The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1875-07-22
A SCIENTIFIC SETTLER.
The K eely Motor Pronounced a
second-rate Juggle by a
Scientific Paper.

The Scientific American, while pub
fishing letter from the counsel of Mr..
Kelly, again takes occasion to express
utter disbelief in the supposed discovery.
1t says We publish on another page a
communication from the counselor of
the Keely Motor Company, MIR. Collier,
and his colleagues in reply to an article
on the above subject given in our paper
of June %. We devote this space, first,
because the parties interested feeling
peronally aggrieved by our remarks
have requested as matter of fair play
an opportunity for reply and, second,
because we have hopes that some of
our readers may be led thereby to study
out the probale processes by which
these gentlemen have been precipitated
into this delusion. Such studies maDre-
suit in useful suggestions or new know
ledge. It is not often that the active
participants in decisions like this are
willing to come forward and chronicle
themselves in the broad and public man
ner that these persons have done. The
mental or psychological phenomena Will,
we think, be found Interesting subjects
for investigation. An example some
what similar to this Keely motor bust
ness occurred in London in 1871, when
DIR. William Crool1es, the well-known
scientist, published his astonishing &C
count of the spirit motor of Home, in
which the spring gage was made to
move by the simple pointing at it of the
operators fingers. The truth of this
performance was attested by DIR. Crookes,
who himself prepared the apparatus, by
DIR. William Higgins, by Edward Will
liam Cox, distinguished lawyer, and
by numerous other witnesses of undoubt-
ed reliability. DIR. Crookes and others
were convinced by this exhibition that
a new force, which he termed physic
force, had been discovered but DIR.
Higgins, while attesting that the gage
moved Tin fact the movement was made
to record itself on paper, declined to
express an opinion as to how the move
ment was produced. An accout of
THESE PERFORMANCES,
with an engraving of the arrangement
of levers and gage used, was published
in The Scientific American, page 80,
Aug. II, 1871. This motor of DIR.
Crooke's appears to surpass the keely
device IN some respects. The power is
workable at a low pressure, involves but
little expense, requires no blowing of
air from the lungs, uses no hydrant-pres-
sure, and its success does not depend
upon ''cold vapor." No one, we believe
has ever questioned the honesty of Dr.
Crookes, or supposed for a moment that
he had, personally, any hand in giving
motion TO the gage. The more reason
able supposition is, that somebody, I'M
observed by those present, applied the
necessary force to the instrument. The
human senses are but weak instruments
at best. easily played upon and deceiv-
ed; and those who have most highly
prided themselves upon the possession
of superior perceptions, by which they
were confident OF their ability to detect
the unreal from the real, have become
lamentable examples of the ease with
which the mind of man can be entrapped
and led astray by M Re appearances. In
matters of science and mechanics, es-
pecially in those branches pertaining to
the correlation OF forces, it is only by
the application of the most careful meth
DDS, coupled with the searching tests
of mathematics, that reliable knowledge
can be acquired and delusive conclusions
avoided. As in the present example of
the keeiy motor, so in the case of the
PMne-electro motor III 1871. The origi-
nator of the deception made the most