· His
Family
In
his book, Collins provides additional information. His father was Andreas Bessler and was what was termed a day-labourer,
which according to Collins means that he was available for work and hired by the day. His mother was Maria (nee Mauck). They
were married in 1680 (on the 6th Sunday after Epiphany). Maria had a sister, Regina. Bessler’s grandfather was George
Bessler, also a day-labourer and his wife was Maria (nee Schutz). After she died in 1693 he remarried, 14th June,1694 a Miss
Rosina Schwartzbachs. George died in February 1701. Andreas and Maria had Bessler christened on Tuesday 6th May 1681. Between
1683 and 1693 had five more sons three of whom died in infancy. The parents went to live with Bessler and remained with him
until their deaths. His mother, Maria died in July or August 1727.
Collins tells us that Bessler’s brother, Gottfried was christened on 26th
May 1688. Bessler married Anne Rosin Mauersberg and they had one daughter. Some
time after she died in 1726, Bessler remarried and, Collins believes, had two more daughters who married a preacher and a
blacksmith.
Church took the responsibility of educating him.
It seems that his father sowed early seeds of mechanical interest in Orffyreus. At childhood, Orffyreus learnt his first lesson
of building wheel from his father. His father made a small toy wheel for him to play with.
..."(On p. 23 of Collins' book). Orffyreus,
son of a skilled mason also learnt architecture from his father as he made drawings of a great many ancient buildings, including
baths, basilicas, amphitheatres, and temples, particularly studying the construction of architectural elements, such as vaults
and cupolas. The object of his architectural researches, however, was not to learn to reproduce architecture, but to enrich
the architecture of his own time and to perfect his engineering skills. He learnt basic mathematical and mechanical principles. When he was young, he wanted these mathematical principles of beauty to be those seen
by all observers.
Orffyreus was a
mechanical prodigy. Orffyreus was one of a extraordinary kind. His creative ability
was soon apparent. Without any formal training in science, largely unfamiliar with the details of the works of scientist,
Orffyreus took up interest in practical mechanics as an amateur, but with great enthusiasm. Alden E. Park also mentions that
young Orffyreus was an exceptional student of such things as science, mathematics, languages, and mechanics. Among his many skills, he knew how to build clocks, watches, mills, and organs. He also understood smelting
and casting. “Like Leonardo, he seems to have been a man of many talents, and studied theology, medicine and painting
as well as mechanics. And in his early thirties he announced that he had discovered
the secret of perpetual motion.” says Inquisitor, Warfalcon of Ultima.
He eventually became so skilled and dexterous that he was able
to master new and unfamiliar techniques in a very short time. This attention to techniques, which had developed from an intelligent
curiosity, became a habit. He had fascination for novel inventions. Orffyreus felt that he had to master new technique before
he had even considered whether it was of any use to him, so that over the years his technical knowledge became most impressive. His love for first hand discovery of the secrets of life and nature, his penetrating
vision to read spiritual principles behind scientific laws man's physical, biological and others - were unique.
Orffyreus was a
unique virtuoso. He traveled extensively and learned many trades. In the time
of the Orffyreus, science and art were not separated: you could be an inventor and designer, an experimenter and a poet, a
dreamer and an entrepreneur all at once. He became skilled in various crafts and was fascinated by secret doctrines. He had a desire to be a member of esoteric circles and learn occult. He earned his livelihood by designing and applying medical cures.
Perpetual motion was the main cause of his perpetual mobility and Orffyreus became so restless that he was incapable
of staying in one place for any length of time, and was always looking for a change of scenery and for new impressions. During
his lifetime, he had traveled the length and breadth of Europe. The haste with
which he did everything was abnormal. He always felt that he was going to discover something great. Deep below this turbulence, it is not hard to imagine that ‘seeds
of perpetual motion’ definitely existed in his soul in a potential form, which would flower at a suitable time. He was a pious man. His longing to have
vision of God motivated him to meet rabbis*, priests, and those knowledgeable in religion and occult doctrines. Moreover, these people may have blessed him to achieve perpetual motion.
It is possible that someone among them raised interest into him to invent a machine, which would move forever without
inputs of energy .i.e. a perpetual motion machine that would be a blessing to mankind.
Young Orffyreus was Jack-of-all-trades but
later he became master of perpetual motion at the age of 31. He lived an adventurous life and wandered as a glasscutter, clock
maker, wood turner, gem carver, copper engraver, organ builder, and soldier, which took him to many European countries. Then, at the age of 20, Orffyreus felt he had to return to Germany. He settled near his native town and started working on machines. Now by dedicating his life to perpetual
motion, he decided to direct his remarkable energy into perpetual motion which he though would be great technology that was
both liberating and civilizing but was beyond the understanding of even famous names in science. The nature of the subject
he finally chose to undertake and solve to perfection displays his genius. He concentrated on perpetual motion with all his
resolve. He tried a large number of designs but none of them worked. However, every failure guided him to improve something
and add it into the next design. He tried hard yet success eluded him. It distressed him and caused big frustration in his mind.
His
financial position was in shambles. He needed money to continue his experiments so he had no option but to leave his work
on perpetual motion for a while. He decided to enter the service of a relative, an organ-builder, and technician. Orffyreus became interested in use of machines to eliminate hand labor, for example sawing timber, for
working the bellows of the furnaces, for pumping the water out of mines and running all other types of machinery. He felt
quite at home in any factory.
Orffyreus was the type of man who was asked to investigate the trouble in machineries. Factory man would often invite him to repair the trouble. As an apprentice, he visited smaller German towns,
venturing as far as Prague. He learned a lot about the nature of forces and knew how to direct them
to achieve desired ends. He acquired extensive practical skills in designing and operating levers and transmission structures.
He spent much time in the investigation of hoisting machines, engines for raising water, water wheels, water mills, water
screws, Ctesibios's pump, water organs, odometers, and he passed from peace engines to war ones, catapults or scorpiones,
ballistae, stringing and tuning of catapults, siege engines, tortoises for filling ditches, Hegetor' s ram and tortoise. His success in resolving the mechanical problems gave Orffyreus an incentive to concentrate
further on the general problems of machines - their economies and efficiencies but Orffyreus went further, far ahead until
he invented perpetual motion.
REFERENCES:
*Perpetual Motion: An Ancient Mystery Solved? J.Collins
* Spiritual leader of a Jewish congregation; qualified to expound and apply
the halakhah and other Jewish law. His biographer Collins mentions that Orffyreus was
an intermediary
between the Jesuit priest and the elderly Rabbi in Prague. (25-26, 185, 190 ) Collins wrote on his p.25, ‘As was his
custom, Orffyreus extracted as much knowledge as he could from the old man, learning something of Hebrew, and ancient Hieroglyphics,
“the language of nature and the writings of angels”.