The Certificate of Gera

The original German word that was used to certify Bessler's wheel was "attestat" which is no longer part of the German contemporary language. Synonyms translate to certificate, testing, certification, etc.

The Princely House Reuss-Gera provided Bessler on 9. October 1712 with a “certificate” in which it was certified that the “Perpetuum Mobile” invented by him actually worked. The wording of this document was taken from the book “The Triumphant Perpetual Motion Machine of Orffyreus”, which Bessler wrote during his stay in Kassel and had it printed in October 1719. The digitization center of the University of Göttingen has scanned this book page by page and offers it as a PDF download or alternatively as a CD-ROM:
http://gdz.sub.uni-goettingen.de/dms/load/pdf/?PPN-PPN-PPN3405828&DMDID-DMDLOG-0003
Enter the search term “Bessler”. You will find the text of the “Attestat” from page 108 on.

Since the book was published only 7 years after the date of issue of this certificate, it is highly likely that such a document actually existed. Bessler's opponents certainly checked this by asking the signatories about it. They would have immediately taken it to the public if it had proved to be a lie. Nevertheless, they considered the certificate to be a worthless piece of paper, since they felt it had been issued out of a mere favour.

Bessler, who had asked the prince for such a certificate when he was present at one of the demonstrations of his invention, probably did so in the hope that all doors would open for him in the future. In retrospect, however, the reader might well suspect, due to the submissive formulation regarding “his princely grace”, florid decorations and also side blows against his enemies, that Bessler had written the text himself at that time and that the princely house merely put its signature under it. If the wording had been formulated by the prince, one would certainly have chosen other language. The Prince also did not sign the document himself, but commissioned his Kapell director Emanuel Kegel. He did this ostentatiously only as one among many and only after Bessler's invention had been examined by an expert. This was the engineer Johann Adam Caff, whose name appears in the signatures documented in the above-mentioned book.   

• Dr. Johann Georg Pertsch
• Johann Christoph Zopff
• Heinrich Fischer
• Oswald Leupold
• Johann Adam Caff
• Reinhold Richter
• Christian Lange
• Adolf Anshelm von Carlowitz
• Emanuel Kegel
• H. von Weißbach
• Joachim Conrad Döring
• N. Storm
• Georg-Heinrich Nollhard
• J. Chilian Freysinger

The most important signature is that of Emanuel Kegel. As the Kapell director of the Princely House of Reuß-Gera, he put his name under the document on behalf of the prince. As well as other respected personalities of this time. Thus Dr. Johann Georg Pertsch, professor at the University of Helmstedt, Adolf Anshelm von Carlowitz, lord of Pirna-Zuschendorf, Reinhold Richter, in whose Freihaus the Bessler wheel  had premiered on 6th June 1712. Christian Lange was the cousin of Bessler, where he lived at Rittergasse 6 in Gera. Last but not least, the engineer Johann Adam Caff, who had examined Bessler's wheel on behalf of the Princely House as an expert and had excluded a fraud.

Caff, designated as “master builder of Saxony-Weissenfels, Mathematician and Engineer”, was also among those appointed three years later who were present at the inspection at Merseburg and signed the joint protocol there. He has investigated Bessler's wheel in Gera as an expert and definitely ruled out any fraud. Even if he was not allowed to look into the interior for the already known reasons, a review made sense under such circumstances. It was not a question of exploring the operating principle, but of determining whether Bessler's invention was a swindle or not.

Since the Gera “Perpetuum Mobile” could be moved around as desired during its rotation and was only 10 centimetres thick, an external transmission of power was eliminated as was the idea that a running human could have been inside. As a possible fraud set-up, only the explanation with the previously wound spring remained. However, an engineer as a man of practice could rule this out. Thus it was clearly established that the wheel (including its axis) was rotating absolutely freely and that a spring could therefore not have supported itself on the resting environment. Even if it had been physically possible for a movable large mass to be used as an counter bearing inside, it did not fit the overall weight of Bessler's wheel. However, a spring drive was also out of the question because Caff knew which energy could be stored in it to the maximum and how long it would have taken until it would have been completely wound down. Through precise measurements, he was able to demonstrate that the internal driving force remained constant throughout the entire period and did not steadily decrease, as is the case with a spring. Caff, who was allowed to touch the wheel at will, slow down, stop, turn back, etc., could perceive the moving weights inside and feel the impulses they produced. He was also able to establish a reproducible correlation to the impact noise. In the end, he was sure that only these weights were responsible for the unlimited rotation of the wheel.

As a comment, one would like to add here that trial and error is superior to all theory. It makes a difference whether one can see something live and lay hands on it, or whether it is only the subject of a theoretical consideration, which is completely lacking in data and which must therefore rely on speculation. It can be considered as certain that Caff carried out the investigation conscientiously, because he would otherwise have risked his reputation and the Count's favor. The result he certifies is in line with the results of the technical reviews carried out later in Merseburg and Kassel, as well as in particular with the disclosure of the inner mechanism to Landgrave Karl of Hesse-Cassel.*) To now discount everything as a fraud, testifies to the ignorance of the facts found and is an expression of a complacent arrogance, which could certainly be assigned the attribute “featherbrained”. Why people behave in this way is examined by the author in the article “Was Bessler a fraudster?”. 

*) Karl, as the supreme sovereign, wanted to gain certainty in August 1717 with the inspection of the Bessler mechanism that everything was in good order. Bessler, who was economically dependent on Karl, had to reveal his secret to this him, whether he liked it or not. However, the insight into the interior of the wheel eliminated all doubts, because the operating principle immediately made sense to the landgrave. He held his protective hand over Bessler from then on, and on the 27th. May 1718,  

issued himself a certificate which has survived to this day. It was put on paper as “Carolo-Certificate”. (See there.) 

With the exuberant description of his wheel contained in the Gera certificate, with the “divine grace” he claimed for himself, and with the dedication “God to praise, glory and honour”, Bessler went too far. The inclusion of God was perceived by his contemporaries as presumptuous, and he brought about the opposite of what he had intended by it. His excess of self-praise, which oozed out of every crack, led to widespread resentment. In view of his repeatedly expressed own religiosity, the resonance would probably have been different if Bessler had restrained his elation and instead oriented himself to the biblical message, which is transported in the New Testament with the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. 

In those days, it was common to incorporate French and/or Latin words into German sentences,  

in order to demonstrate one's own education. Bessler also made use of this. Since this makes it difficult for the reader today to understand parts of it, such words were translated by the author and provided with their German origin (and then translated to English).

The following is the wording of the “Certificate”:

“After the sought after and desired perpetual motion machine by Divine Grace came here to Gera / recently only invented and manufactured / an artful and highly useful machine, which without all external weights / wind / water and spring – by a very strange inner perpetual motion does not only sustain its own body moving continuously / moving and turning / but also other machines needing such force / (as water-arts / mills / etc.) it is easily capable of moving; and now unexpectedly rumours from neighboring areas have spread / also messages arrived / how some of the inventor's so-called friends / found occasion to let themselves be tempted / to steal said invention / and to copy it / and otherwise to satisfy their curiosity and have eagerly already well begun.

Here, however, so placed at his disposal: that Dr. Johann Ernst Elias Orffyreus, Med.Pract. and Mathematicus, native of Upper Laussnitz (who has lived here for a considerable time / also at all times honest / Christian / quiet and well-behaved / nothing but good and kind things are said of him) who through divine grace is the sole author / inventor and manufacturer of this rare work, and no other / who otherwise could assume to or to praise himself for! This increasingly famed machine, already from the sixth of June / of this current year 1712 / here on the Niclausberg in Mr. Richter's house (where now stands a church)* had been shown by above mentioned Mr. Orffyreo the first time in its perfect workings. As then not alone by Their Princely Graces / Her High Grace the widow / and Their High Graces of the XXII. (also XXIV.&c.)** Count seen  several times their-selves in their own high person / but also with their gracious consent and expert reports we, the undersigned, have been shown all. Therefore this attestation / this testimonial, God to praise / glory and honour / and to the inventor special protection / use / recommendation and promotion / for all respective high and low / art- and wisdom-loving persons may be  known / and also has been signed and sealed here by all of us.
Done at Gera / 9. Day Octob. Anno 1712.”

*)  The text set in parentheses appears in the book as an explanatory footnote and is not part of the Gera “Attestation” of 1712, because the construction of the Salvator Church was only begun in 1717.
**)  “Their High Graces of the XXII.” = Count Heinrich XXII. (1680 - 1731). Over the centuries, all male descendants had the first name “Heinrich” at Reuss. Because this was a matter of course at that time, Bessler had probably omitted the mention of this name. That he adds in brackets “also XXIV”, indicates that at this time the count co-managed one of the other houses of Reuss.