An horizontal gravity wheel

[rocky]

The newspaper research I did shows another mystery.

Being retired I have the time to devote hours to research projects. Last year I spent months going through the United States Library of Congress online digitized newspaper archive which currently spans the years 1836 to 1922 of every major newspaper in America. They are still converting so the database is still growing and I revisit it online occasionally. I search for the exact phrase “perpetual motion�. I just did a search today and it found 3,648 articles. Many articles quote the inventor saying he has applied for a US patent. Here are samples:

“Mr. Grimes has applied for a patent of his machine.�
“Fearing that someone might steal his invention, McMahon would not show it until he hears from the patent office.�
“Howell has a duplicate machine and is now at Washington in the Patent Office.�
“In reference to securing a patent on his invention, Mr. Jennings said: “The papers are in Washington, and my Syracuse attorneys are hastening matters as much as possible.�
“A self-acting gravity wheel is the modest title of an invention by Mr. Herbert Rose, of Australia, which has recently been patented all over the world.�

You can search the US Patent Office from 10 years before and 20 years after the published article date for their submitted devices but none of these names were found. Why is it that I find dozens of stories where the inventor says he applied for a patent but not one of them is found? Are they all frauds? That is doubtful because there are at times different reporters interviewing the inventor with reports in different newspapers. Was the story just to sell newspapers? Or has the government removed their patent application along with the secret mechanical drawing that was required for the patent? It makes you wonder.

This forum is from around the world. Does your country have an online digital newspaper archive that you can access and search like I do? If America has 3,648 newspaper articles found on ‘perpetual motion’ over past years then surely your country newspapers must have some. There is probably enough stories from around the world to fill a new book on the subject.

Most of the stories are interesting to read. Like this one of a young man who took his PM machine to neighboring farms to drive mill wheels:

The San Francisco Call (San Francisco, Calif.), Mar. 29, 1896, pg. 25
Perpetual Motion – A James County Tennessee boy is said to have discovered the long sought-for “perpetual motion.�

"The latest claimant for this honor is Bert Howell, age 20, who lives on his father’s farm in James County, about twenty miles from Chattanooga. He has, by a combination of cogs, wheels, springs, etc., produced a machine which of its own volition, without assistance, has been running for several weeks. When Howell returns from his plow at the end of each day he finds his little machine running as though for dear life. When he arises from his bed in the morning that little mystery is found to be still at its incessant work, and it keeps up its movements from day to day as thought it were trying to annihilate time.

Young Howell thinks he has produced perpetual motion and is so jealous of his secret that he has his machined nailed up securely in a box, and the only part visible is a shaft, to which a flywheel is attached. The wheel never stops in its endless whirl. Attachments have been made to several grinding-mills of neighboring farmers, and the work of grinding goes rapidly on. Howell is a poor boy, having no money with which to have his device patented, but a neighbor has furnished the funds for the purpose. A duplicate machine is now at Washington in the Patent Office. – Chattanooga News"

[Grimer]

But it may be worth a side trip if I ever go see some friends of mine in MO. You never know what you can find in closed buildings. It may still be there as unwanted junk.

According to Google maps, (assuming even number addresses on the north) the Phillip Hulliung’s shop at 302 Collinsville Avenue, East St. Louis, has been torn down. The building on the south side of the street is also now gone according to a later Google satellite view.

It's amazing how useful Google maps is - and it's free. I would gladly pay a subscription for it - but don't tell Google.

[AB Hammer]

Rocky

Some links from your search would help us. Surfing the net is sometimes like working with DOS.

Here are a couple of press photos on ebay for sale I found from 1937

http://compare.ebay.com/like/260809143925

http://compare.ebay.com/like/250845900591

[ruggerodk]

Mr. J.S. Grimes seems to have been traveling around with his Perpetual Motion machine in 1902. Something about the dates doesn't fit...
This article is written 2 month before the one Rocky found (i.e. october), in which it was stated that it was only finished a month ago (i.e. in september).
This time an exhibition in Kansas City are mentioned in Bisbee Daily Review. Arizona, August 15, 1902 (No photo). Also, he made a demonstration at the office of Kansas City Journal!

"PERPETUAL MOTION
MACHINE RUNNING
PERPETUAL MOTION
Kansas City Mechanic Exhibits a Sim
ple Contrivance Which He and
Others BeFieve Solves the Vexa
tious Problem
Kansas City Aug 14 - J S Grimes
a mechanic who was born in Yell
county Arkanss and can barely
read and write exhibited a perpetual
motion machine in the office of the
Kansas City Journal tonight that
runs for hours with no other power
than that furnished by the machine
itself.
The invention 1 simple but it is
the result of twenty years work.
Grime first tool a circular piece of
cut from a thick board and trimmed
down the edge to resemble a circular
switchback railway. In the centre
of this beard he fastened a second
circular board on a steel post that
fit into a ballbearing bicycle axle.
To the top board was fastened by
means of a rod a small wheel which
was so fixed that It would strike at
each revolution of the upper board at
a point near the top of the incline
plane of the lower board, the lower
board being slightly inclined. Grimes
then placed a weight on top of the
upper disc placed the wheel at the
top of the inclined plane released It
and the machine began to move and
continued in motion until stopped by
its inventor.
The machine Is started by the
wheel running down the incline on
one side. This takes the weight on
the opposite side away from the cen
ter of gravity and it carries the ma
chine around until the wheel strikes
the top of the Incline again when new
force Is Imparted to the revolving
upper disc.
Grimes says he worked for six years
before he discovered a way to force
the carrier wheel over the highest
point of the circular track although
the distance to overcome was less
than an Inch. A company Is being
organized to exploit the Invention"

[AB Hammer]

J. D. Grimes, and J S Grimes, seem to be 2 different people of maybe even father and son?

Rocky had posted others on this string.

http://www.besslerwheel.com/forum/viewt ... dd6e02955d

[rlortie]

A close watch on a video with audio of the Finsrud machine, will give away the fact that its track also has a dip or abrupt change of radius, the ball is ever so slightly thrown inward changing the circumference of the ball where riding on the inner rail.

There is a noticeable clicking noise each time the ball passes this same spot.

http://www.google.com/search?q=Finsrod+ ... =firefox-a

[ruggerodk]

Some similarities with MT127...?

[path_finder]

Dear ruggerodk,
In relation with the Bessler's drawing just above (MT127), remember the pertinent comment of Jim_Mich, a good observer, about the shape of the path (like a Moebius strip).

[jim_mich]

Yes, MT127 is drawn wrong. Ball 'E' will fall off after passing location 'A'. But it presents the general idea, even if it is drawn wrong.

[nicbordeaux]

Then as Bessler was a savvy guy, we can only conclude that the drawing wasn't done by him, that he wasn't clever enough to spot the mistake, or that it is a later addition by somebody else. Only other solution, it's one of thum darned clues with a hidden meaning.

[daanopperman]

It could also be that the track is opening up/ wider at that spot and as the ball drops it's center will ride on the rim speeding up the ball rpm and giving it some momentum when the track returns to normal width .

[nicbordeaux]

Nice one. Smaller dia is more rpm indeed per unit of distance travelled.

[rocky]

The MT127.jpg drawing that ruggerodk posted is actually MT124 when I look in my pdf copy of John C's MT book.

Above the horizontal ring path is shown a front and side view of a ratchet wheel because it has slanted teeth. I do not understand how it is associated with the device below. Can someone please explain it to me?

I think it's important because MT15 uses the term ratchel wheel and it is the only MT drawing where Bessler mentions the Prime Mover.

[Tarsier79]

Look at MT56,57,79 etc

This symbolises a fluid driven wheel, not a ratchet wheel. I suspect it may have something to do with the circular tube under the device.

[path_finder]

As mentioned earlier somewhere the MT127 drawing shows also a mirroring image of the path. IMHO a second identical device is located under the first one, the rotation being made possible by some balls rolling between the two parallel operating planes. The same ones?