Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-26
A NEW FORCE FOUND.
DR.. Joseph Leidy on the Value Of
Keely's Recent Experiment.
NEW THING IN PHYSICAL SCIENCE.
Where the Inventor First Got the Idea That
Resulted in
DEVELOPING THE STRANGE POWER

DEVELOPING THE STRANGE POWER
PHILADELPHIA, April 25.-The follow
ing is copy of letter addressed to Prof.
Dewar, of the Royal Institution OF Great
Britain by H. O1nard Ward:
DEAR PROF. DEwAR-As I have al
ready informed you, carried out your
wishes in reference to Prof Rowland. of the
Johns Hopkins University, as far as the ex-
tending to him of an invitation to witness
some of Mr.. Keely's experiments in sympa-
thetic vibration was concerned. Prof. Row
land was not able to witness any demonstra-
tions whatever, on account of an accident
which had happened to the disintegrator;
and he could not fail to have formed an un-
favorable opinion of Mr.. Keely from all
that transpired on that occasion. I next re-
newed the invitation to Prof. Barker, which
had already been extended to him by Prof
Leidy, both these gentlemen being pro-
fessors in the Pennsylvania University.
Prof. Barker was not able to be present.
"The series of experiments which have
been given for scientists, mechanical engI-
neers. and others, since my return, closed on
the 18th. The steady progress. from week
to week. since the accident to the disinte-
orator was repaired, has given beautiful evil
dence Of the wisdom of the plan adopted by
MIR. Keely in the winter of 1888-'89 which
led him to turn his attention to a class of
experiments of quite different nature from
those which up to that time had been given
for commercial ends; experiments which
have not failed to convince all who at
tended the entire series that Mr..
Keely is dealing with an unknown
force. the laws governing which he is still
in partial Ignorance concerning. He ad-
mits now that he cannot construct patent
able engine to use this force until he has
mastered the principle, and now q fund,
with the approval of scientists, has been
appropriated for his use to this end; upon
the one condition that he will waste no
more time upon what is known as "the
Keely motor engine" until he has demon
strated his ability to control reversions and
in all points to govern the revolutions.
THE FIRST EXHIBITION.
His last engine was built to exhibit the
practical nature of his discovery to capital
lists, the managers of "the Keely Motor
Company" (Which company died a natural
death many years since) hoping thereby to
raise the price of its stock and to be able to
furnish Mr.. Keely to the end with the funds
that he needed. But the exhibition of this
engine was premature and did not succeed.
There will be no further need of such exhibi-
tions in future, and it is, as it always has
been, in the interest of the stockholders that
the stock should not rise until the engine is
completed; then the stock will rise to remain
raised. From this time the interests of the
stockholders will not be sacrificed, as in the
past to the interest of ockjobbers. The
experiments given surpassed preceding ones
in the purity of the demonstrations, the in
struments being in better condition. In
demonstrating what seems to be the over
coming of gravity. for aerial navigation,
Mr.. Keely used a model of an airship
weighing about eight pounds. which, when
the differentiated wire of silver, platina, and
gold was attached to it, communicating
with the sympathetic transmitter, rose, de-
scended, or remained stationary midway, the
motion as gentle as that of thistledown float
ing on the air.
The experiment of illustrating "chord of
mass" sympathy was repeated, using glass
chamber 40 inches in height, filled with
water, standing on slab OF glass. Three
metal spheres, weighing about six ounces
each, rested on the glass floor OF the cham
Der. The chord of mass of these spheres was
B fat first octave; E fiat, second octave, and
B fiat, third octave. Upon sounding the
note fiat on the sympathetic transmitter,
the sphere with that chord of mass rose
slowly to the top OF the chamber, the posi-
tive end of the wire having been attached,
which connected the covered jar with the
transmitter. The same results followed the
sounding of the note in sympathy with the
chord OF mass of the other spheres, all of
which descended as gently as they rose.
upon changing the position to the negative.
A TRUTH ESTABLISHED.
~. NJ. Wilcox, Ph. D., who was present,
remarked: This experiment proves the
truth of a fundamental law in scholastic
philosophy, viz: that when one body at
tracts or seeks another body, it is not that
the effect is the sum of effects produced by
parts Of one body upon parts of another one
aggregate of effects, but the result of the
operation of one whole upon another
whole
1.-The experiments of the 18th closed with
the disintegration of water, II drops of
which we saw dropped, drop by drop, into
the small sphere attached to the disintegra-
tor, after exhausting the air by suction. A
pressure of over 10000 pounds to the square
inch was shown to the satisfaction of all
present, and when Mr.. Wilcox accepted
Mr.. Keely's invitation to take seat on the
arm of the lever, adding bis 26O
pounds to the weight, applause broke
forth. Mr.. Keely showed control
of the ether Cnter-atomic subdivis-
ion) by graduating the escape of the residue,
as he allowed it to discharge itself with a
noise like the rushing of steam to an expul- |
sion as gentle as the breathings of an infant.
The three subdivisions acted simultaneous
ly, showing instantaneous association and |
TheIsympathetic globe was
operated upon, 120 revolutions second |
ceasing the instant that the wire was de- |
tached.
81 regret to say that Prof. Ira Remsen,
who wrote to me that he has keen sense OF |
Justice, was prevented from witnessing any |
one of this series of experiments, as he in |
tended doing; nor have 1 been able to get |
the opinion of any physicist in whom 1 felt
any confidence; but Mr.. Keely is satisfied to
have the support of such men as j. NJ. Will
COX, Phi. D. and Prof. Leidy, LII. D. DR..
Leidy was awarded the Lyell Medal in 1884,
when in London, and the Cuvier Prize in
1888, from the Academy OF Sciences in
France. He is known in America not only |
Is possessing the broadest of minds and the
he gentlest OF natures, but as holding in his
heart that love for, and reverence OF, truth
md justice which alone can confer the power
,t forming a correct and just judgment.
WHERE HE GOT THE IDEA.
81 would like to have you make known
n England that Mr.. Keely is indebted to
Macvicar's Sketch of Philosophy for
urning his attention, in 1884 to researches
IN the structure of ether, and to Mrs. f. j.
Hughes. niece of Darwin (not Mrs. Watts
Hughes). for the suggestions in her work
IN 'Harmonies of Tones and Colors De-
7eloped by Evolution, which led him into
he line of experiment that now enables
him to show on disc the various coIors of
sound (each note having its color), enabling
him to demonstrate in Mrs. Hughes own
words that the same laws which develop