Is this Keely's last Motor?
A photograph has just surfaced that shows in all probability the last motor Keely built prior to his death. It was found amongst a collection of photographic glass plates recovered by Jeff Behary in Kinraide's laboratory. Jeff did some excellent research on Thomas Burton Kinraide, the Boston engineer to whom Keely's machines were entrusted for evaluation. For more on Kinraide and his involvement with Keely see Jeff's site: The Turn Of The Century Electrotherapy Museum and in my chapter on Kinraide.
The motor follows essentially the design of Keely's Globe Motor, of which a number of photographs exist. What is new is the part that Keely called by different names over the years like compound disintegrator, liberator etc. In later years this took the form of a small globe like structure with a resonator ring at the bottom which was connected to the motor by a wire.
It would appear that in his last motor Keely substantially re-designed that device. The photographic plate has suffered greatly over the years but surprisingly the centre of the plate, that shows the motor, is of remarkable clarity and resolution.
Let me know what you make of it.
Below is the commonly known later form of Keely's "Liberator" for comparison.
