those tunnels in wardenclyffe. 258 00:11:28,111 --> 00:11:31,559 When you talk about having 10,000 or 20,000 pieces of paper 259 00:11:31,560 --> 00:11:33,007 that are missing, 260 00:11:33,008 --> 00:11:36,353 I don't think you could really deal with Tesla without digging. 261 00:11:37,905 --> 00:11:39,628 If Mr. Terbo is right, 262 00:11:39,629 --> 00:11:42,317 and Tesla did dig tunnels at wardenclyffe, 263 00:11:42,318 --> 00:11:44,766 then we have to find out what's buried there. 264 00:11:44,767 --> 00:11:52,767 ♪♪ 265 00:11:52,974 --> 00:11:55,800 Murphy: Tesla moved from lab to lab. 266 00:11:55,801 --> 00:11:57,973 He left a paper trail all over the world... 267 00:11:57,974 --> 00:11:59,283 Prince: How can we get in there? 268 00:11:59,284 --> 00:12:00,904 Trunks of information. 269 00:12:00,905 --> 00:12:03,145 Wow. Tesla's own hand. 270 00:12:03,146 --> 00:12:04,766 Have these documents ever been published? 271 00:12:04,767 --> 00:12:06,042 No. 272 00:12:06,043 --> 00:12:07,317 If we're gonna build Tesla's death ray, 273 00:12:07,318 --> 00:12:09,007 there's a reason nobody's done this before. 274 00:12:09,008 --> 00:12:10,628 It's dangerous. 275 00:12:10,629 --> 00:12:13,042 It wasn't called a death ray for no reason. 276 00:12:13,043 --> 00:12:14,628 That scares the [bleep] out of me. 277 00:12:14,629 --> 00:12:15,662 All right, everyone clear. 278 00:12:15,663 --> 00:12:16,800 We're good. 279 00:12:16,801 --> 00:12:17,835 Aw, dude, what the [bleep]? 280 00:12:17,836 --> 00:12:19,007 Wow. 281 00:12:19,008 --> 00:12:20,904 Oh, we blew this the [bleep] up. 282 00:12:20,905 --> 00:12:23,455 Murphy: Wardenclyffe was the site of Tesla's old lab. 283 00:12:23,456 --> 00:12:25,559 Prince: There are rumors of tunnels at wardenclyffe. 284 00:12:25,560 --> 00:12:26,731 Murphy: We need to go deeper. 285 00:12:26,732 --> 00:12:28,662 We're looking for the missing pieces. 286 00:12:28,663 --> 00:12:31,800 If we have any hope of cracking the mystery of the death ray, 287 00:12:31,801 --> 00:12:33,869 it's got to be here. 288 00:12:33,870 --> 00:12:35,352 Joe, we hit something. What is that? 289 00:12:35,353 --> 00:12:38,007 Oh, wow. Dude, we got something. 290 00:12:38,008 --> 00:12:41,007 Do you think Tesla finished the death ray? 291 00:12:41,008 --> 00:12:43,490 That makes the death ray real. 292 00:12:43,491 --> 00:12:44,835 Koscho: Five... 293 00:12:44,836 --> 00:12:46,524 He's like the ghost that we just can't pin down. 294 00:12:46,525 --> 00:12:47,904 Four... Look at that. 295 00:12:47,905 --> 00:12:49,283 Three... two... 296 00:12:49,284 --> 00:12:50,938 My mind's blown... One. 297 00:12:50,939 --> 00:12:52,698 This is it, man. 298 00:12:56,836 --> 00:12:58,352 Narrator: Jack and Cameron 299 00:12:58,353 --> 00:13:00,145 are en route to Tesla's mysterious, 300 00:13:00,146 --> 00:13:03,145 abandoned laboratory on long island, New York. 301 00:13:03,146 --> 00:13:05,490 Meanwhile, Aron gathers his team in Texas 302 00:13:05,491 --> 00:13:06,904 to start construction 303 00:13:06,905 --> 00:13:09,352 on Tesla's long-rumored superweapon. 304 00:13:09,353 --> 00:13:11,490 If they can demonstrate the death ray was real, 305 00:13:11,491 --> 00:13:14,179 they'll prove there was a motive to murder Nikola Tesla. 306 00:13:14,180 --> 00:13:16,248 Koscho: All right, y'all, let's do this thing. 307 00:13:16,249 --> 00:13:18,352 [ Tool whirring ] 308 00:13:18,353 --> 00:13:22,317 We're gonna build Tesla's death ray. 309 00:13:22,318 --> 00:13:24,214 Hmm.right. 310 00:13:24,215 --> 00:13:26,042 [Bleep] Yeah. 311 00:13:26,043 --> 00:13:28,973 It's a big device that stores a ton of energy 312 00:13:28,974 --> 00:13:32,042 and shoots it in a beam, out toward a target, 313 00:13:32,043 --> 00:13:33,421 and destroys the target. 314 00:13:33,422 --> 00:13:34,628 Hmm. 315 00:13:34,629 --> 00:13:36,317 So, Tesla patented this idea. 316 00:13:36,318 --> 00:13:38,869 It's a rough idea, right? I think this is something 317 00:13:38,870 --> 00:13:42,145 that he was trying to get down on paper 318 00:13:42,146 --> 00:13:43,490 so that he had credit 319 00:13:43,491 --> 00:13:46,283 for being the crazy guy that came up with the death ray. 320 00:13:46,284 --> 00:13:48,042 I think this is enough 321 00:13:48,043 --> 00:13:49,869 where we can put something together, 322 00:13:49,870 --> 00:13:51,386 kind of make it work. 323 00:13:51,387 --> 00:13:53,938 So, that's the patent sheet. Shouldn't there be more with it? 324 00:13:53,939 --> 00:13:56,559 There's, like, usually drawings and specifications 325 00:13:56,560 --> 00:13:57,904 and more stuff so you can actually prove our claim. 326 00:13:57,905 --> 00:13:59,248 And there usually would be, yep. 327 00:13:59,249 --> 00:14:01,317 And, like, maybe they didn't put it in there specifically 328 00:14:01,318 --> 00:14:02,490 so they didn't have someone re-create it... 329 00:14:02,491 --> 00:14:03,800 Yeah. Unless they could. 330 00:14:03,801 --> 00:14:06,593 Oh, that's an interesting thought. 331 00:14:06,594 --> 00:14:07,973 Narrator: The incomplete plans 332 00:14:07,974 --> 00:14:10,283 call for two components... A power source 333 00:14:10,284 --> 00:14:14,421 and the tower to shoot out the electricity. 334 00:14:14,422 --> 00:14:15,800 All right, now, our design... 335 00:14:15,801 --> 00:14:18,386 I want to use a device that Tesla himself invented. 336 00:14:18,387 --> 00:14:20,043 I want to use a Tesla coil. 337 00:14:21,456 --> 00:14:23,214 Narrator: The Tesla coil is the first system 338 00:14:23,215 --> 00:14:25,317 to wirelessly transmit energy. 339 00:14:25,318 --> 00:14:27,352 Electricity travels inside the device, 340 00:14:27,353 --> 00:14:30,593 along the two giant coils, increasing the voltage output 341 00:14:30,594 --> 00:14:33,042 until, like lightning, it breaks out, 342 00:14:33,043 --> 00:14:35,249 looking for the shortest path to earth. 343 00:14:39,008 --> 00:14:40,731 All right, so, eventually, I want to build something 344 00:14:40,732 --> 00:14:43,593 that's probably 20, 25 feet tall. 345 00:14:43,594 --> 00:14:45,662 But we can't afford to go there yet, 346 00:14:45,663 --> 00:14:48,317 because if it doesn't work, then we're wasting our time. 347 00:14:48,318 --> 00:14:50,490 Building something like this, that's that big, 348 00:14:50,491 --> 00:14:51,835 you know, that's a lot of work. 349 00:14:51,836 --> 00:14:56,214 So we need something, you know, 8 feet tall, maybe. 350 00:14:56,215 --> 00:14:57,559 I want to put together a prototype... 351 00:14:57,560 --> 00:14:59,110 Like, something really basic... 352 00:14:59,111 --> 00:15:01,938 Throw some capacitors together, get one of the Tesla coils out, 353 00:15:01,939 --> 00:15:04,145 and just see if this idea can even work. 354 00:15:04,146 --> 00:15:05,869 I'm confident something's going to happen. 355 00:15:05,870 --> 00:15:07,214 I'm just not sure what that is. 356 00:15:07,215 --> 00:15:08,869 And we're gonna build this, so do we need to get, 357 00:15:08,870 --> 00:15:11,283 like, a permit from homeland security or... 358 00:15:11,284 --> 00:15:12,628 [ Laughs ] 359 00:15:12,629 --> 00:15:13,869 They don't regulate death rays. 360 00:15:13,870 --> 00:15:15,179 Oh, good. [ Chuckles ] 361 00:15:15,180 --> 00:15:23,180 ♪♪ 362 00:15:25,594 --> 00:15:27,973 Prince: Dude, I am so stoked right now. 363 00:15:27,974 --> 00:15:30,042 I came here once before 364 00:15:30,043 --> 00:15:31,835 'cause they had a guard shack, 365 00:15:31,836 --> 00:15:35,455 and I was able to get in by jumping the fence. 366 00:15:35,456 --> 00:15:36,593 [ Chuckles ] 367 00:15:36,594 --> 00:15:38,145 I wasn't able to really look around, 368 00:15:38,146 --> 00:15:40,317 because I was worried about going to jail, you know. 369 00:15:40,318 --> 00:15:41,938 Murphy: William terbo is 370 00:15:41,939 --> 00:15:44,697 Tesla's last remaining, living relative. 371 00:15:44,698 --> 00:15:46,283 He told us to go to wardenclyffe, 372 00:15:46,284 --> 00:15:48,628 the site of Tesla's laboratory. 373 00:15:48,629 --> 00:15:50,628 He believes there could be clues there that help us 374 00:15:50,629 --> 00:15:53,007 with our investigation into the death ray 375 00:15:53,008 --> 00:15:55,973 and figure out whether or not Tesla was murdered. 376 00:15:55,974 --> 00:15:59,904 Prince: We're walking on holy ground. 377 00:15:59,905 --> 00:16:02,835 Tower stood 187 feet tall in the air. 378 00:16:02,836 --> 00:16:06,317 This tower was designed to send electricity 379 00:16:06,318 --> 00:16:07,938 to the other side of the globe. 380 00:16:07,939 --> 00:16:11,766 He was gonna transmit pictures, text, voice, data... 381 00:16:11,767 --> 00:16:14,905 All that from right here... And most importantly, power. 382 00:16:17,077 --> 00:16:18,869 Narrator: With this tower, Tesla planned 383 00:16:18,870 --> 00:16:21,283 to transmit free energy across the globe, 384 00:16:21,284 --> 00:16:24,283 but the project loses funding in 1905. 385 00:16:24,284 --> 00:16:25,662 The tower is dismantled, 386 00:16:25,663 --> 00:16:28,214 and the property goes into foreclosure. 387 00:16:28,215 --> 00:16:30,766 For decades, rumors of a network of tunnels 388 00:16:30,767 --> 00:16:33,490 hiding Tesla's missing papers persist, 389 00:16:33,491 --> 00:16:35,662 but the full site has never been mapped. 390 00:16:35,663 --> 00:16:38,042 No one knows if the tunnels still exist, 391 00:16:38,043 --> 00:16:41,007 or if they were destroyed along with the rest of the tower. 392 00:16:41,008 --> 00:16:43,593 Prince: We need to figure out 393 00:16:43,594 --> 00:16:44,869 what Tesla was building this tower for. 394 00:16:44,870 --> 00:16:48,179 Was it radio, was it wireless power transmission, 395 00:16:48,180 --> 00:16:51,490 or was it a prototype for the death ray? 396 00:16:51,491 --> 00:16:53,455 Well, this tower and the building 397 00:16:53,456 --> 00:16:55,421 were designed by Stanford white, 398 00:16:55,422 --> 00:16:56,904 who was a friend of Tesla's. 399 00:16:56,905 --> 00:16:59,455 He has a relative that lives here still. 400 00:16:59,456 --> 00:17:02,766 If anyone knows about wardenclyffe, it's him. 401 00:17:02,767 --> 00:17:03,938 Murphy: While you're talking to him, 402 00:17:03,939 --> 00:17:05,490 I'm gonna go talk to some of the locals 403 00:17:05,491 --> 00:17:08,422 and see what kind of insider knowledge they might have. 404 00:17:10,422 --> 00:17:12,283 Narrator: Increasingly paranoid, 405 00:17:12,284 --> 00:17:15,593 Tesla trusts few people with information about his lab, 406 00:17:15,594 --> 00:17:18,835 but he confides in famed architect Stanford white. 407 00:17:18,836 --> 00:17:22,352 White builds wardenclyffe using Tesla's own detailed plans, 408 00:17:22,353 --> 00:17:25,593 becoming the only man who understands the lab's secrets. 409 00:17:25,594 --> 00:17:28,904 Today, his great-grandson is one of the only living connections 410 00:17:28,905 --> 00:17:31,283 to white and Tesla's unusual friendship. 411 00:17:31,284 --> 00:17:39,284 ♪♪ 412 00:17:45,905 --> 00:17:47,662 So, we know that your great-grandfather, 413 00:17:47,663 --> 00:17:49,283 Mr. Stanford white, 414 00:17:49,284 --> 00:17:50,766 was the architect of wardenclyffe. 415 00:17:50,767 --> 00:17:52,317 Mm-hmm. 416 00:17:52,318 --> 00:17:55,386 He oversaw the construction of the whole project, 417 00:17:55,387 --> 00:17:56,559 including the tower. 418 00:17:56,560 --> 00:17:58,179 They were close personal friends, 419 00:17:58,180 --> 00:18:00,973 and Stanford used to invite Tesla 420 00:18:00,974 --> 00:18:04,076 to come out here and stay on the property. 421 00:18:04,077 --> 00:18:08,076 And the story goes that my great-grandmother 422 00:18:08,077 --> 00:18:10,110 would find Tesla wandering in the gardens 423 00:18:10,111 --> 00:18:12,766 and ask him what he was doing at 3:00 in the morning, 424 00:18:12,767 --> 00:18:14,215 and he said, "I don't sleep." 425 00:18:15,663 --> 00:18:18,731 I can't tell you much about how they collaborated, 426 00:18:18,732 --> 00:18:21,422 but I do have something that you might be interested in. 427 00:18:23,491 --> 00:18:25,007 So, here we have 428 00:18:25,008 --> 00:18:27,352 some of the drawings from wardenclyffe and... 429 00:18:27,353 --> 00:18:28,593 Oh, man, look at this. 430 00:18:28,594 --> 00:18:30,490 So, this is something, you know. 431 00:18:30,491 --> 00:18:34,179 Prince: These are some of the original plans for wardenclyffe. 432 00:18:34,180 --> 00:18:37,869 Seeing what Tesla had in mind for the construction of the lab 433 00:18:37,870 --> 00:18:40,490 could reveal whether this was a power station 434 00:18:40,491 --> 00:18:42,042 or a proving ground 435 00:18:42,043 --> 00:18:43,869 for a weapon of mass destruction. 436 00:18:43,870 --> 00:18:45,179 Ah, look at that. 437 00:18:45,180 --> 00:18:48,524 Copper grounds within lateral tunnels. 438 00:18:48,525 --> 00:18:50,145 These tunnels are odd-looking to me. 439 00:18:50,146 --> 00:18:53,283 Do you have any idea what they might have been used for? 440 00:18:53,284 --> 00:18:54,628 I don't know what the purpose 441 00:18:54,629 --> 00:18:57,007 of a circular tunnel like that would be. 442 00:18:57,008 --> 00:18:58,973 And of course, the possibility exists 443 00:18:58,974 --> 00:19:00,421 that we just aren't smart enough. 444 00:19:00,422 --> 00:19:02,283 We don't know what was in Tesla's head, 445 00:19:02,284 --> 00:19:04,007 and we'll never know. 446 00:19:04,008 --> 00:19:06,628 And unless one of us can channel Tesla, 447 00:19:06,629 --> 00:19:08,042 we'll never find out. 448 00:19:08,043 --> 00:19:10,593 We certainly want to look for these cavities, 449 00:19:10,594 --> 00:19:13,593 and are there other tunnels that kind of come up. 450 00:19:13,594 --> 00:19:16,317 More power to you. 451 00:19:16,318 --> 00:19:18,697 This is why it's so hard to get into Tesla's head. 452 00:19:18,698 --> 00:19:21,766 We know he wanted to transmit electricity wirelessly, 453 00:19:21,767 --> 00:19:23,697 but that's only half the story. 454 00:19:23,698 --> 00:19:25,628 He had other intentions for this lab, 455 00:19:25,629 --> 00:19:27,628 and I want to find out what they were. 456 00:19:27,629 --> 00:19:29,076 If I find something, I'll let you know. 457 00:19:29,077 --> 00:19:30,145 Thanks so much. Thank you again, sir. 458 00:19:30,146 --> 00:19:31,629 You're welcome. 459 00:19:33,318 --> 00:19:34,766 Narrator: Locals give Jack a lead 460 00:19:34,767 --> 00:19:36,939 on a former resident who has explored the property. 461 00:19:38,180 --> 00:19:39,593 Oh, hi, John. 462 00:19:39,594 --> 00:19:42,904 I'm an investigator doing some research on wardenclyffe, 463 00:19:42,905 --> 00:19:44,248 and I was wondering if I could ask you 464 00:19:44,249 --> 00:19:46,697 a couple questions about the property. 465 00:19:46,698 --> 00:19:48,386 One of the main things I'm interested in 466 00:19:48,387 --> 00:19:51,455 is if you had heard anything about tunnels 467 00:19:51,456 --> 00:19:53,111 underneath wardenclyffe. 468 00:20:13,215 --> 00:20:14,869 Murphy: Underground structures would have provided 469 00:20:14,870 --> 00:20:18,145 the perfect place for Tesla to keep his work under wraps. 470 00:20:18,146 --> 00:20:20,835 Tesla might have been burying research. 471 00:20:20,836 --> 00:20:22,525 We have to find these things. 472 00:20:27,215 --> 00:20:29,042 Pritchard: Athena, Athena, come here. 473 00:20:29,043 --> 00:20:30,973 Narrator: Back in Texas, Aron and his team 474 00:20:30,974 --> 00:20:33,317 begin construction on the death ray. 475 00:20:33,318 --> 00:20:36,076 They need to find a way to store a massive amount of energy 476 00:20:36,077 --> 00:20:38,008 until they're ready to release it. 477 00:20:40,008 --> 00:20:42,317 Pritchard: A capacitor is 478 00:20:42,318 --> 00:20:45,042 a device that stores electrical energy, 479 00:20:45,043 --> 00:20:48,076 but all of the energy is discharged in a split second. 480 00:20:48,077 --> 00:20:49,490 It's just like a slingshot. 481 00:20:49,491 --> 00:20:50,869 So, you're pulling it back, you're pulling it back, 482 00:20:50,870 --> 00:20:52,076 you're pulling it back, you're pulling it back. 483 00:20:52,077 --> 00:20:54,042 Finally, we're ready to fire, we let go. 484 00:20:54,043 --> 00:20:55,628 These are actually military capacitors. 485 00:20:55,629 --> 00:20:56,938 When I first bought these, 486 00:20:56,939 --> 00:20:59,386 I got a phone call nearly immediately. 487 00:20:59,387 --> 00:21:00,628 "Hey, what are you gonna do with those? 488 00:21:00,629 --> 00:21:01,904 Are they gonna leave the country?" 489 00:21:01,905 --> 00:21:03,386 We're only going to charge this up 490 00:21:03,387 --> 00:21:07,524 to maybe 10,000 joules of so of total energy. 491 00:21:07,525 --> 00:21:10,007 You know, I remember looking at a defibrillator one time... 492 00:21:10,008 --> 00:21:11,042 The shock paddles. 493 00:21:11,043 --> 00:21:12,386 It only takes 300 joules 494 00:21:12,387 --> 00:21:14,248 to either stop or restart your heart. 495 00:21:14,249 --> 00:21:16,973 We're looking at 48,000 joules' worth. 496 00:21:16,974 --> 00:21:18,766 I don't want to stop my heart. 497 00:21:18,767 --> 00:21:22,214 This would blow your heart out of your chest. 498 00:21:22,215 --> 00:21:24,835 When one of these really large capacitors fails, 499 00:21:24,836 --> 00:21:26,317 it can explode. 500 00:21:26,318 --> 00:21:27,628 But the real danger is 501 00:21:27,629 --> 00:21:29,731 that we don't just have one capacitor. 502 00:21:29,732 --> 00:21:32,973 We have many capacitors, and when one fails, 503 00:21:32,974 --> 00:21:35,731 all of the other ones discharge into the bad one. 504 00:21:35,732 --> 00:21:37,593 So it's really easy to just blow it up. 505 00:21:37,594 --> 00:21:38,835 Go ahead and get the power supply ready 506 00:21:38,836 --> 00:21:40,145 after you get this all hooked up, 507 00:21:40,146 --> 00:21:41,317 and let's get ready for a test. 508 00:21:41,318 --> 00:21:42,662 - Hook it up, all right. - Cool. 509 00:21:42,663 --> 00:21:43,869 Narrator: The team believes there are 510 00:21:43,870 --> 00:21:45,352 two components to the death ray... 511 00:21:45,353 --> 00:21:47,766 The weapon and the power source. 512 00:21:47,767 --> 00:21:49,283 Aron's first step is to see 513 00:21:49,284 --> 00:21:51,869 if they can create the power Tesla imagined. 514 00:21:51,870 --> 00:21:54,455 If this test works, the banks of capacitors 515 00:21:54,456 --> 00:21:57,800 will discharge their energy into this target. 516 00:21:57,801 --> 00:21:59,352 Pritchard: I'll give you a countdown, all right? 517 00:21:59,353 --> 00:22:00,662 I'll tell you when I'm ready. 518 00:22:00,663 --> 00:22:03,248 Okay. Stand by. 519 00:22:03,249 --> 00:22:04,974 Charging. 520 00:22:06,422 --> 00:22:08,179 All right, everyone clear. 521 00:22:08,180 --> 00:22:09,905 We're good. 522 00:22:12,284 --> 00:22:13,490 Now. 523 00:22:13,491 --> 00:22:16,318 Three... two... one... go. 524 00:22:18,111 --> 00:22:20,145 [ Small explosion ] 525 00:22:20,146 --> 00:22:21,490 What the [bleep] was that? 526 00:22:21,491 --> 00:22:23,283 Ah, dude, what the [bleep]? 527 00:22:23,284 --> 00:22:24,836 Wow. 528 00:22:31,249 --> 00:22:34,110 Narrator: Using a crude patent filed for this device, 529 00:22:34,111 --> 00:22:35,869 Aron and his team are attempting to build 530 00:22:35,870 --> 00:22:38,800 a small version of Nikola Tesla's death ray. 531 00:22:38,801 --> 00:22:40,800 They hope that proving this weapon is real 532 00:22:40,801 --> 00:22:43,455 might unlock the secrets of wireless energy 533 00:22:43,456 --> 00:22:46,076 and provide a motive for Tesla's death. 534 00:22:46,077 --> 00:22:47,386 I'll tell you when I'm ready. 535 00:22:47,387 --> 00:22:49,214 - Okay. - Stand by. 536 00:22:49,215 --> 00:22:51,662 Charging. 537 00:22:51,663 --> 00:22:52,766 Narrator: Their first step is 538 00:22:52,767 --> 00:22:54,869 testing a bank of large capacitors, 539 00:22:54,870 --> 00:22:57,800 devices capable of storing the massive amounts of energy 540 00:22:57,801 --> 00:23:00,386 Tesla theorizes this weapon will use. 541 00:23:00,387 --> 00:23:01,593 Now. 542 00:23:01,594 --> 00:23:04,629 Three... two... one... go. 543 00:23:06,111 --> 00:23:07,869 [ Small explosion ] 544 00:23:07,870 --> 00:23:10,800 What the [bleep] was that? 545 00:23:10,801 --> 00:23:12,904 What was that?! 546 00:23:12,905 --> 00:23:15,042 - That was a flash. - Holy [bleep], Aron! 547 00:23:15,043 --> 00:23:16,904 Aw, dude, what the [bleep]? 548 00:23:16,905 --> 00:23:19,145 - Wow. - Whoa. 549 00:23:19,146 --> 00:23:21,421 Oh, yeah, this blew up. 550 00:23:21,422 --> 00:23:23,110 We happened to get the capacitor 551 00:23:23,111 --> 00:23:25,283 that was maybe damaged before we ever had it, 552 00:23:25,284 --> 00:23:26,800 or it was just defective. 553 00:23:26,801 --> 00:23:29,593 When a capacitor fails, it tends to just explode, 554 00:23:29,594 --> 00:23:31,421 instead of destroying our target. 555 00:23:31,422 --> 00:23:32,662 It's cooked from the inside. 556 00:23:32,663 --> 00:23:33,973 It's [bleep] Charcoal.Yeah. 557 00:23:33,974 --> 00:23:36,524 When we charged this to a high-enough voltage, 558 00:23:36,525 --> 00:23:39,559 that voltage broke down this insulator 559 00:23:39,560 --> 00:23:41,559 and caused a huge arc to form inside of it... 560 00:23:41,560 --> 00:23:43,800 Just blew it up. 561 00:23:43,801 --> 00:23:45,593 We just had so much energy here, 562 00:23:45,594 --> 00:23:47,386 if something doesn't work, this happens. 563 00:23:47,387 --> 00:23:48,697 [Bleep] Blows up. 564 00:23:48,698 --> 00:23:50,110 Okay, well, it is what it is. 565 00:23:50,111 --> 00:23:51,455 We're gonna have to rebuild. 566 00:23:51,456 --> 00:23:53,973 Let's do it again. 567 00:23:53,974 --> 00:24:01,974 ♪♪ 568 00:24:04,043 --> 00:24:05,317 Find it? Yep. 569 00:24:05,318 --> 00:24:06,697 Great. 570 00:24:06,698 --> 00:24:08,835 Narrator: Aron's team swaps out the damaged capacitor 571 00:24:08,836 --> 00:24:10,317 and prepares to retest. 572 00:24:10,318 --> 00:24:12,662 If the test works, the energy will discharge 573 00:24:12,663 --> 00:24:16,042 from the capacitors and hit this target. 574 00:24:16,043 --> 00:24:18,697 Koscho: Tesla was a brilliant inventor, 575 00:24:18,698 --> 00:24:20,904 but some of these ideas are really far-fetched. 576 00:24:20,905 --> 00:24:22,283 There's always a fine line 577 00:24:22,284 --> 00:24:24,904 between genius and mad scientist. 578 00:24:24,905 --> 00:24:26,593 I've been dreaming about building a death ray 579 00:24:26,594 --> 00:24:28,421 since I was a teenager, you know, 580 00:24:28,422 --> 00:24:30,248 and I don't even know if it's possible. 581 00:24:30,249 --> 00:24:32,110 Three... 582 00:24:32,111 --> 00:24:33,904 Two... 583 00:24:33,905 --> 00:24:36,076 One. 584 00:24:36,077 --> 00:24:37,697 [ Larger explosion ] 585 00:24:37,698 --> 00:24:39,214 Damn. 586 00:24:39,215 --> 00:24:40,731 [ Chuckles ] 587 00:24:40,732 --> 00:24:42,042 All right. 588 00:24:42,043 --> 00:24:43,076 That worked. 589 00:24:43,077 --> 00:24:44,352 Success. 590 00:24:44,353 --> 00:24:45,904 Koscho: The energy from the capacitors 591 00:24:45,905 --> 00:24:49,697 discharged into our target the way we had planned. 592 00:24:49,698 --> 00:24:52,110 Now we got to figure out if it's even possible 593 00:24:52,111 --> 00:24:55,421 to send that much energy through a Tesla coil. 594 00:24:55,422 --> 00:24:57,904 I mean, that's a hell of an explosion by itself. 595 00:24:57,905 --> 00:25:05,905 ♪♪ 596 00:25:08,870 --> 00:25:10,145 Prince: We've got some documents here 597 00:25:10,146 --> 00:25:11,697 that we were able to obtain. 598 00:25:11,698 --> 00:25:14,007 Narrator: The blueprints for Tesla's lab at wardenclyffe 599 00:25:14,008 --> 00:25:16,179 suggest there might still be tunnels underground. 600 00:25:16,180 --> 00:25:19,628 So, this is the tower structure as it stood originally. 601 00:25:19,629 --> 00:25:20,835 And then, down below, 602 00:25:20,836 --> 00:25:23,938 these are what appear to be radial tunnels. 603 00:25:23,939 --> 00:25:26,145 We brought in the ground-testing team 604 00:25:26,146 --> 00:25:28,697 to search the property from top to bottom. 605 00:25:28,698 --> 00:25:30,421 I'm gonna go ahead and stretch this tape measure out, 606 00:25:30,422 --> 00:25:31,800 if you just want to hang on to this. 607 00:25:31,801 --> 00:25:32,801 Okay. 608 00:25:32,802 --> 00:25:34,042 The way this will work... 609 00:25:34,043 --> 00:25:35,835 We'll use two different types of testing... 610 00:25:35,836 --> 00:25:39,421 Seismic refraction and electrical resistivity. 611 00:25:39,422 --> 00:25:41,662 We're throwing the kitchen sink at this [bleep]. 612 00:25:41,663 --> 00:25:44,214 We want to know what's happening down there. 613 00:25:44,215 --> 00:25:46,042 Lindes: What we'd like to try to do is 614 00:25:46,043 --> 00:25:48,697 get on 15-foot spacing with these geophones 615 00:25:48,698 --> 00:25:50,179 so that we can try to get to a depth 616 00:25:50,180 --> 00:25:53,043 of somewhere around 120 to 130 feet. 617 00:25:55,043 --> 00:25:56,455 Murphy: Seismic refraction works 618 00:25:56,456 --> 00:25:59,179 by slamming a sledgehammer onto a metal plate 619 00:25:59,180 --> 00:26:02,455 that sends an energy pulse down into the ground. 620 00:26:02,456 --> 00:26:04,869 The energy pulses travel at different speeds, 621 00:26:04,870 --> 00:26:06,248 depending on the type of material 622 00:26:06,249 --> 00:26:08,145 that they're passing through. 623 00:26:08,146 --> 00:26:09,766 And the geophones we've spread out 624 00:26:09,767 --> 00:26:11,490 are what receives those messages, 625 00:26:11,491 --> 00:26:14,007 so we're looking for anything that could indicate a tunnel. 626 00:26:14,008 --> 00:26:15,317 Hit it! 627 00:26:15,318 --> 00:26:17,317 [ Clank ] 628 00:26:17,318 --> 00:26:19,042 All right, so, what do we got, here? 629 00:26:19,043 --> 00:26:20,490 Mcmillen: You can see, it comes down. 630 00:26:20,491 --> 00:26:22,179 There's a little bit of dip there. 631 00:26:22,180 --> 00:26:23,352 Yeah. 632 00:26:23,353 --> 00:26:24,455 So, based on what you're seeing here, 633 00:26:24,456 --> 00:26:26,179 would you say there is a tunnel there? 634 00:26:26,180 --> 00:26:28,180 There could well possibly be. 635 00:26:30,629 --> 00:26:33,110 We need to collect a little bit more data. 636 00:26:33,111 --> 00:26:34,559 Lindes: The first test showed that there is 637 00:26:34,560 --> 00:26:36,145 something suspicious underground, 638 00:26:36,146 --> 00:26:38,110 at the south end of the tower base, 639 00:26:38,111 --> 00:26:40,249 but another test will show if it's a tunnel. 640 00:26:42,008 --> 00:26:43,593 So, we're gonna grab those cables. 641 00:26:43,594 --> 00:26:46,214 We're gonna pull them down from the control boxes up there, 642 00:26:46,215 --> 00:26:48,455 hook them up to each one of these electrodes, 643 00:26:48,456 --> 00:26:52,835 and then we'll start the program and try to collect some data. 644 00:26:52,836 --> 00:26:54,352 Murphy: Resistivity tomography 645 00:26:54,353 --> 00:26:56,076 works by injecting electrical current 646 00:26:56,077 --> 00:26:59,490 into two electrodes in the ground at a time. 647 00:26:59,491 --> 00:27:01,662 They measure how easily that current is flowing 648 00:27:01,663 --> 00:27:04,766 through whatever lies below. 649 00:27:04,767 --> 00:27:07,007 Prince: A combination of these two tests 650 00:27:07,008 --> 00:27:08,938 will give us the location of the tunnels, 651 00:27:08,939 --> 00:27:10,697 if they exist. 652 00:27:10,698 --> 00:27:18,698 ♪♪ 653 00:27:20,732 --> 00:27:22,386 So, what you see here in the data 654 00:27:22,387 --> 00:27:24,628 is this anomaly right here. 655 00:27:24,629 --> 00:27:28,317 It's indicative of something that has maybe an open cavity 656 00:27:28,318 --> 00:27:30,973 or a water-filled chamber.Wow. 657 00:27:30,974 --> 00:27:33,076 And it's pretty big, too. It is. 658 00:27:33,077 --> 00:27:35,317 We do have another anomaly right around here. 659 00:27:35,318 --> 00:27:37,248 You found two of them? Yeah. 660 00:27:37,249 --> 00:27:39,214 So, what that could be representing 661 00:27:39,215 --> 00:27:41,007 is something like an open space, 662 00:27:41,008 --> 00:27:42,869 consistent with a tunnel. 663 00:27:42,870 --> 00:27:45,076 Narrator: The team finds two anomalies 664 00:27:45,077 --> 00:27:47,007 that could be underground tunnels. 665 00:27:47,008 --> 00:27:48,938 One is on the wardenclyffe property, 666 00:27:48,939 --> 00:27:50,662 where digging is restricted. 667 00:27:50,663 --> 00:27:53,938 The other is just over the property line. 668 00:27:53,939 --> 00:27:55,214 If you turn around, 669 00:27:55,215 --> 00:27:56,559 that's the firehouse right over there, 670 00:27:56,560 --> 00:27:59,179 leading off the wardenclyffe property. 671 00:27:59,180 --> 00:28:00,731 Murphy: There were neighbors who speculated 672 00:28:00,732 --> 00:28:03,524 that there were tunnels that ran off into that direction. 673 00:28:03,525 --> 00:28:06,110 There's tunnels here, underground, somewhere. 674 00:28:06,111 --> 00:28:07,835 Finding them could help us understand 675 00:28:07,836 --> 00:28:09,352 what was going on here. 676 00:28:09,353 --> 00:28:12,283 We might find clues that unlock the mystery of the death ray 677 00:28:12,284 --> 00:28:14,249 and shed some light on Tesla's death. 678 00:28:18,077 --> 00:28:26,077 ♪♪ 679 00:28:28,008 --> 00:28:30,214 Narrator: Jack and Cameron are investigating 680 00:28:30,215 --> 00:28:32,904 Tesla's abandoned lab at wardenclyffe. 681 00:28:32,905 --> 00:28:34,386 This is where Tesla looked to send 682 00:28:34,387 --> 00:28:36,490 wireless energy across the world 683 00:28:36,491 --> 00:28:38,559 and may have invented his fabled death ray. 684 00:28:38,560 --> 00:28:39,973 [ Knock on door ] 685 00:28:39,974 --> 00:28:43,076 All the clues are pointing towards the firehouse, 686 00:28:43,077 --> 00:28:45,628 which used to be part of Tesla's old property. 687 00:28:45,629 --> 00:28:48,042 So, what that could be representing is 688 00:28:48,043 --> 00:28:50,662 something like an open space, consistent with a tunnel. 689 00:28:50,663 --> 00:28:52,455 That's the firehouse right over there, 690 00:28:52,456 --> 00:28:54,559 leading off the wardenclyffe property. 691 00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:56,421 Come on in, guys. What can I do for you? 692 00:28:56,422 --> 00:28:57,938 We've been doing this investigation 693 00:28:57,939 --> 00:28:59,455 over at wardenclyffe, 694 00:28:59,456 --> 00:29:01,697 and one of the tunnels that they discovered... 695 00:29:01,698 --> 00:29:03,283 Or what appears to be a tunnel... 696 00:29:03,284 --> 00:29:06,007 Actually runs beyond present-day wardenclyffe, 697 00:29:06,008 --> 00:29:09,386 into what we think is probably the fire department's property. 698 00:29:09,387 --> 00:29:12,179 Wardenclyffe was a much larger property 100 years ago, 699 00:29:12,180 --> 00:29:14,145 when Tesla was conducting his experiments. 700 00:29:14,146 --> 00:29:15,869 Yeah, I think maybe 20 acres. 701 00:29:15,870 --> 00:29:17,421 I can only give limited information, 702 00:29:17,422 --> 00:29:19,490 'cause I only know limited information. 703 00:29:19,491 --> 00:29:21,007 This is the maintenance shop. 704 00:29:21,008 --> 00:29:22,593 This was built in the early '90s, 705 00:29:22,594 --> 00:29:23,973 maybe '90 or '91. 706 00:29:23,974 --> 00:29:25,904 And talking to one of the senior men 707 00:29:25,905 --> 00:29:27,904 who was involved in the construction, 708 00:29:27,905 --> 00:29:31,766 while they were doing the floor, they did find something. 709 00:29:31,767 --> 00:29:33,283 There's a depression in the ground. 710 00:29:33,284 --> 00:29:36,835 We've filled it a couple times, but it continues to sink. 711 00:29:36,836 --> 00:29:38,731 So, we've been working with some guys over here, 712 00:29:38,732 --> 00:29:41,731 and they've got some equipment that lets them look underground. 713 00:29:41,732 --> 00:29:43,524 I know this may be a strange request, 714 00:29:43,525 --> 00:29:47,455 but would it be possible for them to come look here? 715 00:29:47,456 --> 00:29:50,973 Well... 716 00:29:50,974 --> 00:29:53,491 I think that's okay. 717 00:29:57,353 --> 00:29:58,800 Murphy: After speaking with the fire chief, 718 00:29:58,801 --> 00:30:01,317 we've learned that there is a sinkhole or depression 719 00:30:01,318 --> 00:30:03,800 in the parking lot, that they have to keep refilling. 720 00:30:03,801 --> 00:30:05,766 We might have narrowed in on the entrance 721 00:30:05,767 --> 00:30:09,766 to one of Tesla's underground tunnels. 722 00:30:09,767 --> 00:30:12,731 Pavement and ground doesn't just crush for no reason, 723 00:30:12,732 --> 00:30:14,593 and you can sort of see those trends 724 00:30:14,594 --> 00:30:16,145 in this asphalt here. 725 00:30:16,146 --> 00:30:19,283 This crack right here, along the roadway, 726 00:30:19,284 --> 00:30:20,938 and all the way down towards here... 727 00:30:20,939 --> 00:30:22,973 I can even see where they've patched it over there. 728 00:30:22,974 --> 00:30:24,421 Right, yeah, and that could be 729 00:30:24,422 --> 00:30:26,214 what the fire department was talking about 730 00:30:26,215 --> 00:30:28,422 when they said they'd made multiple repairs. 731 00:30:31,870 --> 00:30:33,455 Murphy: Since we're in a more contained area 732 00:30:33,456 --> 00:30:35,421 and it's concrete, we have to use 733 00:30:35,422 --> 00:30:38,317 something called ground-penetrating radar. 734 00:30:38,318 --> 00:30:43,214 In 1917, Tesla outlined a plan to use radio waves 735 00:30:43,215 --> 00:30:46,317 as a method of detecting physical objects. 736 00:30:46,318 --> 00:30:48,662 Today, we call it radar. 737 00:30:48,663 --> 00:30:50,352 Narrator: Tesla sees this technology 738 00:30:50,353 --> 00:30:53,835 as a way to detect approaching ships in battle. 739 00:30:53,836 --> 00:30:55,317 Though he is rarely credited, 740 00:30:55,318 --> 00:31:00,869 his ideas are the foundation of modern-day radar, like gpr. 741 00:31:00,870 --> 00:31:04,386 People say that Tesla was hiding things in these tunnels. 742 00:31:04,387 --> 00:31:06,386 We're getting closer to finding the truth 743 00:31:06,387 --> 00:31:09,800 about the death ray, using Tesla's technology. 744 00:31:09,801 --> 00:31:12,352 But you can see how I keep coming across these areas 745 00:31:12,353 --> 00:31:16,421 right through here and here, at those levels. 746 00:31:16,422 --> 00:31:18,593 You can see sort of a trend where you see 747 00:31:18,594 --> 00:31:22,455 a little bit of sinking or settling in the subsurface, 748 00:31:22,456 --> 00:31:24,214 whereas the rest of the screen across, 749 00:31:24,215 --> 00:31:26,042 there's not that uniformity to it. 750 00:31:26,043 --> 00:31:27,386 And how deep are we? 751 00:31:27,387 --> 00:31:29,697 That's somewhere right around six feet. 752 00:31:29,698 --> 00:31:32,007 Murphy: A consistent settling trend indicates 753 00:31:32,008 --> 00:31:34,835 that there's a cavity right beneath our feet. 754 00:31:34,836 --> 00:31:36,628 That's right in line with the tower. 755 00:31:36,629 --> 00:31:38,007 Yep. 756 00:31:38,008 --> 00:31:39,697 And it's also right in line with this new building, 757 00:31:39,698 --> 00:31:41,593 where he talked about that they ran into something. 758 00:31:41,594 --> 00:31:44,317 At 90 degrees. 759 00:31:44,318 --> 00:31:45,731 Lindes: This is really leading towards 760 00:31:45,732 --> 00:31:48,076 one of your best chances of trying to find something. 761 00:31:48,077 --> 00:31:49,559 So we're right over it? Yeah, yeah. 762 00:31:49,560 --> 00:31:51,938 I mean, I'd call it in this area. 763 00:31:51,939 --> 00:31:53,663 This is the place we should start. 764 00:31:56,284 --> 00:31:58,042 Narrator: In Texas, Aron and his team 765 00:31:58,043 --> 00:32:00,042 are attempting to build a smaller prototype 766 00:32:00,043 --> 00:32:01,455 of Tesla's death ray. 767 00:32:01,456 --> 00:32:02,800 Koscho: In the case of our death ray, 768 00:32:02,801 --> 00:32:04,214 the parts we need 769 00:32:04,215 --> 00:32:06,869 are a big capacitor bank and a Tesla coil. 770 00:32:06,870 --> 00:32:08,593 Those two components working together 771 00:32:08,594 --> 00:32:12,524 are going to be able to deliver a lot of energy to a target. 772 00:32:12,525 --> 00:32:14,766 Three... two... one. 773 00:32:14,767 --> 00:32:17,593 [ Explosion ] 774 00:32:17,594 --> 00:32:18,938 Our capacitor bank test... 775 00:32:18,939 --> 00:32:20,283 [ Laughter ] 776 00:32:20,284 --> 00:32:22,731 it actually worked. 777 00:32:22,732 --> 00:32:24,352 Okay. 778 00:32:24,353 --> 00:32:27,042 So, there she is. 779 00:32:27,043 --> 00:32:29,042 Narrator: The team is able to create and discharge 780 00:32:29,043 --> 00:32:32,076 the energy Tesla imagined. 781 00:32:32,077 --> 00:32:34,628 Now they're moving to the next phase. 782 00:32:34,629 --> 00:32:36,766 If we can do this on a small scale, 783 00:32:36,767 --> 00:32:38,731 then I'm gonna have the confidence 784 00:32:38,732 --> 00:32:40,283 to move forward and say, "all right, 785 00:32:40,284 --> 00:32:42,662 maybe the bigger scale... Maybe this can work." 786 00:32:42,663 --> 00:32:43,869 Let's get it set up. 787 00:32:43,870 --> 00:32:45,110 Let's run it through a quick test, 788 00:32:45,111 --> 00:32:46,283 make sure this is good 789 00:32:46,284 --> 00:32:47,662 before we hook it up to the capacitors. 790 00:32:47,663 --> 00:32:48,973 - Okay. - Yeah. 791 00:32:48,974 --> 00:32:52,214 A Tesla coil is composed of three main parts. 792 00:32:52,215 --> 00:32:53,766 You have the primary. 793 00:32:53,767 --> 00:32:56,421 That's the big square box at the bottom. 794 00:32:56,422 --> 00:32:58,386 In the middle, you have the secondary. 795 00:32:58,387 --> 00:32:59,662 That's the round tube. 796 00:32:59,663 --> 00:33:02,973 The voltage is amplified going up that tube. 797 00:33:02,974 --> 00:33:05,248 And then at the top is that big metal doughnut 798 00:33:05,249 --> 00:33:06,869 that sits on top of the secondary. 799 00:33:06,870 --> 00:33:09,179 That's where all of the energy builds up. 800 00:33:09,180 --> 00:33:10,938 That energy breaks out of that toroid 801 00:33:10,939 --> 00:33:13,076 like a big lightning bolt. 802 00:33:13,077 --> 00:33:20,662 ♪♪ 803 00:33:20,663 --> 00:33:21,869 Yeah, that looks good. 804 00:33:21,870 --> 00:33:24,179 It's perfect. All right. 805 00:33:24,180 --> 00:33:30,973 ♪♪ 806 00:33:30,974 --> 00:33:33,869 Narrator: A functioning Tesla coil will shoot arcs of energy 807 00:33:33,870 --> 00:33:36,007 that resemble tiny lighting bolts. 808 00:33:36,008 --> 00:33:38,524 Koscho: All right. We're ready. 809 00:33:38,525 --> 00:33:40,042 Narrator: If the coil is functional, 810 00:33:40,043 --> 00:33:42,007 the team will connect it to the capacitors 811 00:33:42,008 --> 00:33:43,938 and attempt to pass a much larger voltage of energy 812 00:33:43,939 --> 00:33:45,145 through the coil... 813 00:33:45,146 --> 00:33:46,524 We're ready to go. 814 00:33:46,525 --> 00:33:49,008 Effectively weaponizing the lightning bolt. 815 00:33:51,043 --> 00:33:53,490 Koscho: We're gonna start off at a low power here. 816 00:33:53,491 --> 00:34:01,491 ♪♪ 817 00:34:08,249 --> 00:34:09,904 - Yeah, dude. - [Bleep] Yeah. 818 00:34:09,905 --> 00:34:11,869 - Yeah! - Whoo! 819 00:34:11,870 --> 00:34:13,593 [ Applause ] 820 00:34:13,594 --> 00:34:16,455 You know, we know the Tesla coil works now. 821 00:34:16,456 --> 00:34:18,835 We know how the capacitor works. 822 00:34:18,836 --> 00:34:21,973 The problem is, we're about to do something here 823 00:34:21,974 --> 00:34:24,352 that people don't really normally do. 824 00:34:24,353 --> 00:34:26,317 And, uh, I don't know. 825 00:34:26,318 --> 00:34:29,042 You know, don't really know where this is gonna go. 826 00:34:29,043 --> 00:34:31,076 So, we've tested the capacitors. 827 00:34:31,077 --> 00:34:33,076 We've tested the Tesla coil. 828 00:34:33,077 --> 00:34:34,455 If we can take the energy 829 00:34:34,456 --> 00:34:36,317 that's stored in our capacitor bank... 830 00:34:36,318 --> 00:34:38,904 The one we've charged to 20,000 volts... 831 00:34:38,905 --> 00:34:42,973 If we can discharge that in a beam from the Tesla coil, 832 00:34:42,974 --> 00:34:45,214 we've proven that we can take enough energy 833 00:34:45,215 --> 00:34:46,766 and put it in an electrical beam 834 00:34:46,767 --> 00:34:48,386 and point it at something. 835 00:34:48,387 --> 00:34:49,973 The, uh, controller and e-stop 836 00:34:49,974 --> 00:34:51,317 is ready to go for you, Aron. 837 00:34:51,318 --> 00:34:52,835 Okay. 838 00:34:52,836 --> 00:34:57,835 ♪♪ 839 00:34:57,836 --> 00:34:59,042 This is dangerous. 840 00:34:59,043 --> 00:35:00,455 We have a lot of power here right now. 841 00:35:00,456 --> 00:35:02,524 This might be too much power for this system. 842 00:35:02,525 --> 00:35:04,214 We've got good distance between us, 843 00:35:04,215 --> 00:35:06,800 but if something fails, there's going to be an explosion. 844 00:35:06,801 --> 00:35:08,766 We've got to keep in mind there's a risk of fire. 845 00:35:08,767 --> 00:35:10,042 There's a risk of things flying. 846 00:35:10,043 --> 00:35:11,662 All right. 847 00:35:11,663 --> 00:35:13,904 Narrator: If this test works, the energy from the capacitor bank 848 00:35:13,905 --> 00:35:15,490 will travel through the Tesla coil 849 00:35:15,491 --> 00:35:18,524 and release a bolt of lightning that strikes the target. 850 00:35:18,525 --> 00:35:19,938 - Ready? - Ready. 851 00:35:19,939 --> 00:35:21,594 Koscho: Okay. Kevin, charge it. 852 00:35:23,801 --> 00:35:26,353 Pritchard: Charging. 853 00:35:30,249 --> 00:35:33,628 Three... two... one. 854 00:35:33,629 --> 00:35:35,731 [ Explosion ] 855 00:35:35,732 --> 00:35:37,110 - Oh. - Oh, wow. 856 00:35:37,111 --> 00:35:38,318 [Bleep] Was that? 857 00:35:43,905 --> 00:35:47,628 Murphy: Tesla was involved in many different innovations. 858 00:35:47,629 --> 00:35:51,007 One of them was the transmission of wireless energy. 859 00:35:51,008 --> 00:35:53,904 Prince: He's like, "you know, marconi's got the radio, 860 00:35:53,905 --> 00:35:56,869 but I'm gonna eclipse him. 861 00:35:56,870 --> 00:36:01,559 I'm going to transmit power, voices, video. 862 00:36:01,560 --> 00:36:06,455 We'll be able to send a page of written text wirelessly." 863 00:36:06,456 --> 00:36:08,628 Everybody thought that was just crazy. 864 00:36:08,629 --> 00:36:10,593 You know, today that's old-school. 865 00:36:10,594 --> 00:36:11,869 Koscho: One of the things 866 00:36:11,870 --> 00:36:14,076 we may learn from this death ray is 867 00:36:14,077 --> 00:36:15,490 that Tesla's wireless power-transmission ideas 868 00:36:15,491 --> 00:36:17,076 weren't all that crazy. 869 00:36:17,077 --> 00:36:20,973 Large-scale wireless power distribution is the holy grail 870 00:36:20,974 --> 00:36:24,317 since Tesla theorized it, over 100 years ago. 871 00:36:24,318 --> 00:36:27,731 Rural areas, communities normally hit by storms... 872 00:36:27,732 --> 00:36:30,662 These areas could receive power with no infrastructure. 873 00:36:30,663 --> 00:36:33,904 It's almost like Wi-Fi but for power. 874 00:36:33,905 --> 00:36:35,973 And having that possible outcome, 875 00:36:35,974 --> 00:36:37,800 even if it's a small percentage chance... 876 00:36:37,801 --> 00:36:39,939 I think that's worth chasing. 877 00:36:44,905 --> 00:36:46,145 Koscho: All right.Charging. 878 00:36:46,146 --> 00:36:48,283 Let's test this thing. 879 00:36:48,284 --> 00:36:49,628 Narrator: Aron and his team 880 00:36:49,629 --> 00:36:51,766 are attempting to build Tesla's death ray. 881 00:36:51,767 --> 00:36:54,248 Now the team is ready to test the flow of energy 882 00:36:54,249 --> 00:36:57,387 between the power source and the weaponized Tesla coil. 883 00:36:58,767 --> 00:37:01,283 Koscho: Three... Two... One. 884 00:37:01,284 --> 00:37:02,662 [ Explosion ] 885 00:37:02,663 --> 00:37:04,214 - Oh. - Wow. 886 00:37:04,215 --> 00:37:05,662 What the [bleep] was that? 887 00:37:05,663 --> 00:37:07,938 That thing's done. [ Sighs ] 888 00:37:07,939 --> 00:37:11,731 We had too much voltage too fast. 889 00:37:11,732 --> 00:37:15,179 Our capacitor bank... It actually held up. 890 00:37:15,180 --> 00:37:16,559 We didn't blow up any more capacitors. 891 00:37:16,560 --> 00:37:17,766 That was great. 892 00:37:17,767 --> 00:37:19,662 The Tesla coil did what it was supposed to. 893 00:37:19,663 --> 00:37:22,766 The thing is, is getting that energy from that capacitor bank 894 00:37:22,767 --> 00:37:24,248 through that Tesla coil 895 00:37:24,249 --> 00:37:26,731 didn't go quite the way we had planned. 896 00:37:26,732 --> 00:37:28,869 I don't know what went wrong. 897 00:37:28,870 --> 00:37:30,317 We might very well have bitten off 898 00:37:30,318 --> 00:37:32,214 a bit more than we can chew here. 899 00:37:32,215 --> 00:37:33,386 So, let's sit down, let's look at it, 900 00:37:33,387 --> 00:37:34,697 let's figure out how to improve it, 901 00:37:34,698 --> 00:37:36,421 and let's move on. 902 00:37:36,422 --> 00:37:44,422 ♪♪ 903 00:37:49,353 --> 00:37:51,076 Murphy: We've been granted exclusive access 904 00:37:51,077 --> 00:37:53,283 by the local fire department to let us dig, 905 00:37:53,284 --> 00:37:55,145 so we've brought on a team of professionals 906 00:37:55,146 --> 00:37:56,939 to help with the excavation. 907 00:38:01,284 --> 00:38:03,042 How are you? Thanks for coming out. 908 00:38:03,043 --> 00:38:04,076 I'm Jack.Sal. 909 00:38:04,077 --> 00:38:05,077 Good morning. Good to see you. 910 00:38:05,078 --> 00:38:06,145 Nice to meet you. Thanks. 911 00:38:06,146 --> 00:38:07,628 What are you guys looking for, exactly? 912 00:38:07,629 --> 00:38:09,697 Are you familiar with this property across the street? 913 00:38:09,698 --> 00:38:10,869 No. 914 00:38:10,870 --> 00:38:13,145 All right, this is wardenclyffe. 915 00:38:13,146 --> 00:38:16,593 This is Tesla's last remaining laboratory 916 00:38:16,594 --> 00:38:18,662 that's still standing. Now, we know 917 00:38:18,663 --> 00:38:21,490 that Tesla dug tunnels for a grounding system. 918 00:38:21,491 --> 00:38:24,455 There's some sort of complex... Something underneath the soil... 919 00:38:24,456 --> 00:38:26,317 That leads from where the tower stood, 920 00:38:26,318 --> 00:38:28,973 all the way back here. So, if you find the tunnels, 921 00:38:28,974 --> 00:38:31,179 are you going inside the tunnels? 922 00:38:31,180 --> 00:38:34,179 We hope so. We'd like to. 923 00:38:34,180 --> 00:38:37,386 I know the backhoe isn't exactly a precision instrument, 924 00:38:37,387 --> 00:38:40,110 but we want to go as slowly as we can 925 00:38:40,111 --> 00:38:41,662 to take the soil away 926 00:38:41,663 --> 00:38:43,731 without disturbing anything that might be underneath. 927 00:38:43,732 --> 00:38:44,938 Okay. 928 00:38:44,939 --> 00:38:47,317 Yeah, this is a historic dig. 929 00:38:47,318 --> 00:38:50,179 For years, people have wanted to do what we're doing today. 930 00:38:50,180 --> 00:38:51,904 This is the first time it's ever actually happened. 931 00:38:51,905 --> 00:38:53,767 Yeah. let's dig a hole. 932 00:38:56,249 --> 00:38:57,766 Once I get on that, if I have to, 933 00:38:57,767 --> 00:38:59,110 I'll put a piece under it. 934 00:38:59,111 --> 00:39:07,111 ♪♪ 935 00:39:07,249 --> 00:39:08,973 Murphy: Excavating is the only way 936 00:39:08,974 --> 00:39:11,007 to know what's under wardenclyffe, 937 00:39:11,008 --> 00:39:13,904 but it's a really risky operation. 938 00:39:13,905 --> 00:39:15,524 We're on a sinkhole. 939 00:39:15,525 --> 00:39:19,593 The ground is Sandy and soft, prone to cave-ins. 940 00:39:19,594 --> 00:39:21,214 Watch your back. 941 00:39:21,215 --> 00:39:23,731 Prince: We've got to find out what's buried here 942 00:39:23,732 --> 00:39:26,835 if we have any hope of cracking the mystery of the death ray. 943 00:39:26,836 --> 00:39:34,836 ♪♪ 944 00:39:47,353 --> 00:39:48,524 We got the right tool for this job. 945 00:39:48,525 --> 00:39:50,180 Yeah, yeah. 946 00:39:51,663 --> 00:39:53,179 Murphy: Our survey of the area 947 00:39:53,180 --> 00:39:55,214 told us that there's something six feet down. 948 00:39:55,215 --> 00:39:57,766 It's like ocean sand you find at the beach. 949 00:39:57,767 --> 00:39:58,835 Yep. 950 00:39:58,836 --> 00:40:00,076 So, if our calculations are right, 951 00:40:00,077 --> 00:40:02,490 we should hit something around five feet deep. 952 00:40:02,491 --> 00:40:03,731 Now we need to go deeper. 953 00:40:03,732 --> 00:40:05,455 Yeah, we're gonna have to go deeper. 954 00:40:05,456 --> 00:40:06,973 I'm not seeing anything yet. 955 00:40:06,974 --> 00:40:08,214 You want to dig some more? 956 00:40:08,215 --> 00:40:09,524 Yeah. All right. 957 00:40:09,525 --> 00:40:11,042 One foot at a time. All right. 958 00:40:11,043 --> 00:40:19,043 ♪♪ 959 00:40:23,387 --> 00:40:25,248 Yeah, you see how loose this sand is 960 00:40:25,249 --> 00:40:27,145 as we're getting deeper? 961 00:40:27,146 --> 00:40:35,146 ♪♪ 962 00:40:37,077 --> 00:40:39,559 Wait, wait, wait, wait. Stop. 963 00:40:39,560 --> 00:40:40,731 What do you got? 964 00:40:40,732 --> 00:40:42,524 There's something hard there.Yeah. 965 00:40:42,525 --> 00:40:45,317 What's that? What's that? 966 00:40:45,318 --> 00:40:47,317 What is that? Dude, we got something. 967 00:40:47,318 --> 00:40:49,179 Let's get that out of the way. 968 00:40:49,180 --> 00:40:56,904 ♪♪ 969 00:40:56,905 --> 00:40:58,386 Koscho: We really could use some more data, 970 00:40:58,387 --> 00:41:00,455 because it's not an easy thing to build a death ray. 971 00:41:00,456 --> 00:41:01,766 Pike's peak? 972 00:41:01,767 --> 00:41:03,248 Yeah, that's Colorado Springs. 973 00:41:03,249 --> 00:41:05,352 Tesla went there in 1899 974 00:41:05,353 --> 00:41:07,490 and built an experimental station. 975 00:41:07,491 --> 00:41:10,766 "Wizard of electricity had instruments which could kill." 976 00:41:10,767 --> 00:41:13,455 "Kill 30,000 people"?"In an instant." 977 00:41:13,456 --> 00:41:15,869 So, we got to go there, get boots on the ground, 978 00:41:15,870 --> 00:41:17,317 actually walk the terrain. 979 00:41:17,318 --> 00:41:19,110 Oh, we blew this the [bleep] up. 980 00:41:19,111 --> 00:41:20,179 It's never been done before. 981 00:41:20,180 --> 00:41:21,766 Trial and error. Yeah. 982 00:41:21,767 --> 00:41:24,524 This picture here depicts his laboratory. 983 00:41:24,525 --> 00:41:26,697 Do you think he conceived of the death ray 984 00:41:26,698 --> 00:41:28,973 here in Colorado Springs? Yes. 985 00:41:28,974 --> 00:41:32,317 So, uh, let's find Tesla's lab, man. 986 00:41:32,318 --> 00:41:34,076 Man: And that' our camera.Wow. 987 00:41:34,077 --> 00:41:35,766 Oh. Oh. 988 00:41:35,767 --> 00:41:37,731 Murphy: Oh, we hit something. 989 00:41:37,732 --> 00:41:39,490 Koscho: We've done everything we can. 990 00:41:39,491 --> 00:41:41,491 Let's hope this [bleep] works.