The sun., 1899-06-29
X-RAYED A MOTOR FRAUD.
lLDRICH PERPETUAL MOTToB M
GENE WENT By CLOCKWORK

AIdrich Got Into Prison-Patent ONCE
wouldn't Bother with It Scientific A me r.
lean Tries Skingraah Successfully.
In revealing the unseen works" which
made perpetual motion machine mote the
Scientific american has found new use for the
N-ray. There came to the of1lce OF the paper
not long ago a box containing a mysterious
machine Along with 1t came letter from a
man in Bradford. Pa. who said that the ma
chine was the invention Of J. NJ hldrIch. now
serving sentence in Auburn prison for obtain =
ing money by fraud. Aldrich drifted into
Bradford some time ago and succeeded in in
tctesting several mon In his perpetual motion
contrivance.
After they had seen It mote" and had
scrutinized its exterior. they advanced money
To- the inventor to enable him to perfect his
machine and get 1t through the Patent ONCE.
But, as weeks went by. and Aldrich absorbed
the money advanced him without any appar-
eEt result. the promoters became suspicious.
Al last Aldrich was locked up in tho county
jail. only to be released when the promoters
concluded that they lacked evidence against
him. Later he was sent to prison in New York
State.
Aldrchs motor. like Keely's. is ingeniously
contrived to dupe anybody who thinks some
thing can be made from nothing Most per-
petual motion machines don't go. but Keely's
did and does Aldrichs. Keelys motor was a
big machine. immovabe. and 1t was simple
task for its constructor to connect 1t by unf cen
tubes with the source oi power under the 6Uor.
but this motor from Bradford can be cavried
about in hat box. and its maker showed un-
"works' that It puzzled the experts who eI-
am!nHd II. II is one OF the n most cieeerIy con.
SSa ,Fa1bs t t . snGt ever drew money from the
So simple is the exterior construction Of this
motor that IT seemed all the more wonderfn to
AldrCh 9 dupes. First, q square. thick. wooden
base. seemingly a solid piece; on this block
two posts. supporting horizontal shaft; on
on the shaft. on either sido OF the ny Wheel
etrnight arms at right angles TO each other; at
ing levers the movers of The motor, Many an
inventor. chasing the will -o'-ths-wisp OF per-
%rn BY sTavy By s' pscns aEont s ersnm
ference weights on hinged projecting arms
and having these arms throw, the weights
them in on the other. But, despite the most
Ingenious devices of those who have sought to
energy all these weighted wheels have re-
it, is an honest weghted-whc motor. but
unlike all other motors OF its kind. H. goes
n unSeres ha it aGes has sR Rare
ernor and q brake to keep it from running
verse arms that In tho downward half Of each
lcngthenng the. radius of the revolution. On
the UPWARD bali OF the revolution the levers
rotation with shortened radius As each
transverse arm with its lointed lever and
ss ss orss1a Ts5 S rSs the b%s
from the centre and Increasing the turning
moment on that side, at the same time de-
creasing the moment on the upward half OF the
revolution. The transverse arms are kept in
place by means OF small rocking LAYERS which
shaft. ~ ,.,,.
ofhis dGpes we're stili ready to Believe it that
there was something in his motor, They
couldn't make L go, howcver: something was
Patent Office Tho Patent ofice is overrun
with perpetual motion machines, and the ex
haven't time; The motor was shipped back to
Brad2ra o.a Then i was ss9t to the Scemts
It taken apart and looked into: they didn't
want to take i apart themselves. because they
didn't 5 know what Int Internal con,rivsnces might
II over very carefully and failed to md any
concealed DEVICES They said il was the clever
than destroy the machine. they took an X-ray
photograph OF the innocent-ooking wooden
The mystery vanished when the X-ray re-
Neaied the silhouette OF common everyday
wn ITS 6S sfeS Srrbng
uf the motor by means OF a small rod extend
ing through one OF the posts. two bevel wheels
motion Of the clookwork to the revolving shaft
and weights. No wonder n governor and a
brake were needed. The problem Of CONCEAL
rerted in the followed -out base OF the machine.
Ens solved by forming a beyel Joint and max
T6s xas skuy Th he doSe oStm sdss S the
E hc by %SkRs rnaaR hs bGRg Of the
,gether with artistic ,clumsiness. The key
oes by which the cloeekw9rk was reached
lrake, This block, II was found. could be lifted
rom the basebOard. but even then the two
title keyholes were not OF suspicious appear
tnce. for they were made to resemble worm
h@9s%S; %e have no doubt vn,tsv.r" +" .,v. tna
Scientific AmricGn, that Mr.. Aldrch believed
that his extensible arms. with the weights
flung far out on one, side Of the shaft and drawn
sure perpetual rotation, but In a machine Of
sufficient size would exert not incons idera BILE
nnmbGr nEn OF hGrse power A. matter of fact,
t it was vas Mr. fdrSR iound ntNfr that on ant stars 4s
hn ing rs machine It was very quickly
IN overcoming the internal friction ii he had
been content. as many another unfortunate
to the scrap heap it would have been better
for HIM and for his victims but being OF an
Ingenious and resourceful mind. and doub
overcoming the troublesome friction by means
81 concealed clock work, and. acting upon the
thought, he carefully carved and whitfield out
therein the springs and the train OF gears
nithaP Thh Peb5pstMal wGI9p so papaby accom-
people were relieved OF their money; AIdricS
was given ne space ace Tor repentance within Auburn
to point moral and adorn n tale. for the BEN
eft Of the all too easily shared investor"