I'm seventy years of age today and in this year, I'm determined to show a proof of principle wheel or how to configure one - and soon. I am confident that I have the whole solution and it has only taken me 55 years to get here!
I was about 15 when I first read an account of the legend of Bessler's wheel and I spent much of my youth doodling designs which I now know were way off the mark. When I was about 30 I came across the same book I had read when I was 15 and it re-inspired me to look again into the mystery of Bessler's wheel. I remembered my own scepticism about the assumption that Bessler was a fraud and why, and I determined to get to the truth. The book was the famous, 'Oddities', by R.Gould and it has served to re-inspire me over the years.
I sought original documents from all over Europe and the USA. It took years and even when I had copies I couldn't read any of it because it was mostly in German. I knew I would eventually get it all translated but I did not realise how expensive a task that was going to be. In the end I advertised in a local paper for someone who was prepared to translate 18th C. German documents for free.
I had about eight replies and although I gave samples to all the respondents, only one stood out. Mike Senior with degrees in 18th C. German - and ancient Greek, astronomy and botany of all things! He also reads Latin and can quote verbatim from memory, from the ancient Greek texts - and of course speaks fluent German. He is a member of Mensa and regularly has letters published in various science magazines. Mike has done all my German translations and when he asked me if I wanted a literal translation or did I prefer something more readable that conveyed the spirit of the what the author was trying to say, I chose the latter. I never realised at that time how Mike's words would be pored over, criticised and sometimes dismissed as inaccurate. We had no way of knowing that future researchers would seek out clues from the very words used and perhaps I should have stuck to the literal, but it is what it is.
I'm pleased that so many people around the world now have Bessler's words, drawings, thoughts and clues and I hope that they will soon lead to the solution. The worst thing would be for his work to be lost and for another 300 years pass before the solution was found again. I really don't think that is going to happen!
So I'm of going out today with my wife and two daughters to celebrate my 70 years and then tomorrow I shall return (at last) to work on my Besslerwheel and finish it!
JC
10a2c5d26e15f6g7h10ik12l3m6n14o14r5s17tu6v5w4y4-3,’.
I had about eight replies and although I gave samples to all the respondents, only one stood out. Mike Senior with degrees in 18th C. German - and ancient Greek, astronomy and botany of all things! He also reads Latin and can quote verbatim from memory, from the ancient Greek texts - and of course speaks fluent German. He is a member of Mensa and regularly has letters published in various science magazines. Mike has done all my German translations and when he asked me if I wanted a literal translation or did I prefer something more readable that conveyed the spirit of the what the author was trying to say, I chose the latter. I never realised at that time how Mike's words would be pored over, criticised and sometimes dismissed as inaccurate. We had no way of knowing that future researchers would seek out clues from the very words used and perhaps I should have stuck to the literal, but it is what it is.
I'm pleased that so many people around the world now have Bessler's words, drawings, thoughts and clues and I hope that they will soon lead to the solution. The worst thing would be for his work to be lost and for another 300 years pass before the solution was found again. I really don't think that is going to happen!
So I'm of going out today with my wife and two daughters to celebrate my 70 years and then tomorrow I shall return (at last) to work on my Besslerwheel and finish it!
JC
10a2c5d26e15f6g7h10ik12l3m6n14o14r5s17tu6v5w4y4-3,’.
