The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-01-31
Charles ]. Weber Believes He
Now Has Real Thing
Convinced of the Success of His
Wonderful Invention.
Letters Patent Are Awaited BY
Owner of the Device.

Chicago, Jan. 2S.-Charles j. Web
Der, mechanic of Oak Park, not yet
twentysiX years of age, who believes
that he has solved the problem of
perpetual motion, says that within Il
short time he will have revolution
lied the realm of mechanics.
Perpetual motion. may be said to
rank with the philosophers stone as
the favorite quest of antiquity and
modern physicists have long since Civ
en- over the search for it as vain.
Nothing dismayed by the dictum of
science that perpetual motion is i'm
possible, Weber set out ten years ago
to prove the dictum false.
At his home, Ills Lake street, Oak
Park, is the working model of his
invention. which he says has. run for
two weeks with no apparent diminu-
ton of power. He believes that it
will continue to do so until the ma
terials of which it is constructed wear
ont. He already has communicated
with the patent office at Washington.
but until he feels certain that his
invention is thoroughly protected will
decline to permit it to be seen. He
consented yesterday, however, to dis
cuss his idea in a general way.
Plan of Operation.
Power is generated by the swift
passage of number of steel balls
down double incline, built i'll the
general form of triangle. The balls
are held together by a contrivance OF
buckets, which act as an endles cham.
The model which the mechanic
built i'm his own home after working
hours, is six inches in length three
inches wide and eighteen inches high.
The balls used in the model weigh
only twenty eight pounds i'll all, yet
he claims for his invention the gen
Grafton of six horse power.
In leaving the highest point i'll the
trau"ld the steel balls pass down an
incline of forty-fve degrees and fall
into the pockets of circular drum
which occupies the acute end OF the
triangle With the revolution of this
drum the balls pass to second i'll
cline. set at about thirty degrees.
When the reach the base of the tri-
angle they are hoisted again into
place at the top by the weight of the
other balls.
The spaces between the weights
are nicely calculated, so that only
four balls are being drawn up the
base of the triangle, while twelve are
moving down the inclines and over
the arc of the drum. The dead weight
of the four balls is lifted by them i'm
petus of the twelve other balls down
the double incline, so as to leave
great surplusage of working power,
according to Mr.. Weber. So far,
the inventor alfirms, the principle OF
friction has not seriously mterfered
with the working of his machine.
Multiplying the Power.
By complicated system of cog
wheels he maintains a constant rate
of speed throughout the machine and
transmits his power to drive shaft.
BY employing variety OF sizes OF
wheels. he says, he has been able
to multiply his power many times.
"Of course, such a machine as this
wouldn't run forever" he said yester-
day, seven supposing it to be practi-
cable. It's life would depend upon the
durability of the materials used. But
I believe that such machine could
he built to last at least eighteen
months It's parts would then require
to be replaced, but the cost of this
would be much less than that of the
fuel which is now used i'll generating
steam.
81 have been working OH the idea
about ten years and l see now no
reason to believe that it will not
prove an entire success. A relatively
small model would run high power
DYNAMO. and | estimate that to fur
nish power direct for an ordinary
machine shop-say 100 or 1000 horse
power-a machine nine feet long,
seven feet wide and eighteen feet
high would be sufficient"
Mr. Webber and his father are the
only ones who have seen the model
in operation