Wolff in his letter to Schumacher 1722 (JC - DT digital) describes the weights he and others handled - reproduced in part.
- letter from Christian Wolff to Johann Daniel Schumacher, 3rd July, 1722.
"...1. To begin with, it would appear to be beyond doubt that Orffyreus' wheel is not moved by any imaginable external force but rather, its movement is due to the internal weights which are applied in a special manner. My reasons for arriving at this conclusion are:
a) I saw, myself, that the wheel began to rotate with speed and uniformity, without any appreciable external thrust or push until it was slowed from outside. Any attempt at fraud from outside was impossible because the wheel bearings were uncovered on both sides and one could see the axle journals turning in their bearings. Upon request, the wheel was moved from its stand and put on another one.
b) Before translocating the wheel, the Inventor who was performing the test for the officially appointed Commissioners, took out the weights and permitted one of them to be touched, wrapped in a handkerchief. He did not allow the weight to be touched on the end, but lengthwise, it felt cylindrical and not very thick. One could hear the weights landing on the overbalanced side, as though they were swinging, from which one can assume that the overbalancing was caused by their impact. Furthermore there is the testimony of the Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, who is experienced in evaluating mechanical inventions and had seen the internal mechanism of the wheel and ran it for many weeks in a locked room, keeping the keys himself, having personally locked and sealed the doors and windows with his own seal. He testified both verbally and in an officially printed certificate that the movement of the wheel was caused by nothing more than the weights and that it would run continuously unless the internal structure of the wheel was altered.
2. Since it is impossible, according to mathematical proof, for a machine to run continuously by its own force, some matter from outside must contribute to its motion. That matter can not be perceived by any of the senses but could be made use of by people who know nature better. I suggest, therefore, that the weights on the wheel's periphery are attached by rods in such a way that when at rest on the lighter side of the wheel, they can be lifted, but when they start to fall, after the wheel has turned, they deliver a force on impact, acquired during the fall, onto a piece of wood which is fixed to the periphery. In this way, the wheel is put into rotation by the impact of the weights, which can be heard. But the force which drives the weights, does not come from the machine itself, rather it comes from some fluid, invisible matter by which the movement of the falling weights becomes faster and faster. Orffyreus' whole invention consists of an artful arrangement of weights, in such a way that they are lifted when at rest and acquire force during their fall, and in my opinion it is this that he keeps secret. This is also consistent with what Orffyreus says, that anyone could easily understand his invention, as soon as he is allowed to look into the wheel.
3. It is possible therefore, that when the internal structure of the wheel has been revealed, some mathematicians may decide that it is not a perpetual motion machine as there is an additional force involved, namely the unknown substance which applies continuous pressure to heavy bodies when they fall, and which adds to the force of their impact..."
Wolff says in his letter to Schumacher (of 1722) that he handled the 'weights' (Mencke also corroborates this is his report). He says that Karl "testified both verbally and in an officially printed certificate that the movement of the wheel was caused by nothing more than the weights"
Wolff is the only person I can recall that says Karl testified verbally that the movement of the wheel was caused by nothing more than the weights (no springs etc). I will have to trust that Wolff is entirely accurate there and Karl did verbally testify to that statement. Unless someone else can find other corroborating evidence to back up Wolff ?
So let's look at what Karl officially testified to regarding use of weights .. in JC's DT Pg 195
Comment :By The Grace Of God, We, Karl, Landgrave Of
Hessen, Prince Of Hersfeld, Count Of Katzenelnbogen,
Dietz, Ziegenhaven, Nidda And Schaumburg, hereby make
the following testimony and proclamation: -
‘Whereby our Kommerzienrath and loyal subject Doctor Johann
Ernst Elias Orffyreus has most submissively informed us how
he, at our castle Weissenstein, has constructed once more a
new machine from the one he first invented and constructed
some years ago, i.e. in 1712, firstly at Gera in the Voigtland, and
then in 1713, 14 and 15 at Draschwitz and Merseburg in
Saxony, where it was publicly demonstrated. This machine, a
‘Perpetuum Mobile’, he continues, has now been rebuilt in
a room of the aforementioned castle, after the concession
we had granted to him. But he adds how hitherto grave doubts
concerning his device have been expressed, including the
charge leveled against it that it is not the true P.M., namely a
machine which, when once set in motion, continues thus of its
own inner being, without (being driven by) clockwork, weights
that require raising, or by springs, so long as its materials retain
their integrity, unless it is deliberately interrupted in its persistent
motion. He adds many details about the defamatory remarks
regarding him and his machine which have been widely
disseminated in public journals, and that he has been
challenged in wagers that his machine could not continue in
motion for a period of four weeks.
As a result of this, our aforementioned
Kommerzienrath most humbly approached us to request that we
might most graciously not only inspect his aforesaid invention,
but might also, while the machine was running, arrange that it
should be most carefully protected; in particular that all routes
by which persons might have access to it or tamper with it in any
way, should, in order to pre-empt any further objections or
doubts, be thoroughly sealed up, and, moreover, be put under
guard, with the aim that the device should, after the lapse of a
sufficient period of time, be re-inspected, and, on ensuring
validation of its genuineness, be given, most graciously,
the stamp of an official princely testimonial and Letters
Patent, thereby also making unnecessary the payment of any
duties.
And therefore it has pleased us to accede most graciously to
this request, and, from a love of truth and in order to appreciate
the real nature of this so important device we have spared no
effort or expense to this end.
It is now attested and witnessed in the true words of His
Highness what was indeed discovered to be the truth about the
much-discussed Orffyrean P M. – namely that its motion
depends neither on external force or assistance, nor, especially,
on any internal clockwork device of wheels and springs. It more
than fulfills the requirements of an almost countless number of
learned prescriptions as to what any credible device laying claim
to Perpetual Motion status must perform. Indeed, this
long-sought and much-desired machine, or so-called Perpetual
Motion. (T.N. - pure artificiale quoad durantem materiam is
added after P.M. – this Latin phrase is then described a few
lines later, marked *) is a revolving wheel, which is able to run,
by means of its own innate momentum, * for as long as its
innate structure and character is not compromised, and so long
as it does not fly to pieces, smash or break, or become defective
or damaged. But, since the principle is viable, and the material
of which this device is constructed is not subject to defect, lack
of durability or brittleness, there remains no doubt that it could,
and would, if started, continue to rotate indefinitely.
As an emphatic proof of its capabilities this device, though really
little more than a model, has, to our not inconsiderable pleasure,
already passed the long-demanded (page 31) month-long test,
and, what is more, has in effect passed it twice. For, after said
Wheel had been continuously, closely and many times observed
for three whole months by many persons, both local and from
further afield, and of both high and low estate, I caused it, on
12th November last year (1717) to be locked away in a sealed
room. I allowed the Wheel to run for two weeks, and then, on
26th November, I repaired to the place once more, accompanied
by several of my Ministers, and in person opened up the intact
seals, checked everything thoroughly, and with my own hands
brought to rest the Wheel, still revolving with undiminished
energy, without violent shock. Then, with some assistance from
the Master himself, the Inventor, the Wheel was brought (page
32) back into motion once more, and still greater security
precautions were taken to prevent interference. Not only were
all windows locked tight, but also all the doors, including those in
the corridor leading to the room where the Wheel was situated.
This was all done in Our presence and that of Our
accompanying retinue, and guards were posted and seals
applied.
After all this was performed, six whole weeks were allowed to
elapse, during which no one was allowed near the machine.
Then, on the 4th day of January of the Lord’s new year, 1718,
we betook ourselves again to our castle at Weissenstein, where
we not only recognised our impressed seals, noting that they
were completely intact, but also, after the opening up of the
doors and window-shutters had been completed, we
examined the Orffyrean Wheel, still continuing unabated in its
revolutions, from many angles, and noted, both in the room and
outside, that there was not a single trace of anything that could
give rise to the slightest suspicion. And so, notwithstanding the
fact that the inventor freely offered a longer test run, we
considered (especially as the already completed run of eight
weeks had exceeded by a factor of two that which had been
demanded by his adversaries) that this was quite unnecessary.
As far as the much-denied practical applications of the device
are concerned, they revealed themselves firstly, through the
lifting of the chest full of stones, secondly through that of the
solid wooden beams, but thirdly, and particularly,
through the fairly large Archimedes Screw – and our hopes on
this score were wonderfully exceeded. Indeed, we cannot doubt
that if the device, after suitable negotiations as to better siting
than in a small room in my castle, and with better ancillary
support and fewer associated problems than have prevailed
here, can be constructed on a larger scale, thus producing more
power, then the result will be (especially if several such
machines can be combined in tandem) a resource of great value
in such fields as horology, milling, hydraulics and mining.
In order that all these things might be confirmed all the more
strongly, we have, yielding to the inventor’s most
humbly expressed request, not only appended to this
testimonial our own signature, adding to it the great Seal of our
Dynasty, after the most mature consideration, but further, we
strongly exhort all people, of whatever class or rank they may be
(and in the case of our own subjects we not only exhort but
command) that our aforementioned Kommerzienrat Orffyreus,
who, by virtue of his service with us enjoys our protection,
should on account of this, his most wonderful, but as yet not
widely appreciated invention, not be burdened by unjust
accusations, but rather should, when he requests it or is
otherwise seen to require it, enjoy all the assistance, protection
and promotional goodwill that can be offered him.
The which we are at any time most graciously pleased to repeat
on request, even in legally binding terms, to any
person, depending upon his rank; to our own subjects this shall
serve as a solemn proclamation.
Kassel, 27th May, 1718 KARL
The Karl Attestation above is not as succinct as Wolff's assertion in his letter. Paraphrasing .. B. says not clockwork, weights do not require raising, or springs. Karl says not clockwork, or springs, and does not mention the raising of weights per se.
It seems likely that 'weights' were an integral part of the public display wheels !
What is interesting is reading the Latin of the Karl Certificate (Pg 37 digital). The font is changed to read Perpetuum Mobile pure artificiale ... quod durantem materiam &c,
Mike Senior translates as "own innate momentum". Literally it translates imo as Perpetual Mobile pure artificial ... as long as the materials endure.
IOW's a .. pure artificial Perpetual Mobile ... as long as the materials endure.
When read in conjunction with the Latin below in the text I can see how MS arrives at "own innate momentum" for pure artificial PM.
There is no direct mention of weights per se, as Wolff alludes to in this Certificate, afaik.
For me, I think it is safe to say that formal 'weight's were part of B's. display wheels, and no springs per se were present.
For me, I do not think it is safe to presume that the sounds heard were impacting sounds of those same 'weights'.
End of Rant !
