Investigations at the Keely Laboratory

    Text from the Scientific American "expose" of Keely February 4, 1899.
    Made available through KEELYNET by Vangard Sciences, PO BOX 1031,
    Mesquite, TX 75150 on August 30, 1989.  (214) 324-8741 or 484-3189

                     Investigations at the Keely Laboratory

       In our last issue we noted the fact that the Keely Laboratory, at
    1420 North Twentieth Street, Philadelphia, Pa., had been examined by
    experts, and that the discoveries seemed to confirm the views held by
    the SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN  in 1884, that the phenomena were produced
    through the medium   of   compressed  air.   A  representative  of  the
    SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN was at once sent to Philadelphia, and through the
    courtesy of Mr. Clarence B. Moore, who has the lease of the premises,
    unique photographs and diagrams were obtained.

       The laboratory is an unconspicuous brick building two stories in
    height.  After Mr. Keely's death the laboratory was given up, and all
    the apparatus, wires, tubing, etc. in fact, everything which could be
    used as a  clew  to  the discovery of  the  principles  underlying  the
    alleged motor, but it is shown by the result that Keely  had  not taken
    anyone into his  confidence, and accounts for even his supporters being
    ignorant of the existence of the remarkable  things  which  we  are  to
    describe.

       The investigations were carried out under the auspices of the
    Philadelphia Press.

       Every bit of flooring was ripped up and every nook and cranny
    explored in the floors, walls, and ceilings, and it was found that the
    building was honeycombed  with  traps,  holes  for  piping,  etc.,  for
    carryiing on the bogus experiments.  Everything was conducted with such
    secrecy and ceremony,  and  the  laboratory lent itself so admirably to
    the purposes of  deception,  that   is   is  little  wonder  that  this
    nineteenth century thaumaturgist should have been successful,  for  the
    border line between science and quackery is always attractive.

       The ground  floor  has  no  cellar under it and at places the joists
    were sawn away  and  the flooring had  been  removed  and  replaced  in
    sections, forming what is known in stage parlance as "traps."   Most of
    the spaces between  the  sawed  joists were filled with ashes, and here
    valuable finds of tubing and connections  were  made.   The center room
    contains four traps and a pit.  Back of this room to  which  no one was
    ever admitted, and  here  a  remarkable  discovery  was  made.  A steel
    sphere forty inches  in diameter,  weighing  6,625  pounds,  was  found
    embedded in a it underneath a trap.  The sphere had two  projections or
    trunnions: both had  a  hole  through them; one of these holes had been
    filled up and then faced off, and the  other,  near the iron pipe shown
    in our illustration, was open and was of the proper  size  for charging
    the reservoir.  Midway  between  the two trunnions a small hole drilled
    into the side  of the sphere was  found  to  be  the  proper  size  for
    connecting with one of the small brass tubes connecting with the second
    story.  These tubes, while of small diameter and having  a  small bore,
    have very thick   walls,   showing  that  they  could  resist  enormous
    pressure.  Of course, the sphere possessed great strength and must have
    been an ideal storage reservoir for  air  or  gas  at a great pressure.
    William Rickert, who was formerly employed in Keely's laboratory, has



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    come forward with  valuable  evidence.   He  say  he helped to test the
    steel sphere with a hydraulic pump  which  was  specially  made for the
    purpose.  It was tested p to 28,000 pounds, or only one  tone less than
    the powder chamber   pressure   required  in  tests  of  United  States
    ordnance.  Steel tubes were also tested  with  this  powerful hydraulic
    pump.  The tubes  were 9 inches in diameter and the  bore  was  only  3
    inches.  These were  split  with enormous pressure and the stockholders
    and the general  public believed that  the  tubes  were  burst  by  the
    "etheric vapor."  Mr. Rickert states that they ran tubes  to  the lever
    machine which indicated   pressure,  and  one  of  the  tubes  recently
    discovered Mr. Rickert believes to be a tube running to that machine.
    He also states that Keely never allowed the men to entirely compete any
    connection the machinery; he assumed that part of the business himself.
    A very heavy iron pipe with the high pressure joints, 13 1/2 feet long,
    ran diagonally under the floor to a point in a trap in the front room.
    This was undoubtedly used in distributing the compressed air.  The room
    where the sphere was discovered had a wooden ceiling nailed on to the
    joists, while in the front room the joists were exposed.  This ceiling
    gave 16 inches  of  space,  which,   of   course,   gave  an  excellent
    opportunity for running  tubes  or concealing apparatus.   The  private
    room in the  rear  was  used by Mr. Keely when resting from his arduous
    labors and was handsomely fitted up.

       The second  floor was divided into  an  office  and  two  exhibition
    rooms, where progress was reported at intervals.  Sometimes the front
    exhibition room was used, but generally the rear exhibition room was
    utilized.  A small window connected the exhibition rooms and also the
    office.  Keely would station himself behind the small window, C,
    connecting the exhibition rooms, and after asking the favored few who
    were allowed to see the manifestations what pressure they desired or
    what speed they  wished,  depending  upon the nature of  the  apparatus
    which he was then exhibiting, he would then play a violin, a zither, or
    a harmonica to set in motion the harmonic vibrations upon which he
    depended for obtaining his remarkable manifestations.  The first
    exhibition room has many auger holes, which have been indicated by our
    artist.  These holes were, of course, hidden by the oilcloth which
    covered the floor, and one ot the holes was covered with a piece of tin
    with a hole, as shown in the diagram at D.  It is surmised that these
    holes, and specially the last one to which we have referred, permitted
    the "etheric flow" of compressed air from the receiver in the cellar to
    the apparatus on exhibition to be controlled by a spring valve operated
    by the foot.  Other holes seemed to have been located under the
    apparatus and doubtless aided in the experiments.

       The upper floor of the main exhibition room was torn away during the
    investigation, and showed that tubing of the same kind as the alleged
    "wires" of Keely's lever machine passed under the joists, through the
    brick partition, under the threshold of the door at the point, A,
    connecting the two exhibition rooms.  This is in a way the most
    remarkable of the find, as it was so carefully hidden in the brickwork,
    which had been removed and reset.  The tubing ran through the brick
    partition under the steps, where it apparently descended into the room
    below, but this end was broken off.  At the point, B, another piece of
    tubing was found running out into the front room from the rear room
    below.  Those who assisted at the investigation were Prof. A. W.
    Goodspeed, Prof. Carl Hering, Dr. M. G. Miller, Mr. Moore and Mr.


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    Sellers, and the investigations were so thorough and the results
    obtained were so  satisfactory  that  it  is to be hoped that, once for
    all, the Keely motor may be considered to be exposed, though we have no
    doubt that, like the scotched snake,  the  tail  may  still continue to
    wiggle.

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    We of Vangard Sciences realize that there is always  a  possibility  of
    fraud, even in  the  works  of  Keely.  Many times psychics and mediums
    cannot produce their normal range of  phenomena  if  conditions are not
    conducive.  Many synergistic  events  must  correlate   to   allow  the
    manifestation of certain effects.

    However, the wide  range  of  phenomena Keely produced under controlled
    conditions and in  the  presence   of   many   famous  and  respectable
    scientists and researchers  of  his  day  indicate that  his  work  was
    definitely productive though not always on command.

    A study of  his  writings  will indicate an incredible understanding of
    the art of vibration and its application to matter and energy.

    For this reason, we have chosen to  focus  a  majority  of our research
    efforts on correlative  efforts  which  might serve to  verify  Keely's
    work, yet stands in its own light.

    Thank you for  your open-mindedness and patience in studying these many
    documents.  Once the light of Vibrational  Science  is  ignited  in the
    minds eye, it becomes easier to follow some of Keely's  statements.  We
    must however, not  allow  ourselve  to be blinded to blatant fraud from
    whatever the source.




























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