Free Energy Pioneer- John Worrell Keely

by Theo Paijmans

  On the inside of the big globe, which was part dark and part light, Wronski wrote equations of the comparative sciences, and on the big motionless circle he wrote the fundamental principles. "All sciences are the degrees of a circle revolving around the same axle," and elsewhere stood, "The future is contained in the past but is not wholly contained in the present," and "the rays of the Prognometer represent the summary of all knowledge." When Levi touched one of its parts, "the globe made out of bismuth opened itself and revealed on the inside another globe that was also covered with mathematical equations."60

  It is not known what happened to Wronski's Prognometer upon Levi's death two years after he found the device. Except for one etching, no picture of the Prognometer exists. It was Wonski's Prognometer, the "extraordinary calculating machine" that is considered a possible inspiration61 for another strange device, invented by French occultist Saint-Yves d'Alveydre (1842-1909). His fame in occult circles is derived mainly from his book Mission de l'inde en Europe, in which the 19th century esoterists learned more about the subterranean realm of Agarttha.62 But Saint-Yves d'Alveydre did not consider this or his other esoteric books to be his greatest works, nor his ideas on the use of seaweed as a means of nurture. In the last period of his life Saint-Yves d'Alveydre was totally devoted to his great invention which he called the Archeometer. He even obtained a patent, no.333.393, dated June 26, 1903,63 for this invention.

  The Archeometer was a grandiose machine, which "translated into the material the word, form, color, smell, sound and taste,"64 it was the "key to all religions and all the sciences of antiquity," and consisted of a disc or discs of colored cardboard with some very complex diagrammatic arrangements.65

  In the pamphlet Archeometre. Brevet d 'invention no 333.393 that was printed in 1903," Saint-Yves d'Alveydre wrote in eight pages everything that he wanted the public to know about his mysterious device. From this we learn more about the design of his Archeometer. The disc was divided in concentric zones. These zones or divisions contained the correspondences that existed between numbers, letters, colors and musical notes, the signs of the zodiac and of the planets.

  On it was also found the invaluable alphabet of Watan that, according to Saint-Yves, had been used by the Atlantean race. These letters were held of the utmost importance since through these one could rediscover the elements of the symbolic and figurative signs developed in antiquity and the meaning of which had been lost since time immemorial. Also included in the Archeometer was a metric system, destined to reform sonometry, that could be used in the determination of the proportions of all the graphical constructions.67

  While it is suggested that Wronski's Prognometer was perhaps the inspiration of the Archeometer,68 Saint-Yves could equally have been inspired by Keely's musical charts. Upon examination, one is stricken with the uncanny resemblance that Keely's charts have with the discs of Saint-Yves Archeometer.

  Saint-Yves was probably influenced by Keely's proposition to show the various colors of sound on a disc, each note having its color in order to demonstrate that the same laws which develop musical harmonies develop the universe. After all, when Saint-Yves invented his Archeometer, the Prognometer was already half a century old and perhaps a legend for 30 years.

  Saint-Yves terminology as exemplified in the parlance of the "red race" points towards Theosophical influences, which are also clearly visible in his esoteric oeuvre. And theosophy was the largest and most easy accessible channel through which Keely became known in the occult communities of the 19th and early 20th centuries in America, England, Holland, and in France.

  When Keely began to receive attention from the press and the general public, several other inventors came forth to tell of their inventions, and news of their activities reached the surface.69 Often these stories are irritatingly vague. Inventors sometimes visited Keely and it is from this that we very briefly learn of their existence, but unfortunately nothing of their inventions. When he was in jail, a young inventor who had "been waiting for eight years for a patent from Washington," tried to see him, without success.70 Mr. Browne, an inventor from Brooklyn, visited Keely in his laboratory and claimed that "He could do all that Keely could do. "71 Dr. Dupuy of New York was "for years experimenting in this field without meeting with Keely's progressive successes,"72 and there was of course Kinraide, who experimented in his fully equipped cave with magnetic needles.

  Sometimes, more information is available and tantalizing glimpses on the inventions themselves are given. In 1875, A. Arnold confided to a newspaper that he had "received by mail from an unknown source a pamphlet entitled 'The Keely Motor.'73 The first paragraph of this pamphlet is a quotation from a paper published by me some two years ago, in a New York scientific journal. I know nothing of the Keely motor nor any of the persons connected with it. But for the benefit of the public I will say that I have in practical operation, capable of doing useful work, a simple apparatus which generates a constant pressure of fifteen pounds per square inch, without heat, chemical or electrical action, or the employment of any other materials than a small quantity of air and water. I use this low pressure only for convenience, but can at pleasure increase it indefinitely in the same apparatus. I can assure the public that producing a pressure only limited by the strength of a generator, from no other source of power than a small quantity of cold water, air moving slowly therein, is no 'humbug,' nor new discovery, but is a fact, long shown to scientists and mathematicians. And, furthermore, the apparatus I have for effecting it cannot be patented by other parties. Respectfully yours, A. Arnold. Tenafly, N.J., July 4, 1875."74

  Two weeks later, a notice appeared in a newspaper of a new motor in operation in Hamilton, Ontario that was said to rival the Keely motor. "The motive power consists of nine parts of air and one of coal-gas, which operates as an explosive. The inventor challenges the Keely motor to a trial."75 Although there was considerable interest in such inventions, as is clearly demonstrated by all the publicity that surrounded Keely, nothing more was heard of these inventors.

  Four years later in 1879, a Chinese sub-prefect, Tung Yu-ch'i, claimed to have invented "a machine which would go of its own accord and generate sufficient power to propel a steamer of the largest size." The enterprising sub-prefect went to Shanghai with a credit of 3000 taels, given to him by the governor-general, and "plans and specifications of the most mysterious nature, in which clogged wheels, tubes, and other contrivances were inextricably jumbled together." A working model of this device was constructed in "the native and foreign workshops" of Shanghai, which "would not work."

  The next year would find the persistent inventor in Peking, where he obtained a royal edict: "An Imperial Decree — The censorate has memorialized us to the effect that Tung Yu-ch'i, an expectant sub-prefect in the province of Anhwui, proposes to construct a steamboat to be impelled by a cold vapor generated without the use of fire, which shall supplant the one using fire. Its construction is already well-nigh completed, and it is estimated that 3000 taels will suffice to finish it. A diagram, with illustrations of the invention, has been presented to the memorialists for their inspection. Should the steamer invented by the officer in question be found capable of quick motion and adapted to practical use, it will of course be proper to adopt it."76

  Nothing more was heard of Tung Yu-ch'i or the steamer that was nearly complete. In the same year that he was constructing a working model in the workshops of Shanghai, the discovery by Wesley Gary (1845-1875) of a neutral point between the poles of a magnet, allowing for nearly perpetual motion, was printed in the respectable and bourgeois Harper's Magazine of March 1879. His discovery also drew the attention of the occult communities. It was noted in The Theosophist for November of the same year.77

  Steiner also learned about Keely through his affiliation with the Theosophical Society, took his idea on a threefold society from Saint-Yves d'Alveydre,78 and would become a major player on the occult scene.79 He lectured on several occasions about Keely and his discoveries, and like B
lavatsky he was a wide-reaching and influential channel through which much information about Keely traveled in the occult underground. In some occult quarters this was not exactly new, since Blavatsky, Hartmann and others had preceded Steiner in that respect.

  Steiner, an inhabitant of the esoteric substratum of that time, not only knew Hartmann, but also knew a host of other major occult figures. While he was general secretary of the Berlin branch of the Theosophical Society in Germany in 1906, he obtained a charter from Theodor Reuss to found a lodge of the Ordo Templi Orientis in Berlin. Before that, he was involved in a Viennese esoteric society, the Guido von List Gesellschaft that was founded in 1905 to honor that dark Viennese initiate Guido von List. List's notes and references betray the enormous influence that theosophy would have on his writings. After all, Blavatsky's The Secret Doctrine, that seminal work that would deliver Keely to the occult circles anywhere where Blavatsky would be studied, was translated into German and published in 1903. A German edition of Scott Eliott's The Lost Lemuria appeared in 1905, and both works found their way into List's writings. Thus he also mentioned the airships and the cyclopean structures of Atlantis, already written about by Scott-Eliott.80

  The Guido von List Society also numbered amongst its members his friend Jorg Lanz von Liebenfels. Also ever present was Franz Hartmann who is described by von List's biographer — himself a prominent theosophist — as "very honored among us."81

  Liebenfels, also heavily influenced by theosophy, would found the esoteric templarist order Ordo Novi Templi, with as its innermost and secret core the "Lumen Club."82 He held the most singular ideas; in his Theozoologie oder die Kunde von den Sodoms-Afflingen und dem Gotter-Elektron, published a year after The Secret Doctrine and two years after Fjodorow died, Liebenfels painted his bizarre vision of a new race of man that would be once again equipped with the same electro-magnetic-radiological organs as the ancient races or gods. According to Liebenfels, these extraordinary sensory organs were for the reception and transmission of electrical signals and gave the owners telepathic powers and omniscience.83 Liebenfels blended his extraordinary ideas on religious topics with recent discoveries in the fields of electronics and radiology, such as the N-rays discovered by Blondlot in 1887, Rontgens discovery of the X-rays a few years later, the discovery of radioactivity by the Curies in 1898 and the application of radio communication by Marconi and Herz between 1898 and 1904.84

  From that strange blend of occult thought and avant-garde technology that clearly obsessed him we may assume that he had studied Blavatsky's writings on Keely well, but it also had a more practical side to it. Liebenfels also successfully applied for several patents, one for some kind of propulsion system for ships, submarines and aeroplanes. The U.S. Naval office took these patents during World War II.85 Liebenfels alleged that he corresponded with the most singular persons; if true, we may glimpse a deeper layer through which Steiner's warnings cannot be simply brushed away, for early subscribers to Liebenfels' ariosophic magazine Ostara were, amongst others, August Strindberg, Lord Herbert Kitchener and Lenin, who met Liebenfels in Switzerland.86

  Hartmann, who had closely rubbed shoulders with Liebenfels in the Guido von List Society, had also been working with Reuss around 1902 in an occult group called the Ancient and Primitive Rite of Memphis and Misraim.87 It is alleged that Steiner joined this order in the same year and worked with Reuss until 1914.88 Reuss, who had been a member of the Theosophical Society since 18 8 5,89 obtained the charters for this order from John Yarker, who also sold Blavatsky a Masonic Diploma.90

  Hartmann knew Karl Kellner, the founder of the Ordo Templi Orientis.91 It is asserted that Kellner derived much of his teachings through a Paris branch of the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor, the order of the American mystic Paschal Beverly Randolph.92 Burgoyne, who is also briefly referred to in the previous chapter, was the secretary of the order.93 Beside Hartmann and Reuss, other prominent occultists connected with the O.T.O. in its infant or later stages were John Yarker, Golden Dawn founders William Wynn Westcott and MacGregor Mathers, Papus and Aleister Crowley.94

  Hartmann met Keely around 1887, had a lengthy conversation with him and investigated his devices with the greatest interest.95 In connection with Keely, Hartmann also referred to a strange invention made by O.T.O. founder Kellner, an invention of which we know very little. Hartmann's short reference though, provides another glimpse deep into the occult territory, where strange technology is being developed.

  That Kellner (1850-1905) was the person to involve himself in such an undertaking is not that surprising, considering he was already technically inclined. He studied natural sciences with a special emphasis on chemistry in Paris, where he may have met Robert Donston Stephenson, who studied chemistry in Munich and medicine in Paris and who pursued occult studies under Bulwer-Lytton. While in Paris, Kellner could equally have met Parisian alchemists such as the mysterious and reclusive Louis Lucas, or even the legendary Fulcanelli. Although no documentary evidence of this exists, it is alleged that in Paris, he was involved with at least one occult order - so the possibility remains.

  On his return to Vienna while still a young man, he erected a laboratory for industrial consultation. He invented a procedure for the manufacture of paper, which was highly successful. The following years saw more of his inventions, and in 1895 he held 63 patents. When he died, he had more than 80 patents, among them one for light bulbs and a 1897 patent for color photography.96

  According to Hartmann, the instrument invented by Kellner "collects and produces electricity directly from the ether of the atmosphere without any friction of solid corporeal substances and without any chemical agency."97 Elsewhere Hartmann writes that, "Mr. Keely's power seems to be derived by changing the vibrations of cosmic ether. The machine which my friend Dr. Kellner has invented seems to be based upon the same principle, only, while Mr. Keely transforms these vibrations into some force connected with sound, Dr. Kellner's machine transforms them into electricity."98

  There are more fascinating cases, but quite isolated from the witches' cauldron of esoteric orders and societies and not always with apparent occult flirtations on the surface. In 1888, Scientific American published a short announcement with the suggestive title "Keely Outdone." In it, a certain William Timmins, an English mechanic residing in Pittsburgh, claimed to have invented a machine by which "untold motive power can be stored or used without the expenditure of fuel." The article stated that ".. .he has been engaged for two years in perfecting the invention, and is now negotiating with the governments of England, Russia and the United States for the sale of the right to use his discovery." Interestingly, although Scientific American brushed Timmins' device off with the remark that, "The machine seems to be simply an air compressor of the simplest sort," it also noted that part of the device consisted of "two layers of bars containing eleven different minerals, the magnetic influence of which is the secret of the inventor."

  Timmins called his device a "Pneumatic Generator" and stated that it could be used to propel the largest ocean steamer afloat or to move 80 laden freight cars in one train. It would be an ideal engine in warships, but also "can be used as a defense against hostile attacks by means of air chambers placed behind the armor plating,"99 but in the coming years, no trains or ships were manned with his invention.

  Another highly intriguing case is that of Nathan B. Stubblefield. In the 1880s, Stubblefield of Murray, Kentucky, claimed to have invented a wireless telephone with which he could "transmit vocal messages with clarity through the ground."100 According to Gerry Vassilatos, Stubblefield "developed an extraordinary receiver of ground electricity (which produced great quantities of electric power) and numerous 'vibrating telephones' which were used by local residents in 1887. The telephonic devices were patented in 1888 and represent the first commercial wireless telephones, using the ground as the transmission medium. ...We have photographs of his telephone sets. These reveal small, ruggedly built wooden cases which are surmounted by conventional tra
nsmitter-receiver sets. Heavy insulated cables run to the outer ground from his apparatus. Stubblefield developed an 'enunciator' (horn loudspeaker) which amplified the voice of callers. These sets of his appeared in numerous demonstrations on the East Coast, from New York to Delaware. ...Numerous private and public demonstrations of this first system were made in Murray, Kentucky (1886-1892), where the mysterious black boxes were seen. Two metal rods were stuck in the ground a few feet apart from each distantly placed set. Speech between the two sets was clear, loud, and startling despite distances of 3,500 to 6,000 feet."101

  Stubblefield conducted a series of tests for the U.S. Navy, which was favorably impressed. In 1898, he published a brochure to attract investors. In this brochure, he "insisted that power for his device was not generated in the cell. He calmly stated that the cell received energy from the earth." Vassilatos also writes about Stubblefield's intriguing motor, "The device features several mobile pithballs around a compass-like perimeter, resembling the equally mysterious electrostatic hoop telegraphs of the 1700s." According to Vassilatos, Subble-field's last claim made to a neighbor two weeks before he died was that, "The past is nothing. I have perfected now the greatest invention the world has ever known. ...I have taken light from the air and the earth... as I did sound."102 Stubblefield was not the only one to transmit the spoken word in this manner. In 1893, it was written that the Englishman W. H. Preece, chief engineer and electrician to the Post Office, had "put up a wire a mile long on the coast near Lavernock, and a shorter wire on Flatholm, a little island three miles off in the Bristol Channel. He fitted the latter wire with a 'sounder' to receive messages, and sent a message through the former from a powerful telephonic generator. That message on the mainland was distinctly heard on the island, though nothing connected the two, or, in other words, the possibility of a telephone between places unconnected by wire was conclusively established." And referring to the 1893 experiment on Lake Michigan to send signals to Mars by means of two long crossed lines with lights, the author muses that, "There is a possibility here of inter-planetary communication, a good deal more worthy attention than any scheme for making gigantic electric flashes." The writer then proposes the idea that the ether is the medium through which these messages are carried.103