MR. KEELY'S PERFORMANCES.

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 29, 1883. - Keely's workshop, at twentieth and Harian streets, was visited today by the Directors of the Keely Motor Company, headed by President Randall, who went on a visit of inspection. Mr. Keely played a tune on the vibrator, and remarked that it was quite ridiculous to expect any experiments on the big engine yet. The big engine wouldn't be ready for six weeks. One of the visitors, who has promised a number of friends a ride to New York on Sept. 1. looked grieved, whereupon Mr. Keely called attention to the fine appearance which the black and white lining of the shell would present after it had been enameled. The Directors then went up stairs and examined the wrecks of the 12 little engines used in past experiments. They concluded that the remains of the five-thousand-dollar one closely resembled the fragments of the seventy-thousand-dollar one down stairs. Then Mr. Keely and Mr. Becker, the foreman, went through a brief dialogue. "You've worked for me 14 years, haven't you?" said Mr. Keely. "More than 14, I guess" said Mr. Becker. "And how much do you know about running the motor?" said the inventor. "Nothing," replied the foreman. "If I did I wouldn't be here wearing a dirty shirt." Mr. Keely afterward made some astute remarks about a 30-pound vacuum, and Mr. Becker said that the stock would begin to rise again within a week. He refused in a mysterious manner to tell the reason of the expected "boom." The foreman then distributed among the visitors the card of a Walnut-street broker, of whom the company's stock could be bought, and the performance closed.

NYT - 11/18/1884 - The "etherealized vaporic force," which was so liberally poured into the ears of a large and gullible public by Mr. John W. Keely, of Philadelphia, and the Directors of his company, last Saturday, does not seem to have intoxicated Lieut E. L. Zalinski, who is wedded to science for its own sake and is in no way connected with companies of any description. The Lieutenant witnessed the experiments at Sandy Hook, and then told President A. R. Edey that with the same plant he could perform exactly the same experiments at Fort Lafayette on any day he might name with compressed air, and would even go further than Mr. Keely had gone. Mr. Edey said he would "speak about it to Mr. Keely," but the offer has not yet been accepted. The Lieutenant, when seen yesterday at Governor's Island, said that none of the experiments at Sandy Hook went to show that Mr. Keely had discovered a new force. If Mr. Keely, as he claimed, could obtain five times the velocity he showed on Saturday, he, the Lieutenant, would bow his head in reverence. The Lieutenant said the statement was untrue that he was blind to every force but compressed air. The latest invention was the thing for him.

NYT - PHILADELPHIA, Penn., May 22, 1886.- In the presence of 25 capitalists and scientists Keely, the inventor, gave an exhibition of his motor this afternoon. The little workshop at No. 1422 North Twentieth-street, where Keely has worked for years, was barely big enough to hold the visitors who had been invited to attend, and everybody who was invited, with one or two exceptions, was present, because it was announced in the invitations that Mr. Keely would put the machine together before their eyes, something he has never condescended to do before. Every experiment undertaken was successfully carried out, and a number of new converts to the Keely faith were made in a short time. The machines used by Mr. Keely today have great improvements over those he experimented with a few years ago. The test of lifting great weights, moving an engine, and firing a cannon were puzzling to the deepest scientific scholar present. Among those present were ex-Gov. Hale, of New-Hampshire; James Buchannan, Superintendent of Motive Power of the New-York Central Railroad; Mr. Bissell, Superintendent of the New-York and New-Haven Road; F. A. Haskell, of the New-York Central Railroad; James Baker, William Hart, William Caldwell, Mr. Watson and Edwin Lord, New-York bankers; Dr. C. M. Richmond, an inventor; Dr. A. Wilford Hall, editor of the Scientific Arena and the Microcosm, both published in New-York; John B. Craight, Judge L. Hill, of Chicago, and E. Cowen, a Troy lawyer; Franklin A. Comty, President of the North Pennsylvania Railroad; Dr. George Strawbridge, Samuel Welsh, Dr. D. Haves Agnew, Judges Herret and Jordan, of the Supreme Court; Dr. R. G. Bonwill, Dr. D.F. Woods, Charles B. Collier, George B. Collier, and Charles W. Schuellerman, of the Keely Motor Company; Dr. J. W. White, Dr. E. T. Starr, and Henry Clare, of the Stockton House, Cape May. When Mr. Keely began to put what he calls the "liberator" together, the shop was in disorder. Pieces of the "liberator" lie about in every direction. The "liberator" weight about seventy-five pounds, and is the producer of the force that, it is claimed, will furnish power to the extent of 10 tons to the square inch. It is composed of brass resonators, steel tuning forks, and two or three steel and brass dials. It is about as queer looking a piece of mechanism as could be found anywhere. The object in having the "liberator" apart was to show the spectators that there was no bidden power secreted about the machine. When, after a half hour, Mr. Keely had connected all the parts, the spectators were no wiser than when he began . Secretary Schuellerman went out and got a quarter's worth of lubricating oil, and Mr. Keely poured some of it on the piston of a big lever, then with a little copper tube he connected the liberator with the lever. With a violin bow he tested the vibrator by drawing the bow over the tuning forks. Then he let out the air in the two-pint tube under the liberator, and said he was ready to charge the little tube with vibrating power to the extent of ten tons to the square inch. The visitors looked on in mystified silence as the inventor, with beads of perspiration on his forehead, explained that the piston of the lever was a half square inch in area, and that it took 1,600 pounds pressure on the half square inch of area to raise the bare lever. He also explained that with the liberator he used no water, but got an etheric force from the atmosphere by vibratory action, which is accomplished with the liberator, and that there was no impingement or abutment or visible exhaust from the pressure, except a slight sound. The scientists looked wise and nodded their heads as if they were thoroughly familiar with what they saw. Mr. Keely went on to explain the use of the forty brass resonators, arranged in a circle on the liberater, and with a funny looking horn, which he called a vibraphone, be tested the nodal line and ventral segments. When the inventor has satisfied his ear that the vibrating sounds were in perfect accord he said in an offhand way that the power in the tube had been vitalized, and that by turning a cock he would show his visitors a power of 10 tons to the square inch. Three weights were put on the lever, one weighing 112 pounds, another 56 pounds, and a third 28 pounds. Counting 1,600 pounds to the square inch to raise the naked lever, there was a weight of 7,480 pounds to the square inch. The cock was turned and the power was generated in less than half a minute, which sent the lever up like a shot. Then a shell, weighing 550 pounds, was hoisted with a Japanese pulley to the lever, and it was lifted on the lever in one-eighth of a second. The lift was a computation of 18,250 pounds to the square inch. After this experiment Mr. Keely adjusted another vibrating tube to the tube underneath the liberator. The additional tube had a capacity of seven pints, it was filled with water, and then the water was taken out merely to show the spectators that there were no chambers stored with hidden power in the tube. When the two tubes were adjusted they were filled with a pressure of 20,000 pounds to the square inch and the big shell on the lever was jerked up again in a jiffy. Every time Mr. Keely made a new test he used his violin bow on the tuning forks of the liberator, and Dr. Hall wanted to know if the bowing of the sounding fork was essential to the getting up of the power, or whether it was a humbug. "It doesn't seem relevant or essential to the working of the machine," he said to Keely. "Are you willing to have a test by scientific men to show that the tuning of the fork is necessary?" "Oh, what would scientific men know?" asked Keely. "Well, will you allow me to have a private test?" asked Dr. Hall. "Yes, any time," replied the inventor. "All right," said Dr. Hall, warming up. "I was sent here from New-York to investigate this. I believe the turning business is only for show." "That's a very heavy criticism." "I know it is." "If I had thought I was to be subjected to this I wouldn't have given this exhibition," said Keely excitedly. "The papers all call this a fraud," said Dr. Hall, "and what I have said is not an insult," "Yes, it is an insult," replied Keely quickly. Charles B. Collier interrupted them by saying: "Dr. Hall, if you're not satisfied, you can leave the room." Here Mr. Keely refused to go on with the exhibition, and Dr. Hall said: "If you make things plain I can do you a good deal of good, and help you." "I don't want anybody to help me," said Keely; "I'm pretty near through with my enterprise and I don't want any help." Some of the men who had come from New-York called out that they had come a good ways to see the exhibition and they wanted to see it. "Would you prefer me to leave the place?" Dr. Hall asked Mr. Keely. "No," was the reply;" "you've treated me badly, but I wouldn't treat you so badly as to put you out." There was a lull for a minute, and then Keely said: "Are you all satisfied, gentlemen, at what I've done?" There were cries of "Yes, yes," clapping of hands, and the name of Keely was shouted. Mr. Keely smiled triumphantly and then announced that he would fire the cannon. Dr. Hall kept quiet, and the inventor adjusted a long tube, one-eighth of an inch bore, to a brass cannon. He took some vulcanite and rubber wafers for packing, and then rammed a leaden bullet, one and one-half inches in diameter, into the cannon with a broom handle. An iron plate was passed outside of the back door. The cock from the given point tube was opened and the bullet went whizzing through the panel of the door and flattened itself on the iron plate. There was a report about as loud as the sound made by firing off a revolver when the bullet left the cannon. There was no recoil of the gun, and the barrel was about the same temperature as the atmosphere. Three bullets were fired in quick succession, and Mr. Keely said that there was sufficient power in the tube to shoot 500 more bullets. Mr. Keely's new machine, which he has been working on for some time, is a 200-horse power engine. It is incased in copper and is full of brass resonants. It looks like a patent washing machine, Mr. Keely says it will be working in a machine shop on Vine-street below Sixth, inside of 60 days, and that then he will be ready to take out his patents. The machine can be put in any shop or factory, and will run machinery of 200 horse power. With one expulsion of the liberator of one-eighth of a second the machinery will run all day. Mr. Keely claims that by simply charging the tubes daily with the vibratory power the machinery in a big factory can be run without even having a liberator from which the mysterious power is originally produced.

NYT - PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 11, 1888.- At a meeting of the Directors of the Keely Motor Company held today the resignations of the three Philadelphia Directors, Messrs. George B. Collier, Lancaster Thomas, and William Clark, which had been tendered at the last meeting of the boards, were accepted. The fact that these gentlemen had resigned was kept secret until today. The following named gentlemen were elected to fill the vacancies: William Boekel of Philadelphia, George H. Hastings of New York, and Henry N. Hooper of Brooklyn, Guilian S. Hook of New-York was elected Treasurer. Mr. Thomas spoke tonight in a manner that showed him to be greatly incensed against the New-York Directors. "We withdrew as a body," said Mr. Thomas, referring to himself and Messrs. Collier and Clark, "because the suit brought against Mr. Keely by the Board of Directors of the Keely Motor Company" - here Mr. Thomas spoke very sarcastically -"was brought by the New-York Directors without in any way giving the Philadelphia Directors any intimation whatever of what they were going to do. They did not do it in the board, but acted as a board themselves without any authority from us. They not only acted without our previous knowledge in the matter, but as a Board of Directors of the Keely Motor Company they appropriated themselves money to push the suit. To get the money that they appropriated they sold the stock of the company at a great sacrifice. Of this I am certain. It was roughshod all through. We had no say in running the machine at all and were treated disgracefully. They ignored our Treasurer to such an extent that he resigned. Whenever they had any money to pay they would pay it themselves, and would not allow it to come within 50 years of our Treasurer's hands. They carried on business in a way that was distasteful to us, and we could stand it no longer. After we discovered that the suit had been brought we canvassed the matter thoroughly and withdrew. You cannot find on the minutes of any of our meetings the least intimations that the Board of Directors were going to take any legal action against Mr. Keely. That fact shows by itself that the matter was not mentioned in the board and the step was not taken by the action of the board. I see by the election that the New-York Directors gain practically two members and a Treasurer. Leaving only one Philadelphian. Well, they are no stronger now than they were before, because they ran things as they pleased and acted as though they were the entire board."

NYT - PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 15, 1888. - Lawyer Rufus F. Shapley, counsel for Bennet C. Wilson, applied to Prothonotary Mann today to know why the writ of attachment for contempt of court had not been issued against Inventor John W. Keely. The Prothonotary informed Mr. Shapley that the writ must be issued by the Clerk of the court in which the rule was granted. Mr. Shapley then applied to the Clerk of Common Pleas Court No. 3, but the Clerk refused to issue the writ without a special order or a formal decree from the Judge. Mr. Shapley is now drawing up a decree which he will present to the court for approval upon which the attachment will be issued. Lawyer A.S.L. Shields, Mr. Shapley's associate in the case, said today that Keely would probably be brought into court on the attachment on Saturday.

PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 8, 1895. - In answer to a letter from Charles B. Collier, for many years counsel of John E. W. Keely, the inventor. Mrs. Bloomfield Moore has addressed a letter to that gentlemen in which she makes some interesting statements regarding recent events bearing on the Keely Motor Company, after referring to a late publication in which the transfer of her privileges to a wealthy syndicate was alluded to she says: It was this word "privileges" which was construed by you all to mean my share in the inventions of the airship propeller and the railway traction engine, leading to the giving of information which was most incorrect, as no effort has ever been made to buy my interest. Had Mr. Brewster asked me to make a proposition to them after I had refused his proposition on Nov. 7 I was prepared, on the same condition Col. Astor had accepted from me Oct. 23, to place under their control the "privileges" that I acquire my contract with Mr. Keely. When, on Nov. 5, the unauthorized and untrue statements of Col. Astor's transaction were made public I said that plans formed to have the scientific value of Mr. Keely's discoveries acknowledged publicly before commercial success is attained had been refuted for the third time within five years. I then despaired of accomplishing these aims, and Nov. 7, all negotiations with the financiers were abruptly brought to a close. The privileges I value now as I never valued them before. To be relieved of all business transaction would have been such a priceless boon that I would then have given the half-interest in Mr. Keely's inventions which he offered and I refused if they would have held the gift of the good of the masses, for the progress of humanity, for the research in new fields and not for selfish aggrandizement. Now, there is nothing that could induce me to place these privileges in the hands of "financiers." Barren of results as it has been for science, should Mr. Keely not recover from the attack which has kept him from his workshop for the last two weeks, nearly, what will be the verdict of posterity upon men who, having contemplated the raising of $10,000,000 for a scheme of their own to float a company bringing out a new invention is a [city], allowed this delay solely for financial ends, failing to stand by the agreement made that within two weeks the scientific world would see by the announcement that their syndicate was to employ apergy instead of electricity as the motive power, and no announcement made? Mrs. Moore has made public this letter to Mr. Collier, her theory being that the public is interested in the matters to which it refers.