Charles Wondries
From Kook Science
Charles Sigmon Wondries (1857-1918) was an American wallpaper salesman, hotel proprietor, and miner[i] who claimed to have discovered the secret of perpetual motion through suction. Wondries sought to raise funds for the construction of enormously tall chimneys at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri (1904) and the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco, California (1915), which he hoped would be used to demonstrate his theory; however, neither of these plans came to fruition.
Press Coverage
1902
- "WINDMILL IN SMOKESTACK FOR PERPETUAL MOTION.", Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL): 13, 25 Mar. 1902, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121625190/windmill-in-smokestack-for-perpetual-mot/
- "AN INVENTOR OF PERPETUAL MOTION - MAN WHO CLAIMS HE HAS SOLVED PROBLEM.", St. Joseph Gazette (St. Joseph, MO): 4, 26 Mar. 1902, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121656285/an-inventor-of-perpetual-motion-man-wh/
- "USES WIND FOR PERPETUAL MOTION. Chicagoan Has Suction as Basis of Invention.", The Inter Ocean (Chicago, IL): 5, 28 Mar. 1902, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121625255/uses-wind-for-perpetual-motion-chicagoa/
- "Not Quite Perpetual Motion.", Quad-City Times (Davenport, IA): 4, 3 Apr. 1902, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121625416/not-quite-perpetual-motion/
- "PERPETUAL MOTION DEVICE MADE BY AN ILLINOIS MAN. Charles Wondries Believes He Has Solved Problem With Three Wheels on a Rod, a Tin Jacket and a Tall Chimney.", The Evansville Journal (Evansville, IN): 7, 20 Jul. 1902, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121625329/perpetual-motion-device-made-by-an/
1911
- "WOULD ECLIPSE WORLD-FAMOUS EIFFEL TOWER", The San Francisco Examiner (San Francisco, CA): 8, 26 Oct. 1911, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121625882/would-eclipse-world-famous-eiffel-tower/
Notes
- ↑ In Oct. 1905, Wondries acquired copper claims near Barstow, California — The Toga, Black Hawk, Black Hawk No. 2, and Copper Glance — and had some brief dealings with William E. "Death Valley" Scotty.