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From: bobd@zaphod.UUCP (Bob Dalgleish)
Newsgroups: net.misc,net.physics,net.sci
Subject: Re: Re: Perpetual Motion Machine (Honest!)
Message-ID: <213@zaphod.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 20-Mar-85 19:45:12 EST
Article-I.D.: zaphod.213
Posted: Wed Mar 20 19:45:12 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 23-Mar-85 01:01:58 EST
References: <261@eneevax.UUCP> <634@houxa.UUCP> <2059@sun.uucp> <9288@brl-tgr.ARPA> <190@ihdev.UUCP>
Organization: Develcon Electronics, Saskatoon, SK
Lines: 31
Xref: watmath net.misc:7599 net.physics:2273 net.sci:303

> > And how about that pill that you could dissolve in a tank full of
> > water for fuel, instead of gasoline?  My, those oil companies also
> > suppressed that invention!  (Which is why we never heard about it.)
> 
> The pill's perpetrator, a guy by the name of Guido Something-or-other,
> claimed that the UFO that he got the fuel pills from was going to
> land one night in a field in Warrenville, Illinois.  Hundreds of people
> showed up, but not the UFO.  It should be noted that the field was
> just across Warrenville Road from *AMOCO's Warrenville Research
> Center*!!!!!!!!!  And just to show you the power of these running
> dog capitalist oil-mongering slavers, Guido was imprisoned for
> FRAUD after the Amocoites obviously scared off the benevolent aliens 
> and Guido's investors got mad.
> 	ihnp4!ihdev!rastaman

The pill was real; it's effect on the engine was also real.  The pill
contained a chemical based on a halogen that reacted mightily with the
water producing a volatile substance suitable for burning - however,
engine life was under a thousand hours.  Apparently, one or more con-men
made off with some life savings as a result.

This story has been circulating as a rumor since the 1920's.  There was a
film based on the rumor starring Cary Grant (or an equitable
substitute).  The price of gasoline in the movie was 10 cents a gallon,
so the age of the story certainly has an upper bound.
-- 
[The opinions expressed here are only loosely based on the facts]

Bob Dalgleish		...!alberta!sask!zaphod!bobd
			      ihnp4!
(My company has disclaimed any knowledge of me and whatever I might say)