Nexus - 0301 - New Times Magazine-pages

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NEWSCIENCENEWSCIENCENEWSCIENCE read: "Gasless Motor Tested for Lindy", wouldn't generate enough electricity to much as wind the motor. They built the "Lindy Inspects Fuelless Motor For "...light a one-volt firefly” or to "...stitch a motor and it works. That's my answer to Airplanes", and "Lindbergh Tries Motor _ fairy's breeches". all the critics—it works. , That The Earth Runs". One story even stat- Noting the lavish lecture room in a New Dr Hochstetter and his associates also ed that, at its request, Lindbergh and York hotel which had been rented by (or claimed my father had signed a contract Lanphier were flying to New York to show for) Dr Hochstetter for the press confer- and received US$25,000 for exploitation of the motor to the Guggenheim Foundation ence, Dr Hochstetter was asked why he the motor, but after a brief period of excite- for the Promotion of Aeronautics. was so interested in the Hendershot demon- ment the matter was dropped—unproven. Later reports, however, emphasised that trations and in trying to discredit them. Not long after his demonstrations of the Lindbergh actually had nothing whatsoever He replied merely that he had "come to motor, Dr Hochstetter died under unusual to do with the experiments, and that he had expose a fraud which would be capable of circumstances. He was in a Baltimore/ just witnessed a couple of the demonstra- destroying faith in science for 1,000 years", Ohio train wreck, and he was the only pas- tions as the guest of his friend, Major and he claimed his only motive was that _senger on the whole train who lost his life! Lanphier. "pure science might shine forth untar- My father was the butt of many jokes The Selfridge tests seemed to satisfy nished". and comments at the time of the debates Lanphier and his associates, however, and It was obvious to those who were pro- about his invention. An artist, drawing for during the period he was there, the model Hendershot that, in view of all the fuss and _ one of the Pittsburgh papers, depicted him the technicians built obtained as high as bother of such a noted scientist as Dr __ in a cartoon riding a propellerless airplane. 1,800 revolutions per minute, and they Hochstetter, somewhere behind it all, The caption made fun of him. In later announced its performance was entirely someone was anxious for the innovation to years, my father remarked: satisfactory. It was estimated these motors _ be ridiculed. Every time I see a jet plane go over now, would run for 2,000 to 3,000 hours before When approached with the accusations, J think of that cartoon and how everyone the magnet centre would have to be my father smiled and told reporters: laughed at me for suggesting a plane could recharged. Dr Hochstetter is correct, to a degree. | some day fly without a propeller. Twenty- have concealed batteries in a model or two _ five years ago I tried to tell them that. INITIAL SCEPTICISM AND RIDICULE — because I found that | could not trust some As suddenly as it had all started, the pub- A man named Dr F. W. Hochstetter, of of my visitors, and I also had evidence that licity and sensationalism over the the Hochstetter Research Laboratories in someone had tampered with my work. So, 1 Hendershot Motor stopped. The last news Pittsburgh, hastily called a news confer- put a couple of batteries in on occasion to story to appear was on 10th March 1928, ence and displayed models of what he said lead the intruders away from what I was when a small article appeared in most was the “Hendershot Motor". He demon- working on. papers saying that Lester Hendershot was a strated them, and when they wouldn't work He added that Major Lanphier and his patient in Emergency Hospital in he declared that Hendershot was a fake and Army technicians were proof enough of his Washington. that the motors worked only because of claims: The personal account my father gave the power derived from concealed pencil bat- I didn’t build the motor that was demon- family was much the same as the newspa- teries. strated at Detroit. That was built by Army per quote, with the minor exception that After he had exhibited his models of the men under orders from Major Lanphier while he was demonstrating the motor in motor, Dr Hochstetter announced that they and under my direction. | didn't even so _ the patent office he was hit by a bolt of 120 volts, not the jolting 2,000 volts the over- aoe Hendershot, with : eager reporter had written. The shock cires 1950 in His workshop, mele ? paralysed his vocal chords, resulting in sev- . : eral weeks of recuperation before he com- (From The Archives of Lester pletely recovered. J. Hendershot) . CONTINUED SUPPRESSION ATTEMPTS Something happened during this period that could explain the actions of Dr Hochstetter and his associates. My father said that while he was in the hospital he was approached by a large corporation to stop his activity in connection with the motor or generator. Until the day he died, he would not reveal the name of the com- pany; only that if he were successful with his generator it would be a serious threat to their multimillion-dollar industry. He named the sum he accepted as US$25,000, and the condition was that he was not to build another unit for 20 years. That's read: "Gasless Motor Tested for Lindy", "Lindy Inspects Fuelless Motor For Airplanes", and "Lindbergh Tries Motor That The Earth Runs". One story even stat- ed that, at its request, Lindbergh and Lanphier were flying to New York to show the motor to the Guggenheim Foundation for the Promotion of Aeronautics. Later reports, however, emphasised that Lindbergh actually had nothing whatsoever to do with the experiments, and that he had just witnessed a couple of the demonstra- tions as the guest of his friend, Major Lanphier. The Selfridge tests seemed to satisfy Lanphier and his associates, however, and during the period he was there, the model the technicians built obtained as high as 1,800 revolutions per minute, and they announced its performance was entirely satisfactory. It was estimated these motors would run for 2,000 to 3,000 hours before the magnet centre would have to be recharged. CONTINUED SUPPRESSION ATTEMPTS Something happened during this period that could explain the actions of Dr Hochstetter and his associates. My father said that while he was in the hospital he was approached by a large corporation to stop his activity in connection with the motor or generator. Until the day he died, he would not reveal the name of the com- pany; only that if he were successful with his generator it would be a serious threat to their multimillion-dollar industry. He named the sum he accepted as US$25,000, and the condition was that he was not to build another unit for 20 years. That's 54 ¢ NEXUS DECEMBER 1995 - JANUARY 1996