265 lines
13 KiB
Plaintext
265 lines
13 KiB
Plaintext
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(word processor parameters LM=8, RM=75, TM=2, BM=2)
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Taken from KeelyNet BBS (214) 324-3501
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Sponsored by Vangard Sciences
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PO BOX 1031
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Mesquite, TX 75150
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There are ABSOLUTELY NO RESTRICTIONS
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on duplicating, publishing or distributing the
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files on KeelyNet!
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June 28, 1991
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KEELY4.ASC
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This article is from the January 28, 1899 Scientific American.
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The Keely Motor Fraud
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Ever since the death of John W. Keely, the fantastical collection of
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apparatus with which he puzzled the public, and incidentally
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diverted a golden stream into his private purse, has been as
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jealously guarded as ever it was in his lifetime.
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Recently the motor was removed, and the laboratory (Heaven save the
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mark!) in which for a quarter of a century he had conducted his so-
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called experiments was vacated. Whereupon Mr. Clarence B. Moore,
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whose mother had been the most generous of Keely's many victims,
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rented the premises, and calling to his assistance several gentlemen
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of high standing in the scientific world (some of whom, by the way,
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had been baffled witnesses of the Keely phenomena), proceeded to
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explore the premises in search of evidences of fraud.
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The result proves not merely that the motor was a fraud, but that it
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was a fraud, as we pointed out fifteen years ago in the columns of
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this journal, of the very simplest and most transparent kind; in
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fact, the presumption is strong that this most colossal humbug of
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the century depended for its success upon that ever-fruitful theme
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of the bogus company promoter - compressed air.
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In the first place, hidden beneath the floor of the building was
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found a large and massive metal sphere, whose weight is given as
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three tons, and whose bursting strength under pressure is stated to
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be so many tons to the square inch.
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Apparently at one time connected with this was found, hidden in the
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brick wall, a quantity of small brass tubing, of just the size and
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strength to match the strength of the steel reservoir, and
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corresponding to the tubing used by Keely in his various public and
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private exhibitions.
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Underneath the upper floor of the house was found a false ceiling,
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well calculated to hide the necessary tubes for conveying the
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compressed air to the different air motors with which he produced
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his results; while a number of trap-doors were found scattered over
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the floor of this stage, from which, for a quarter of a century,
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this prince of humbugs played his part!
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Page 1
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Many of our older readers will remember that from the very first
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this journal was emphatic in its opposition to the Keely mania, and
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endeavored, we think, with considerable success, to check, if it
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could not wholly prevent, such obvious swindling of the public.
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(they could NOT have been wrong, of course...)
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We pointed out that all of the results obtained by Keely could be
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duplicated by using compressed air in suitable apparatus, and in
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1884, in the case of the Keely gun, conducted experiments which
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proved that IN THIS CASE, at least, we were correct.
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Keely had many different names for his newly discovered force, and
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just at the time of the famous gun experiments at Sandy Hook, he was
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pleased to call it "etheric vapor." Representatives of this journal
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were present on the occasion, and the accompanying illustrations
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were publised in the SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN of October 11, 1884, in
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connection with an article exposing the trick by which the Keely
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Motor Company was able, in a single day, to send up its stock from
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nine cents on the dollar to fifteen cents, and swell its own bank
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account proportionately.
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The "vaporic" gun used on that occasion (it was nothing more or less
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than an air-gun) had a spherical knob secured to the breech, from
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which projected a "vibrator". The breech was 4 1/2 inches external
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diameter, the bore 1 1/8 inches and the total length was 3 1/2 feet.
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Just forward of the trunnion the muzzle unscrewed, this construction
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being adopted to permit the placing of a gas check in position. A
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sleeve with a bore equal to that of the gun, was fitted in an
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annular recess in the forward part of the breech.
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It will be seen that when the muzzle was screwed home, the sleeve
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was formed in until it held the gas check firmly in place. The
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latter consisted of three disks, having a common diameter of 1 5/8
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inches.
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The two front disks were of common hard rubber, 1/32 inch in
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thickness, while the third disk, which was placed next to the
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pressure chamber, was of soft rubber packing, 1/16 inch thick. The
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disks were shown before and after firing. It will be noticed that
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the broken disk shows clearly the imprint made by the end of the
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sleeve.
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The bore of the gun was 1 1/8 inch and a spherical lead bullet was
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used. A copper tube 3/16 inch in external diameter and 1/16 inch
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internal diameter, led the breech of the gun to the magazine, which
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was made of wrought iron and was 8 1/2 inches external diameter by 4
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1/2 feet long.
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Another tube was connected by a wire to a second magazine. The
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supply from the small to the large magazine and from the large
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magazine to the gun was controlled by stop valves.
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These magazines, according to Mr. Keely, had been charged with
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"interatomic ether," which had been evolved by a "generator" set up
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in Mr. Keely's Philadelphia workshop.
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In loading the gun the gas check was first placed in position and
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the muzzle screwed up tightly; then the bass was introduced at the
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Page 2
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muzzle and rammed home.
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Next the stop-cock was opened to admit the "etheric vapor" to the
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breech, and, after waiting a few seconds, the "vibrator" was STRUCK
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WITH A WOODEN MALLET, and the charge exploded, driving the bullet at
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a target 500 yards from the gun.
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Nineteen rounds were fired, and then a conical steel bullet was
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driven through 4 inches of pine plank placed a few feet from the
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gun.
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The noise of discharge closely resembled that caused by a common
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shotgun when loose powder having no ramming upon it is exploded. A
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small cloud of white vapor, which immediately diasppeared, followed
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in the discharge.
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The velocities of three consecutive shots were 482, 492, 523 feet
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per second.
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"The gun was then unscrewed," says the account of the proceedings,
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"the valve at the magazine was opened, and visitors were permitted
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to examine the 'interatomic ether' as it issued from the pipe. It
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had but a small trace of odor, no taste, and had no effect upon the
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lungs."
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Precisely; for there is not a question in the world but what the
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"interatomic ether" as it issued from the pipe was the common air at
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atmospheric pressure.
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We declared at the time that the magazine had been charged with
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compressed air at many thousand pounds pressure, and that when the
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stopcock was opened, the air, owing to its high pressure, passed
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rapidly to the breech, behind the gas check, where it developed
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sufficient pressure to burst the check and expel the ball.
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The tapping on the "resonator" had nothing whatever to do with the
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discharge, and was merely one of the charlatan "passes of the wand"
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by which this accomplished rogue bewildered his audience.
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To prove the fact to his satisfaction, the representative of the
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SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN requested Keely to allow him to handle the
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wooden mallet (his purpose being to delay the tapping until after
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the discharge). It is needless to say that Keely refused.
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Soon after Keely's gun experiments the editor of this journal
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conducted experiments in the same direction in New York, and an
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experimental gun was made of seamless drawn brass pipe of 1 inch
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bore and 2 feet in length, and set vertically under a skylight shaft
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several storeis in height.
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A union joint was screwed to the bottom of the pipe, with a pipe
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connecting to a coil of about 100 feet of 1 1/4 inch pipe, placed
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beneath the gun.
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A further connection was made with a hydraulic testing pump and high
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pressure gage. In the union joint were placed two disks of hard
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rubber, each about 1/32 of an inch in thickness, and above the disks
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a lead ball, 1 inch in diameter, was placed.
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Page 3
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On the railing of the next story above was laid a target of five
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tiers of 1 1/4 inch plank, directly over the range of the gun. The
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whole pipe being full of air at atmospheric pressure, the pump was
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put in operation, water being forced into the lower end of the pipe
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reservoir.
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This forced the air up through the pipe line and compressed it under
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the hard rubber disks. When a pressure of 1,500 pounds per square
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inch was reached, the disks ruptured and the gun was discharged.
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The bullet passed through the 6 1/4 inches of pine planks, making a
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clean cut through the first planks and badly shattering and
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displacing the last plank of the target, then struck and splintered
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a beam under the roof and rebounded to the floor.
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This was repeated several times, the disks bursting at between 1,300
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and 1,500 pounds and showing the great power of compressed air in
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the discharge of the projectiles.
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The prestidigitator part of Keely's exceedingly small feed pipe to
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the chamber behind the disks and bullet, and his bogus tapping of
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the resonator, it is needless to say were not included in our
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experiment.
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In conclusion we would remind our readers that the death of this
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prince of rogues does not imply that the type is extinct; and that
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"resonators," "vibrators," "etheric vapors," and others of that ilk,
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still walk the earth dressed in the ever-varying garb with which
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such human sharks as Keely are still seeking to catch the unwary.
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Vangard notes...
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Though there are some who think we should NOT list such
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derogatory articles regarding Keely, we must do so in the
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interest of fair play, especially since they come from the same
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time period.
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Also note that the "duplication" of Keely's demonstration by
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Scientific American DID NOT faithfully duplicate or even
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emulate the original demonstration. Keely DID NOT USE WATER OR
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ANY OUTSIDE FORCE as did Sci.Amer. An example that one should
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not take a stand early in the game as errors do compound.
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For those who take the time to study the work and concepts of
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Keely, especially in comparison to modern science, the
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analogies are obvious and stimulating.
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If you have comments or other information relating to such topics
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as this paper covers, please upload to KeelyNet or send to the
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Vangard Sciences address as listed on the first page.
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Thank you for your consideration, interest and support.
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Jerry W. Decker.........Ron Barker...........Chuck Henderson
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Vangard Sciences/KeelyNet
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If we can be of service, you may contact
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Jerry at (214) 324-8741 or Ron at (214) 242-9346
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Page 4
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