The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1879-03-07
A NEW MOTIVE POWER.
And Perpetual Motion Machine at Last
Harper,s Magazine for March.

ana a PerpetuAL Motion MacnInO At Last.
Harper's Magazine for March.
With an ordinary horseshoe magnet,
a bit of soft iron, and common shingle
nail, a practical inventor, who for years
has been bordering over the power lying
dormant in the magnet, now demon
strates as his discovery fact of the ut
most importance in magnetic science,
which has hitherto escaped the Observa-
ton of both scientists and practical cleo
tricians, viz: the existence of neutral
line in the magnetic tield-:i line where
the polarity OF IN induced M met ceases,
and beyond which it changes. With
equally simple appliances he shows the
practicaI utilization of his discovery in
such way as to produce magnetic mo-
tor, thus opening up Il bewildering pros
pect of the possibilities before us in rev
olutioniZing the present methods of mo-
tive power through the substitution of
wonderfully cheap and safe agent. By
his achievement Mr.. Wesley w Gary
has quite upset the theories of magnetic
philosophy hitherto prevailing, and lift
ed magnetism out from among the static
forces where science has placed it, to the
position of dynamic power. The Gary
magnetic motor the result of Mr.. Gary's
long hears of study. is, in a word. sim
power, and will run until worn out by
the force of friction, coming dangerously
near TO that awful bugbear, perpetual mo-
ton.
At Huntington, Pa, Mr.. Gary made
his first practical demonstration, and al
lowed his discovery TO be examined and
the fact published. He had long been
satisfied, from his experiments, that if he
could devise a cutoff" The means of
neutraliZing the attractive power of a
stationary magnet on another raised
above il and adjusted on a pivot, unlike
poles opposite, and so arrange this cut
off as to work automatically, he could
produce motion in balanced magnet.
To this end he persistently experiment.
ed, and II was only about four years ago
that he made the discovery, the key TO his
problem, which is the, basis of his pres
ent motor, and upsets our philosophy.
In experimenting one day with piece
of iron upon magnet, he made the dis
cOvery of the neutral line and the charge
of polarity. At first he gave little at
tentiOn to the discovery of the change
of polarity, not then recognizing its
significance, being absorbed entirely by
the discovery of neutral line opened up
to him. Here was the point for his cut
off. For a while he experimental en-
tirely with batteries, but in September
1874, he succeeded in obtaining a move
ment Independent of the battery In
June, the following year, Mr.. Gary eX
hibited this continuous movement to &
number of gentlemen, protecting him
self by covering the cutoff with copper
so as to disguise the real material used
and prevent any one from robbing hin
of his discovery. The publication il
tho local NJ tho =, n.
of the little machine, which was copieC
far and wide, excited much interest
But the inventor was by no means salts
| fed. He has succeeded in securing {
continuous motion, but not a practica
motor. He has invented unique play
| thing, but not a machine that would de
mans work. So he made further expert
| ments in one direction and another, us
ing for long time the battery; and i
| was not until some time after he moved
to Boston (Which was about two year
ago. that he was convinced that tn,
points in the change of polarity, witt
which he was so little impressed WAeI
he first hit upon them alone
with his discovery of the neutra
| line, were the true ones to work upon
| Thereafter his progress was most rap
| id, and in a little while he had construct
ed working models. not only to his owl
satifactiOn, but TO- those experts who haI
the fairness to- give them critical ant
thorough examination, clearly demon
strating his ability to secure motion ant
power, as they had never before been sc
cured, from selffeeding and selt-actin.
machines. His claim, as he formallI
puts it, is ii is: "Ihave discovered that
straight piece of iron placed across tn
| poles of magnet, and near to their end
changes its polarity while in the magnet
ic field and before it comes in contac
with the magnet, the fact being, howev
er, that actual contact is guarded against
The conditions are that the thickness O
| iron must be prOpOrtioned to the power
of the magnet, and that the neutral line
or line of change in the polarity of tn
/ iron, is nearer or more distant from TIL
magnet according to the power of tn,
latter and the thickness of the former
| My whole discovery is based upon thi!
change of polarity in. the iron, with Oh
without battery" Power can be in
creased to any extent, OF diminished, b,
the additionsor Withdrawal OF magnets.
Mr.. Gary is Al years old, having beer
born in 1897. During the years devoted
to working out his problem he has sus
tanned himself by the proceeds from tn
sale of a few useful inventions mad
! from time to time when he was forced Il
turn aside from his experiments to rails
funds. From the sale of one of these in
ventiOns-a simple little thing-he real
lied something like $4,000.