1899年，年过四十的我正在科罗拉多进行实验。我能将550英里外的雷声听得十分清晰。然而，和精神极度紧张时敏锐的听力比起来，这一时期，我完全可以说是聋了。在布达佩斯时，三个房间以外钟表的滴答声我也能听到；一只苍蝇落在我房间的桌上时，我的耳边就会产生一声沉闷的巨响；我的身体会因几英里外有辆马车驶过而震颤好一会儿；当有火车在二三十英里外鸣笛时，我会觉得坐着的椅子或凳子在剧烈摇晃，那种痛苦是难以忍受的。我感觉地面也在不断晃动。为了休息，我必须在床上安放橡胶垫。远处或近处的喧闹声，清晰得如同在我耳边说话，若不能将其一一分辨清楚，我将会感到万分恐惧。我的大脑在阳光时断时续时就会感到强烈的撞击，致使我昏厥。我不得不召唤出所有的意志力来抵抗通过桥梁或其他建筑物时头顶如负千斤的不适感。我在黑暗中的感觉如同蝙蝠一般灵敏，可以探测到12英尺之外的物体，所以我总是感觉有小虫子在我的前额上蠕动。我的脉搏可以从每分钟几下变化到每分钟260下，并且我身体的所有组织都在以我难以忍受的方式颤抖和震动着。一位著名医生每天给我服用大剂量的溴化钾，并断定我的病是根本不可能治愈的。
我今生最大的遗憾就是，我的病当时未被生理和心理学专家所留意。我拼尽全力地活着，却从未想过有天能够康复。没人能相信已经被放弃治疗的身体却又散发出惊人的力量和坚韧的品质，能每天工作，三十八年来从未间断过，并且依然身强力壮、思维灵活。我的经历就是如此。之所以会有这样一个奇迹，完全是基于我对生活和工作的强烈渴望，以及一位忠实的运动员朋友的悉心照料。我成功恢复了身体和精神的活力。当我再次回顾这段经历时，“战争”的过快结束令我深感遗憾。我还有那么多的能量没派上用场。我在对这个问题的认识上不同于普通人。我把这看做一个神圣的誓言，是生与死的大问题。我知道，我若是失败了，那我必将灭亡。现在，我认为我取得了这场战役的胜利。这个问题的解决方案藏于内心深处，我无法将它表达出来。
我记忆中曾有这样一个场景：一天下午，我和朋友正很享受地在城市公园一边散步，一边背诵诗歌，那个年纪，我能一字不差地将书中内容全部背出，其中一本便是歌德的《浮士德》。缓缓西沉的落日令我想起了文中壮丽的一段描写：
“夕阳西斜，暮色四合，
结束了一天的辛劳，即将开启对新的生活领域的探索。
唉！可惜我没有可以用来追逐太阳的翅膀。
一个辉煌的梦想啊！虽然现在这荣耀已褪色。
唉！躯体的双翼，终究难以同精神的双翼为伴。”
就在我背诵这段发人深省的诗句时，一瞬间如同有道闪光划过，真理浮现在我的脑海，我立刻拾起树枝在沙地上将其画下。六年后，当我在美国电气工程师学会演讲时，我将这幅图进行了展示，而那天和我一道散步的同伴对此画的含义是完全能够理解的。我看到的图像如同现实生活中的金属和石块一样真实，并且它们清晰可辨，以至于我对他说：“看，我的发动机，我现在要将它翻转。”我当时激动的心情简直难以形容。就算是皮格马利翁在自己的雕像复活之际的激动心情也比不上我当时那种强烈的感受。就算我偶然发现了一千个大自然的秘密，我也宁可用它们来换取这个发现。为了获取这个发现，我曾与生命中一切的不幸抗争，甚至差点失去了生命。
III.The Discovery of the Rotating Magnetic Field
At the age of ten Ientered the Real Gymnasium which was a new and fairly well equipt institution.In the department of physics were various models of classical scientific apparatus，electrical and mechanical.The demonstrations and experiments performed from time to time by the instructors fascinated me and were undoubtedly a powerful incentive to invention.Iwas also passionately fond of mathematical studies and often won the professor"s praise for rapid calculation.This was due to my acquired facility of visualizing the figures and performing the operations，not in the usual intuitive manner，but as in actual life.Up to a certain degree of complexity it was absolutely the same to me whether Iwrote the symbols on the board or conjured them before my mental vision.But freehand drawing，to which many hours of the course were devoted，was an annoyance Icould not endure.This was rather remarkable as most of the members of the family excelled in it.Perhaps my aversion was simply due to the predilection Ifound in undisturbed thought.Had it not been for a few exceptionally stupid boys，who could not do anything at all，my record would have been the worst.It was a serious handicap as under the then existing educational regime，drawing being obligatory，this deficiency threatened to spoil my whole career and my father had considerable trouble in railroading me from one class to another.
In the second year at that institution Ibecame obsessed with the idea of producing continuous motion thru steady air pressure.The pump incident，of which Ihave told，had set afire my youthful imagination and imprest me with the boundless abilities of a vacuum.Igrew frantic in my desire to harness this inexhaustible energy but for a long time Iwas groping in the dark.Finally，however，my endeavors crystallized in an invention which was to enable me to achieve what no other mortal ever attempted.
Imagine a cylinder freely rotatable on two bearings and partly surrounded by a rectangular trough which fits it perfectly.The open side of the trough is closed by a partition so that the cylindrical segment within the enclosure divides the latter into two compartments entirely separated from each other by air-tight sliding joints.One of these compartments being sealed and once for all exhausted，the other remaining open，a perpetual rotation of the cylinder would result，at least，Ithought so.Awooden model was constructed and fitted with infinite care and when Iapplied the pump on one side and actually observed that there was a tendency to turning，Iwas delirious with joy.
Mechanical flight was the one thing Iwanted to accomplish altho still under the discouraging recollection of a bad fall Isustained by jumping with an umbrella from the top of a building.Every day Iused to transport myself thru the air to distant regions but could not understand just how Imanaged to do it.Now Ihad something concrete——a flying machine with nothing more than a rotating shaft，flapping wings，and-a vacuum of unlimited power！From that time on Imade my daily aerial excursions in a vehicle of comfort and luxury as might have befitted King Solomon.It took years before Iunderstood that the atmospheric pressure acted at right angles to the surface of the cylinder and that the slight rotary effort Iobserved was due to a leak.Tho this knowledge came gradually it gave me a painful shock.
Ihad hardly completed my course at the Real Gymnasium when Iwas prostrated with a dangerous illness or rather，a score of them，and my condition became so desperate that Iwas given up by physicians.During this period Iwas permitted to read constantly，obtaining books from the Public Library which had been neglected and entrusted to me for classification of the works and preparation of the catalogues.One day Iwas handed a few volumes of new literature unlike anything Ihad ever read before and so captivating as to make me utterly forget my hopeless state.They were the earlier works of Mark Twain and to them might have been due the miraculous recovery which followed.Twenty-five years later，when Imet Mr.Clemens and we formed a friendship between us，Itold him of the experience and was amazed to see that great man of laughter burst into tears.