Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-04-05
KEELY's LATEST ENGINE.
A Monster Combination of Tubes,
Musical Pegs, Globes and
bpfndIes Now Building.
PHILADELPHIA Times.

Philadelphia Times.
A knock upon the back door of a
little brick building on Twentieth
street, above Master, yesterday,
brought az oilsdarkened machinist,
in his working clothes, face to face
with 8 Times reporter. The workman
bowed pleasantly, and in reply to q
question said: Mr.. Keely Is not ia
town. but you may see the engine, If
you will come in. y The reporter step
ped into a room, the gloom of which
deepened almost into darkness when
the door closed behind him. Here
Kelly, the mysterious motor" man.
has been for months engaged upon the
construction of a mighty engine which
he believes will enable him to demon
strate to a skeptical world how an
ocean steamship or train Of cars can
be driven by small bottle of name
less "vapor." There we're no windows
in the room. and the light of day
struggled feebly for entrance down
narrow winding stairway, which led
up from a further corner. 1t was a
moment or two before the visitor, with
the aid of a burning gas jet, could see
distinctly. A table, running the
length OF the apartment, was laden
with all sorts of machinists' tools. On
the opposite side small steam engine
was arranged to run lathe. The
idea at once suggested itself that one
Of Mr.. Keely's small machines, which
work perfectly, as he alleges, ought to
have been used. The heavy rafters Of
the ceiling were hung with all sorts Of
queer and rusty looking designs in
iron and brass. Resting upon
broad, iron bed, in the center of the
little room, was an object shaped
somewhat like a gigantic iron egg, cut
through near the point and exposing
the interior. The detached part lay
up against wall. There" said the
workman proudly, sis the engine"
Inside the in mense iron shell there
we're ten heavy iron tubes arranged in
the form Of circle aud fastened at
one end into an iron disk and at the
other into q soScalled pin plate, a
heavy iron ring containing 300 steel
pins, ranging from one and a half to
four inches in lenlt Three of the
tubes were painted black
and we're said to be vacuum or
negative and the remainder, which
we're white, were called pressure or
positive tubes. A heavy iron drum
fits into this nest of tubes. The vari-
GUS parts are joined together with
steel cylinders and supported upon
pOnderous standards by the same
means.
The engine, with its appurtenances,
will weigh when completed nearly
thirteen tons. 1t will exert when at
it's best, Mr.. Keely is quite sure,s force
Of 500 horse power. 1t will be fur
nished with a belt "A inches in width,
and il is stated as an amazing fact that
when at work the whole engine will
revolve. 1t has not turned yet. 1t
has, in fact. not been all put together
yet. Mr.. Keely says, however, that he
has successfully operated a small en-.
CINE, after which this one has been
fashioned. The reporter was
given a glimpse OF the little
engine through a peep hole in the
door Of Mr.. Keely's private work
room. It was not operated, but the
reporter was assured it had been sent
spinning round by a Whit from a
soda water tank filled with vapor.
The mysterious generator, which
has been the subject of a good deal Of
comment is set up in a second story
back room of Mr.. Keely's building.
As soon as the big engine shall have
been completed connection with the
governor will be established by copper
tubing. 1t is declared by those in the
motor company that everything will
be completed in a'few months. MIR
Keely, it is said, spends his evenings
drawing up the papers necessary 10
making application for letters patent
He has already filed nearly 300 fools
cap pages. Popular expressions have
been substituted for the techuica
terms which made his previous efforts
in that direction the subject Of a gooG
| deal of ridicule.
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