The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-08-16
Get-Rich-Quick Bubbles That Have Burst
BY HARLEY MATTHEWS
THE GOLDEN WHEEL THAT WOULD NOT TURN

had another new name. This would
startle the world, every body agreed
who saw it working.
Years went by and always it was
the same story for the public and the
shareholders,-M Keely was expert
menting with a new engine and more
money was required
In 1888 some of the shareholders of
the Keely Motor Company began to
get impatient. Court proceedings were
instituted against the inventor to COM
pei him to explain the workings of his
contrivances. But he steadily refused
to divulge even the principles of them,
and the judge committed him to Jail.
He was soon released, however, and a
Mrs. Bloomfield Moore was financing
him with 100000 for further expert
mentS.
From then on, people continued to
! hear of him. And for all the scepti-
cism that developed none could say
! that his engines did not work. though
the explanation was beyond every
body. From visits > his workshops
hundreds went back, convinced thai
the man had discovered some secret
| force of nature. At the Sandy Hook
proving grounds he gave a demonstra-
ton with a new propelling apparatus
that satisfied many skeptics.
For 25 years the public heard about
! Keely's achievements. He was al
ways making some great discovery, Or
building an invention that would rev.
| olUtionize industry. AS soon as one
shareholder of the company got tired
of only hearing, there were plenty to
buy his stock, convinced that they
would see soon the Kelly motor work
ing everywhere. And always John
/ Keely had money, not only to live
comfortably, but to experiment and
build engine after engine.
In the year 1898, John W. Keely
! died. By this time the public had
subscribed over S5,000,0O0 to develop
his discoveries. In return they had
! 5000 engines which he had built in
the % years since the establishment
of the company. and the bundles OF
manuscripts which his patent attorn,
ey, Charles B. Collier, said contained
enough information to enable him and
| Sylvester Thomas, a director of the
company, to make the invention a
payable proposition.
I But the manuscripts were as mysti
flying as the utterances of the author
in his life time. They also spoke OF
the wonders that could be accom-
) plished by an engine built on the
: principle of the "Inter-etheric liberia
tor and the "resonator.
| A visit to the workshop was more
? enlightening. There it was found that
: the steel globe, which he called the
sympathetic negative transmitter'
: was built to contain compressed air
; A fine platinum tube Supposed Il
} have been a wire) carried the air Il
/ the "Keely Motor" 1t was this force
| that made the wheel revolve, that lift
r ed weights, and performed all the en-
cheering marvels.
: But do not think that John Keel,
: had not the qualifications for tn
5 work he undertook. When a youns
/ man, he had been a circus performer
S Afterwards he took to conjuring ant
?. made himself an adept at sleight-oi
i hand tricks. In the early days, on
:, of his best tricks was to make an ap
d pliance he called a resonator, If
2 lweights. In making it a part of tn