The Washington critic., 1890-04-07
A NEW PHYSICAL FORCE
kEELY, THE MOTOR" MAN, CLAIMS
A WONDERFUL DISCOVERY.

afternoon succeeded in convincing
Professor Leidy of the University of
Pennsylvania and Professor James NJ.
Wilcox, author of Experimental
Philosophy" that he was the discov.
erer of new and wonderful physical
force. The machine shown was cup
toard about thirty inches high, on
which stood a cylinder of what looked
like bronze, fitted with q concentric
series of upright tubes one.half inch in
diameter also Of the same metal, sur
rounded at its base with series of
graduated horizontal rods, solid and
evidently of some resonant metal, and
capped by bell-shaped metal cup, in
which appeared to be several tuning
forks about four inches long, set
parallel to each other. The cupboard
door was open. Inside 1t appeared o
curious-looking harp and a glass ball,
TO which Keely put his ear every now
and then to see whether he had hit the
proper sympathetic chord" on the
resonant rods and on the harp-like In
strument.
Keely took common twine string
out of his pocket, wound II around
little brass spindle In front of the cyl
inder on top of the cupboard, jerked
the loose end as boy would spin a top
and set the spindle whirling very
rapidly.
He then attached metallic wire,
which he said was platinum and silver,
and which was about as big as small
knitting-needle, to small aperture in
the cylinder The wire fitted as If it
belonged there. The wire was about
three feet long. He attached the
other end of the wire to what looked
like five-pound copper weight on
table near by, and on this he put a
little metal dish, in which he laid
magnetic needle.
All this time the spindle he had spun
with his twine string was revolving at
prodigious speed. He sat down in a
big chair by the cupboard and began
striking the strings of the harp, and
tentatively seeking with the other hand
responsive chord among the resonant
rods on top of the cupboard. When
what he called "B fiat" was touched
on both rod and harp. string the mag
netic needle gave shiver, distinctly
visible to everybody, and began slowly
to revolve from left to right. In half
minute it was going so fast as to be al
most invisible. Keely didn't go nearer
TO 1t, but sat by the cupboard with his
hands in his pockets. The spindle re-
volved all the while, and the echoes of
the note came from the cupboard.
Keely then pointed out two glass
jars, such as chemists use, on table
near by. The jars were of the same
size, about forty inches high and ten
inches in diameter. They were filed
with what was said to be and certainly
smelled and tasted like Schuyllxill
water In the bottom of one jar lay
copper globe, cut in half, to show,
Keely said, just what 1t was, and filled
in each hollow half with iron nails. In
the other jar were three brass balls of
different sizes. The copper globe and
nails were weighed by DR.. Leidy and
found to kick the beam at five pounds
and six ounces. The brass balls or
eggs-they were gg-shaped-weighed
less.
Keely fastened another platinum
silver wire' to the cylinder ON the cup
board, detaching the one already in use
from the magnetic needle disc. Then
he fastened the loose ends of both wires
into the metal caps of the cylinders.
Again he spun the spindle on his cup
board with the twine string he had used
before. Again with his gnarled fingers
the joints of the first two fingers of
his right hand are as big as walnuts-
he sounded the "harp" in the cupboard
and the resonant bars on top of it.
The search for the mass chord con-
tinued on the "harp" and the resonant
rods. A deep, clear note resoupded
from both at the same time, and at the
instant it broke on the ear the heavy
copper globe quivered as 1t lay at the
bottom of the water, rolled over and
reluctantly, as 1t were, abandoning the
ties by which gravity held it to the bot.
tom Of the jar, floated, at first slowly
and then more swiftly and steadily. to
the top of the jar, against which it i'm
pinged with an audible conclusion.
Turning to the other jar, Mr.. Keely
again tried to strike the chord desired
TO carry his positive current of force to
raise the three brass balls at the bottom
Of the water.
Finally note was struck which sent
sort of shiver through one of the balls,
the smallest. 1t slowly mounted
through the water, remaining awhile at
the top. The negative current" Mr..
Keely said. was turned ON and it de-
seconded. A differentchord was struck,
and the same ball and one of the others
together climed up to the surface again.
There they remained, while an effort
was made to raise the biggest of the
three. After some difficulty that one,
too, was forced to the top. A change
Of action brought them all three as far
down as the middle OF the jar, where
they were stopped.
The last experiment performed was
what was announced as being the prop
agation and application of ''the force"
through the atmosphere from one room
to another without other medium of
conveyance than silk cord. The door
into the little back shop, whose exist
ence until then was unsuspected, was
now opened and silk cord passed from
the transmitter to a large bronze globe
mounted on an axis horizontally. The
other end of the cord waS not fastened
TO the globe but to slender bar OF
steel supported on uprights near 1t. A
piece of plate-glass an inch thick was
put between the end of the
resonant steel bar and the
globe. A similar piece of glass was
put between the wall and the other end
of the bar. Glass was put under the
uprights which supported the bar.
Glass plates were also put under the
uprights which supported the axis OF
the globe.
Keely then took harmonica in hi;
hands, and allowing the silk cord from
The 'transmitter" TO pass over the har.
monica in contact with it. began tc
sound notes on it, When "the sympa