Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1898-11-23
HIS SECRET NOT LOST.
Patents May be Secured from
Drawings and Data Left
by PhiIad 2Iphian.

Philadelphia, Pa, Nov 21-The news
Of the sudden death Of John Worrell
Keely, the famous inventor, who died at
his residence, 1852 Oxford street, on Fri
day afternoon, has occasioned wide
spread feeling of sorrow.
Mr.. Keely's genial personality won for
him a host of friends who deeply deplore
his loss. There was no topic more uni
vcrsally discussed in this city today than
the death of this cratic scientist, and the
wonderful secret which many believe per-
ished with him. Though many Of his in
innate friends knew that he had been III
for several days, few of them had any
idea that the old inventor, still hale and
hearty at the age of II, was so near his
end
When the news reached the members
of the company which was interested in
his inventions it caused general cOnSter-
nation. Had the precious secret which
the old man had always guarded with
such jealous care died with him? Had
the hundreds of thousands of dollars
which have been given to him to aid him
in the development of his mysterious mo-
tor been expended in vain? Was there
anyone who could essay the task of fin
ishing the work Keely had begun? These
were questions more easily a, ked than
answered.
Charles B. Collier, who until the day
of Mr.. Keely's death had been his legal
adviser for many years, said that he was
not prepared to say anything regarding
the selection Of any one to continue Mr..
keely's experiments. He stated, how
ever, that Immediately before Mr.. Keely
was taken i'll arrangements had been
completed for taking out patents on the
41a T<N,.,
available and he said the patents will
probably be applied for in the course of
the next few months.
There is one man in Philadelphia, how
ever, whose views respecting keely and
his inventions possess especial interest
because of his association with keely at
the time he discovered what he was
pleased to call new force" This man
is Bennett c.. Wilson, 1929 Columbia av
enue, who was not only Keely's employer
at the time that the famous discovery
was announced, but was also his first
financial hacker, Il distinction that cost
him $4,000 to attain.
When Mr.. Wilson was asked whether
he believed that keely's discovery was
all that the inventor claimed it to be, he
said:
in one respect it is all that Keely be-
lieved it to be. He did really discover
new and wonderful natural force. But
of developing it in a manner that would
give it practical utility. In his hands il
was nothing more than a mere plaything.
IN object for show purposes.
Convinced that he could not properly
develop it himself. he would not share his
secret with others SO long as he was able
to make it yield him a livelihood.
Several years ago / witnessed one of
his exhibitions of the motor at his labo-
ratory. The machine he showed was sim
liar to the one he had in 1873. He had
made no advance on his early develop
ment of the original idea. His pretended
theory that musical vibration is a factor
in the development of the mysterious
force is utterly absurd, and most of the
appliances which had place in his labo-
ratory were only designed for the pur-
pose of mystifying persons who, like my
self, placed their fortunes at his dis
poSal.
Il believe. however, that if he had con-
fided his ideas TO some man like Edison,
who was capable Of developing them in
a practical manner. the world would be
the better for the action and men would
not today be lamenting the loss to science
of valuable secret that was too careful
ly kept"
These views are shared by Clarence B.
Moore, 1922 Locust street, who several
years ago had recourse to litigation in
order TO restrain Mrs. Bloomfield Moore,
a relative. from continuing to advance
sums to Mr.. Keely to aid him in his ex-
DerimentS