Johann Bessler’s Maschinen Tractate

When Bessler, aka Orffyreus, died his after-death inventory included many papers stored in a box along with several wood ink blocks.  Among those papers was a collection of printed sheets which numbered about 141.  They consisted of a number of illustrations detailing examples of attempted perpetual motion machines.  None of these would have worked but some were accompanied by brief notes. The author hints that he will reveal more later in the sequence of pages.  Many are convinced that the drawings contain codes which when deciphered it is hoped, would lead to the solution to his own perpetual motion machine.

It has always been my contention that the papers were never intended to be published.  I think that they were simply oexecuted prints designed for use by his intended apprentices at his planned school once he had obtained sufficient funds from the sale of his PM machine. I named the collection of pages ‘Maschinen Tractate’, (MT) in error thinking that a book he offered to the Tzar of Russia, Peter the Great, which he described similarly was what was in the box. Later I realised that the Tzar’s book was to contain details of all the agricultural and industrial machinery that Bessler had learned about during his early years.

I envisage a class of young apprentices of around fifteen years of age, numbering a dozen or so.  For each class Bessler would print off a dozen sheets from his box and hand them out for discussion and study. He included some of his minor ciphers but I believe they were there to test his pupils powers of observation and to introduce new ideas and some humour into their classroom discussion. 

The last illustration that seemed intended as part of the series appears to be MT136; MT137 was in my opinion added later but still intended for discussion because it mimicked  Bessler’s acquaintance, David Heinichen’s ‘circle of fifths’. This would be a good subject for class discussion particularly because it drew a link between music and the golden mean. 

After MT137 there followed a single page numbered 138,139,140 and 141. I coined the name the ‘Toys Page’, (TP) for convenience and because I didn’t want people to refer to it as MT138 without the other numbers as I thought it might lead to confusion. I used the word ‘Toys’ because Bessler used the word in a note on that page.

I think that Bessler had already designed and printed this page for discussion in his classroom, but added the note later, possibly for benefit of those who came after.

In summary then I think there is little to learn from MT, which is not available elsewhere, but the Toys page does offer lmore information from a different angle, which I found useful.

On the first page of the MT, Bessler wrote, 

“ N.B. 1st May, 1733. Due to the arrest, I burned and buried all papers that prove the possibility. However, I have left all demonstrations and experiments since it would be difficult for anybody to see or learn anything about a perpetual motion from them or to decide whether there was any truth in them because no illustration by itself contains a description of the motion; however, taking various illustrations together and combining them with a discerning mind, it will indeed be possible to look for a movement and, finally to find one in them.”

I have said this several times over the years, but here goes again - in my opinion when he writes,‘taking various illustrations together and combining them with a discerning mind’  he is not excluding other illustrations, in other words he is also hinting at those in GB, AP and DT.

NB - What ever his original intention may have been in making his collection of illustrations with ink block printing, the above message written on the front of MT suggests that at that point in his life he thought that his illustrations might become the focus of examination by other people.  In which case what is in the collection is sufficient in his opinion for a stranger to discover his solution.  Personally I don’t believe that any of the collection has enough information within it, to help towards that desired end - unless you include the illustrations in GB, AP and DT.

JC

Johann Bessler’s Wheel Could Save Planet Earth.

Some folk seem worried about their future and that of the planet if Bessler’s wheel should be solved, built and developed. But they should be more concerned about their future if Bessler’s wheel isn’t built! Free or cheap, clean electricity might seem politically and economically dangerous, but there are worse dangers waiting for us.

This planet, and all its inhabitants, is facing a far greater danger from global warming than any scenario involving a successful emergence of Bessler’s wheel. I don’t need to tell you what we face or rather our children, but here a little reminder based on what’s happening right now.

“Global Temperature Is Rising. 

The Ocean Is Getting Warmer. ... 

The Ice Sheets Are Shrinking. ... 

Glaciers Are Retreating. ... 

Snow Cover Is Decreasing. ... 

Sea Level Is Rising. ... 

Arctic Sea Ice Is Declining. ... 

Extreme Events Are Increasing in Frequency.”

“In the U.K., communities as far inland as Peterborough, King's Lynn, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire in the east of England, as well as the Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex coastlines, would all be underwater by 2050 if nothing is done to stop sea levels rising at their current rate.

Recently, on 12 July 2021 flash floods caused eight underground lines to be suspended and many stations forced to close. In the aftermath of flooded basements and shop floors, Londoners quickly took to social media to share shocking images of water gushing down tube steps, sentimental contents ruined, and cars determinedly ploughing through sodden high streets as they battle against water levels that licked the tops of their tyres. 

Five days later it happened again. In under two hours over 70cm (over 2 feet) of rain hit the streets of London. Once more, homes, restaurants, shops and stations were flooded.

Then again on 25 July the capital felt the effects of another sudden, violent downpour. Following this flood, as well as the now usual flurry of tube stations quickly shutting gates to passengers, two London hospitals had to close too, with patients forced to evacuate their beds and the building due to power outages. 

The Met Office also issued its first extreme heat warning in July as temperatures soared to 32⁰C in large parts of England and Wales. Last year temperatures hit 40°C. (104°F) for several days.

As homeowners and businesses struggled to deal with the devastation, yet again, the events were a stark reminder of projections from the non-profit news organisation Climate Central that parts of London were at risk of being under water by 2050. Just 27 years away.”

It’s the same story everywhere:-

“By 2050, sea level along contiguous U.S. coastlines could rise as much as 12 inches (30 centimeters) above today’s waterline, according to researchers who analyzed nearly three decades of satellite observations. The results from the NASA Sea Level Change Team could help refine near-term projections for coastal communities that are bracing for increases in both catastrophic and nuisance flooding 

in coming years.

Global sea level has been rising for decades in response to a warming climate, and multiple lines of evidence indicate the rise is accelerating. The new findings support the higher-range scenarios outlined in an interagency report released in February 2022. That report, developed by several federal agencies – including NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Geological Survey – expect significant sea level rise over the next 30 years by region. They projected 10 to 14 inches (25 to 35 centimetres) of rise on average for the East Coast, 14 to 18 inches (35 to 45 centimetres) for the Gulf Coast, and 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimetre’s) for the West”.

So don’t fear the impact Bessler’s wheel would have, fear for us if no way of mitigating the effects of global warming can be found.

JC

What If Johann Bessler’s Machine Really Worked? Imagine!

It is so frustrating trying to convince people that Johann Bessler’s machine could be a great invention, an incredible benefit to the planet, a source of free, clean energy.  But we struggle to climb a gigantic wall of scepticism and yet there is a constant intensifying debate demanding a solution to global warming and all the ramifications associated with it.

I have, over a number of years, tried to interest people in those higher reaches of research and development who I believe would be in the right position to take note of Bessler’s work, and accept it as a challenge and obtain funding to rediscover the secret.  Polite interest was the usual response, adding a comment such as, “build a working model and I’ll take a look at it!”  This remains the response.

I watched an inspiring video by Prince William on climate change, such a good speaker!  No I’m not going to write to him, but he makes a good case for doing all we can to help our planet back to a healthier state.  Like his father he prioritises the environment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuaaU0BuCnU

Bessler, aka Orffyreus, invented and exhibited a machine which he claimed used only gravity to make it rotate endlessly. After about fifty years of study, my original opinion that Bessler’s claim was genuine has been strengthened to the point where I know beyond a shadow of doubt that his machine was genuine.  The circumstantial evidence is so strong that in a court of law a judge must find Bessler innocent of an suggestions of impropriety. 

The fact that we have been taught emphatically that such devices oppose the laws of science, not to mention common sense, should not detract from the importance of a proper investigation into the potential advantages of such a device in today’s world of increasing energy costs, pollution and global warming.

Having studied Bessler’s words for over 50 years I’ve come to know him and how his mind worked.  When reading his account of his experiences one can feel his exasperation at the actions of his “enemies” his name for those who opposed his claim to have invented a perpetual motion machine.  He continued to stand by his assertion until his death.  I too will continue to maintain my own conviction that his machine was genuine and worthy of development.

I have written a detailed account of Johann Bessler’s life which is available by clicking the appropriate link in either the top of the side panel under the words, ‘Johann Bessler’s Books and biography’. Alternatively you can click on a link towards the bottom of the right side panel which lists each book.  The biography contains details of letters to and from Bessler plus others writing about him.  There are copies of witness statements, tests and testimonials. 

The other books are copies of Bessler’s own work and each has a full English translation at the end.

JC

“Sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine”

― Alan Turing

Johann Bessler aka Orffyreus and his Perpetual Motion Machine

 On 6th June, 1712, in Germany, Johann Bessler (also known by his pseudonym, Orffyreus) announced that after many years of failure, he had succeeded in designing and building a perpetual motion machine. For more than fourteen years he exhibited his machine and allowed people to thoroughly examine the outside of it, but it’s internal workings were kept hidden. This was because the inventor feared that his design would be copied and someone else might obtain credit for all his years of hard work looking for the solution. He followed the advice from the famous scientist, Gottfried Leibniz, who was able to examine the device, and recommended a number of demonstrations and tests designed to prove the validity of his machine without giving away the secret of its design.

Karl the Landgrave of Hesse permitted Bessler to live, work and exhibit his machine at the prince's castle of Weissenstein. Karl was a man of unimpeachable reputation and he insisted on being allowed to verify the inventor's claims before he allowed Bessler to take up residence. This the inventor reluctantly agreed to and once he had examined the machine to his own satisfaction Karl authorised the publication of his approval of the machine. For several years Bessler was visited by numerous people of varying status, scientists, ministers and royalty. Several official examinations were carried out and each time the examiners concluded that the inventor's claims were genuine.

Over a number of years Karl aged and it was decided that after so long it was time the inventor left the castle and he was granted accommodation in the nearby town of Karlshafen. Despite the strong circumstantial evidence that his machine was genuine, Bessler failed to secure a sale and after more than thirty years he died in poverty. His death came after he fell from a windmill he had been commissioned to build. The windmill was an interesting design using a vertical axle which allowed it to benefit from winds from any directions. 

He had asked for a huge sum of money for the secret of his perpetual motion machine, £20,000 which was an amount thought only affordable by kings and princes, and although many were interested, none were prepared to agree to the terms of the deal. Bessler required that he be given the money before the buyer was allowed to view the internal workings of the machine. But those who sought to purchase the wheel, for that was the form the machine took, insisted that they see the secret mechanism before they parted with the money. Bessler feared that once the design was known the buyers could simply walk away knowing how to build his machine and he would get nothing for his trouble. 

I became curious about the legend of Bessler’s Wheel, while still in my teens, and have spent most of my life researching the life of Johann Bessler (I’m now 78). I obtained copies of all his books and had them translated into English and self-published them, in the hope that either myself or someone else might solve the secret and present it to the world in this time of pollution, global warming and increasingly limited energy resources.

Not long after I was able to read the English translations of his books, I realised that Bessler had embedded a number of clues in his books. These took the form of hints in the text, but also in a number of drawings he published and I found suggestions by the author that studying his books would reveal enough information about his wheel,to allow “someone with an acute and discerning mind, to build one”.

For some ideas about Bessler’s code why not visit my web sites at 

http://www.theorffyreuscode.com/

Take a look at my work on his “Declaration of Faith” at 

http://www.orffyreus.net/

Also please view my video at 

https://youtu.be/5BWVKtpuzn0

It gives a brief account both the legend and some more detail about some of the codes.

The problem of obtaining a fair reward for all his hard work was anticipated by Bessler and he took extraordinary measures to ensure that his secret was safe, but he encoded all the information needed to reconstruct the machine in a small number of books that he published. He implied that he was prepared to die without selling the secret and that he believed that posthumous acknowledgement was preferable to being robbed of his secret while he yet lived.


It has recently become clear that Bessler had a huge knowledge of the history of codes and adopted several completely different ones to disguise information within his publications. I have made considerable advances in deciphering his codes and I am confident that I have the complete design.


Johann Bessler published three books, and digital copies of these with English translations may be obtained from the links to the right of this blog. In addition there is a copy of his unpublished document containing some 141 drawings - and also my own account of Bessler’s life is also available from the links. It is called "Perpetual Motion; An Ancient Mystery Solved?" 

This biography contains a wealth of information about Bessler himself, as well as many quotes by Bessler and letters to him or about him from many interested parties. It tells of his life up to and including his years with Karl the Landgrave of Hesse Kassel, and what happened to him later.

Bessler's three published books are entitled "Grundlicher Bericht", "Apologia Poetica” and "Das Triumphirende...".

I have called Bessler's collection of 141 drawings “Maschinen Tractate”, but it was originally found in the form of a number of loosely collected drawings of perpetual motion designs. Many of these have handwritten notes attached and I have published the best English translation of them that I was able to get. Bessler never published these drawings but clearly intended to use them in his planned school for apprentices.

You can order copies of the books from my website at 

http://www.free-energy.co.uk/

Printed books direct from the printer can be obtained from here

https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/johncollins

Or from the top of the right side panel under the heading ‘Bessler’s Books’.

There are also links lower down on the right side panel.

These books contain the most important information available if you seek to find the solution to Bessler’s wheel.

JC