Free Energy Pioneer- John Worrell Keely

by Theo Paijmans

  In his defense, George H. Peabody, a stockholder of the Keely Motor Company, wrote that, "...The suit on the part of the directors and stockholders is not merely to compel Mr. Keely to give what exists in his mind only, but to give the company the present finished generator and the 'Secret' of working it, as he has done over 7,000 times during the last two years in the presence of hundreds of able men who have no doubt of its great value to day..." The letter also repeated the more sinister motive for the suit: "This is asked for so that the company may understand the power in case of Mr. Keely's death."63

  On June 7, at a meeting of the committee that was appointed by the Board of Directors, an attempt was made to overcome the rift between Keely and certain stockholders. An agreement was signed by both President Randall of the company and Keely, which was then publicized: "...differences have been adjusted, and William Boekel, of Philadelphia, is agreed upon as the person to be instructed by Mr. Keely in the construction and operation of his inventions."64 The honor of learning Keely's secret was bestowed upon Boekel, who was by all means a logical choice. Boekel devoted his life to "mechanical pursuits," and he knew Keely well before the legendary beginning on November 10, 1874. He stated that he was "intimately acquainted" with Keely and his inventions.65

  So what became of Boekel's interrogation? It is suggested that Bloomfield-Moore was instrumental in forging the compromise even though contemporary sources never mention her, and while Fort, by absence of a reference to a time period, suggests that the interview by Boekel was quickly, and more or less satisfactorily done, quite the opposite seems to have taken place.

  The answer came several months later; "Mr. William Boekel, the Philadelphia machinist who was selected by Mr. Keely as a proper person to study his mysterious motor and satisfy the doubts of the stockholders of the Keely Motor Company, has been pursuing his studies now for about three months without learning anything tangible in regard to the wonderful engine. ...As the weeks have passed and Boekel has learned nothing that he did not know before, the stockholders are again becoming suspicious... as Boekel had been employed to manufacture certain parts of the marvelous machine, some of the stockholders objected to him from the first, and declared that his selection was prearranged. Meanwhile, Boekel visits Keely's factory daily, and the people dwelling in the neighborhood are frequently startled by the sounds of terrific explosions in the building. The enemies of the inventor say that he explodes large quantities of gunpowder there for the sake of the effect, and they have determined, if Boekel has not told them something to satisfy them by Tuesday of next week, that they will console themselves with a monster mass-meeting for the purpose of expressing indignation." In a lighter vein, it was added that "Mr. Keely, however, does not appear to be alarmed, and complacently spends time with his new trotting horse over the drives in Fairmount Park on pleasant afternoons."66

  Then, on December 13, at the annual meeting of the stockholders, Boekel's report was finally presented, supplemented by another report from Keely. His report stated that his engine would soon be completed and in full operation, and that it was his purpose "to bring the matter to the attention of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company with a view of having the engine first applied on their road between Philadelphia and New York."

  Keely assured the stockholders that "he has passed the line of experiment and nothing is left to be done but the completion of the mechanical work now being done on his engine." Once again, there was talk of patents; Keely said in conclusion that, "At your request and with the aid of Mr. Boekel and of counsel I have prepared a caveat for my generator, which has been forwarded to the patent office."

  Boekel presented his report; he painted the great possibilities of the natural forces, which, he said, Keely had been "assiduously studying until the inventor's investigations and experiments have carried him far beyond the laboratory experiments of such men as Prof. Tyndall and other scientific investigators." Keely had also succeeded in "exciting, harnessing and utilizing the subtle force which to them has been only a subject of scientific wonder." Boekel then went on to explain that what Keely claimed to have discovered, was "the fact that water in its natural state is capable of being, by vibratory action, disintegrated, so that its molecular structure is broken up, and there is evolved therefrom a permanent expansive gas or ether, which result is produced by mechanical action."

  Unfortunately Boekel's report did not describe the mechanism that was used, as it would be "improper." He concluded his report by stating that Keely had "discovered all that he has claimed, and that the stockholders should abide in patience the success of the enterprise." Boekel also added that it had taken so long to perfect his invention, because although he built "three engines at different times, each being an improvement on its predecessor, but none of them equal to a fair test." But now, Keely was engaged in the construction of a vibratory engine that would deliver 500 horsepower.67

  The construction of this engine would take longer than expected; halfway through 1883, word was out that he had completed his vibratory engine that would deliver an awesome amount of horsepower. "For several days past it has been rumored on the street that the much-talked about inventor, Keely of motor fame, has not only really completed his well-known and yet little-known invention, but has completed a wonderful new vibratory engine."

  This new engine was giant-sized, but would deliver less than the promised 500 horsepower: "...and now Mr. Keely is completing a mammoth 'vibratory' engine which, he says, will develop at least 300 horsepower. It is rapidly approaching completion... by the end of the present month of July, or early in August, it will be complete. On its completion he will publicly exhibit it first at his workshop, testing its power with a dynamometer, and afterward at another location." Keely was also planning, according to Collier, to give an exhibition or a series of exhibitions that month "of most interesting character in vibratory mechanism."68

  August came, and at a regular monthly meeting of the directors of the Keely Motor Company at the offices of the corporation on Walnut Street, the "monster engine was officially declared to be finished, and it was also declared that it would be ready for operation about the first week of September. It was announced that a final inspection of the machine by the trustees would be made tomorrow forenoon, at which the stockholders were invited to be present."

  Optimism reigned; Treasurer Green proclaimed that he was "exceedingly hopeful, and declared that the day of Keely's vindication was close at hand."

  In this high-spirited and triumphant atmosphere, it was almost overlooked that poor Boekel "had not yet been introduced to the mysteries of the motor by Mr. Keely; that the inventor kept delaying matters by telling the expert that he could explain to him the curious mechanism after its completion in less than two hours. This he had not done yet, because the engine had not reached that final and highly desirable stage." The rumor that Keely had completed his engine reverberated throughout the country: "Applications for passage on the first Keely train for New York have already begun to pour in from all parts of the country. "69

  The inspection came on August 29, but it would be a big disappointment. In the presence of the directors of the Keely Motor Company, headed by President Randall, Keely "played a tune on the vibrator, and remarked that it was quite ridiculous to expect any experiments on the big engine yet... One of the visitors, who has promised a number of friends a ride to New York on September 1 looked grieved, whereupon Mr. Keely called attention to the fine appearance which the black and white lining of the shell would be presented after it had been enameled." The response by the unfortunate visitor was unfortunately lost in history.

  Amidst the disturbance, a spontaneous search of Keely's workshop began: "The directors then went upstairs and examined the wreckage of the 12 smaller engines used in past experiments. They concluded that the remains of the $5,000 one closely resembled the fragments of the $70,000 one downstairs. Then Mr. Keely and Mr. Becker, the foreman, went through a brief dialogue. 'You've worked for me 14 years
, haven't you?' said Mr. Keely. 'More than 14, I guess' said Mr. Becker. 'And how much do you know about running the motor?' said the inventor. 'Nothing,' replied the foreman. 'If I did I wouldn't be here wearing a dirty shirt.' Afterward, Mr. Keely made some astute remarks about a 30 lb. vacuum, and Mr. Becker said that the stock would begin to rise again within a week. He refused, in a mysterious manner, to tell the reason of the expected 'boom.' The foreman then distributed among the visitors the card of a Walnut Street broker, of whom the company's stock could be bought, and the performance closed. "70

  The bizarre meeting with the unusual anticlimax stirred the smoldering resentment that still lingered in the Keely Motor Company. Two months later, on October 29, they were "up in arms again and are preparing for another suit against the inventor." This time, the complaints came from Keely's former friends, and the suit was to be brought "in the name of the company against Keely for the fulfillment of his many pledges."71

  Yet that night, at a meeting of the Board of the Directors, Keely made a "statement explaining his progress, and stating that he was constructing a street chamber to contain the vapor, and that when this was completed an exhibition would be given. The directors voted Mr. Keely's explanation very satisfactory. And when the Keely Motor Company held a meeting on December 12, Keely was granted more time to complete his invention. It was also remarked that he 'had met with great obstacles, both mechanic and domestic' For a year Mrs. Keely has been ill, her death occurring about one month ago."72

  The year 1884 was to become another trouble-ridden year for John Keely. Unknown to him, in the same year a lean Yugoslavian immigrant arrived in New York with just a few dollars, a booklet with his poetry, some designs for a futuristic aircraft and an introduction letter to Thomas Alva Edison. His name was Nikola Tesla, and in the years to come, this genius would encounter several problems, not unlike those that Keely had to deal with. And in the end, Tesla would have something to say about Keely as well.

  Meanwhile, new setbacks occurred. All the employees at Keely's workshop were fired, including the head mechanic, Albert Chance, who had worked on the motor for seven years. This measure was taken, Secretary Schuellerman explained to the reporter, "because their work has been accomplished and we have no further use for them. Today Mr. Keely will begin focalizing and adjusting the vibrators. He will henceforth operate entirely alone. This work of adjustment may take several days. A perfect adjustment of all the parts is necessary. This is a delicate operation, but for Mr. Keely it is not a difficult one, and as soon as he obtains one revolution, be it ever so slow, his task practically is finished." High spirited, like the optimism that had lived so shortly the year before, Schuellerman added: "I see no reason why we may not expect to hear almost any day now that the engine is running."73

  And so, at the meeting of the Keely Motor Company held on March 25, the directors who left Schuellerman's office that evening were to the outside world, a very "hopeful-looking body of men." They had good reason. "The vibratory engine is finished," they said; "the work of adjusting and focalizing is progressing rapidly, and Mr. Keely has fixed the date for the actual exhibition of the motor on or before April 10." Keely himself was not present at the meeting. He told treasurer Green that "I am now so near done with my work that I don't want to appear before the directors again until I appear to exhibit to them in our final triumph." Green also read a statement by Keely, in which he was denying that he was delaying the completion of the motor in order to "apply his mysterious power to other mediums in the interest of other parties."74

  However, around this time, when Keely once again was asked when he would patent his engine, he answered that, "I do not know how near success may be, nor yet how far off it is."75

  September — and almost a decade after the first demonstration that had gained him his reputation — Keely would find himself for the first time giving a demonstration elsewhere than in his workshop, and with a new device called a "vaporic gun," with which he had given occasional demonstrations in his workshop as early as 1881. Until September 1884, all of Keely's demonstrations had taken place in his workshop. This was a severe point of criticism, since scoffers and skeptics doubted that his devices would work anywhere else. The Keely Motor Company had finally succeeded in arranging a demonstration at another location. The demonstration was an initiative of a Col. John Hamilton and Captain Van Reed, who had invested in Keely's inventions and who had visited him in Philadelphia, accompanied by A.R. Edey, at that time president of the Keely Motor Company.

  The demonstration was given on September 20 at a government range at Fort Lafayette76 at Sandy Hook. Keely arrived there by a special car, placed at his disposal by the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad.77 This car was needed because Keely expressed grave doubts about transporting via the railroad the two containers with the etheric gas on which the gun worked, since the effect that would be produced upon the vapor by the sound of an express train were uncertain. Nevertheless, they arrived safely at the range.78 Around 300 people, among them representatives of Scientific American and government officials, were present to witness his demonstrations with the "vaporic gun," sometimes also called "pneumatic gun," or "etheric force gun."79

  Keely and his helpers also brought a small cannon to the area, the "vaporic gun," that worked, according to Keely, on this etheric gas. A lead bullet with a diameter of an inch was placed into the cannon, and Keely then obtained the force from the containers through a "flexible copper tube," attaching one end of it to the breech of the gun.80

  The force was derived from an etheric vapor produced by his generator. The first chamber of the generator was filled with air that was "stimulated by vibrations" to "create a small disturbance." This was done by dropping water into it. When the air then reached the second chamber it would come in contact with the vibratory ether, which would "act upon the water and the air in such a way as to separate the particles of water and air. Expansion follows, and the force thus generated is irresistible."81

  The gun had a spherical knob, secured to the breech, from which projected a round vibrator bar having a diameter about equal to that at the extremity of the muzzle. The breech was 4.5 inches in diameter and its length 3.5 feet. The biggest of two containers, made of wrought iron, that held this force, or vapor, was opened, but "nothing could be obtained from it." This had happened before the guests arrived. Keely feared that the vapor had become "negatized," so he "administered blows carefully" between the big and the little container. To this end, Keely used a wooden mallet. A stroke upon the small container "intensified" the vaporic quality in the larger container, and Keely kept the "vivification" up by delivering "a blow now and then."82

  In loading the gun, the gas check, consisting of three disks having a diameter of almost two inches — two being of hard rubber and the third being of soft rubber — was first placed in position, and then the muzzle was screwed up tight. The bullet was placed in position in the gun and the valve was turned to admit the vapor to the breech. After waiting a few seconds, the end of the vibrator fixed at the breech of the gun would be struck, and the charge exploded. The time between the turning of the valve and the discharge was, on an average, about six seconds. Sometimes, he would need more blows on the vibrator to obtain the discharge. Keely also used his mallet on the gun itself, as it had certain "acoustic properties peculiarly its own," and "blows upon its exterior set a number of vibrators in action distributed through its breech." More vibrators were part of the interiors of the wrought iron containers.83

  The operating of the vaporic gun seemed to have been a risky affair at times. Keely would later write that, "It has been impossible for me to write, my right hand and arm were so severely strained, but I have not been idle. I have had time for reflection, and I have been setting up a key to explain vibratory rotation. I have also a plan for a device to be attached to the Liberator as an indicator to show when the neutral center is free from its intensification while operating. In this way, the dangerous influences will be avoided
which present themselves on the extension of the vibratory waves that operate the gun."84

  At the demonstration at Sandy Hook, Keely fired 19 rounds at a target placed 500 yards away. There was no difficulty in sending the bullets that far with a five degree elevation. A conical steel bullet pierced four inches of pine plank placed a few feet from the gun. The noise made by the gun "closely resembled that caused by a common shotgun when loose powder, having no ramming on top of it, is exploded," and "a small cloud of white vapor, which almost instantly disappeared, followed the discharge."85

  Opinions as to the effectiveness of Keely's gun varied considerably; a witness to its test firing would later say that "I saw the famous gun fired, and it did not amount to much. A good, healthy donkey could kick harder than the projectile struck,"86 but "flattened missiles, spread out by the concussion to about three inches in diameter," convinced another witness of the "marvelous power and instantaneous action of this strange vapor, apparently equal to that of gunpowder itself."87

  The day following the demonstration of the vaporic gun, Keely was visited by a reporter who found him in a lighthearted and talkative mood. Keely "sat in nis dressing gown this evening in the second story of his residence on Oxford Street reading after demonstrating the new motor gun on Saturday in the presence of a party of government officials at Sandy Hook. A satisfied expression was on his face. A reporter... was cautiously examining a vaporic vibrator that lay on the table in the middle of the room. Laying down his paper the inventor wheeled around in his chair, and, after studying for a moment, broke the silence that he has so persistently maintained... 'My experimenting days are over,' he said. "This will develop my active enterprise. Complete success is very near at hand. My experiments at Sandy Hook demonstrated that my vaporic force is a fact and not a mere creation of fancy, as many persons have persisted in declaring. I am now able to produce a power of projection thrice greater than that of gunpowder, and there is no limit to this force. My motor will be completed in less than two months and I will then make a public exhibition of its wonderful powers, which are already in a position to manifest themselves. The adaptation of my force to gunnery is positively assured. I can apply it with more effect than that of nitroglycerine.'"