The Sun.
London, England, 1848-10-24 00:00:00

pivots or of damaging the wheels. To avoid such ac-
cidents the pivots are generally made wider than
otherwise would be necessary, and this greatly in-
creases the friction. Now, however well this frame-
work may be executed (and if made of sufficient
Strength and well executed, it becomes very expen-
sive), still it is far from possessing the requisite
solidity for a machine to measure time, on account of
its being so much affected by the vibratory motion
caused by the striking part or parts.
In the new construction, the going and striking
part or parts are perfectly detached from each other ;
and the wheel work, &c , of each part is supported by
a separate, solid, and entire bed of cast iron, instead
of a frame composed of pieces as formerly. The
arrangement of the several parts is such that any one
piece can, if required, be removed and restored to its
place without disturbing another, and the whole of
the clock is perfectly solid, and without shake or
motion.
The jar, and consequent tremulous action, resulting
from the fall of the hammer-tail or tails, according as
the clock strikes hours only, or hours and quarters,
which in the common turret clock is communicated to
the whole machine, is, from the construction of this
clock, entirely confined to the striking parts.
The construction of the work for communicating
the motion from the clock to the hand is entirely
different from that usually employed in turret clocks.
It is securely attached to the cast-iron bed of the
going part, is particularly simple, little liable to be
out of order, and the connexion between the clock
and the dial works, that carry the hands, is made by
a straight iron rod, leading direct from the clock to
each dial work. The bad arrangement of this part of
the work is a very common cause of failure in the
generality of large clocks.
The construction of a turret clock which I have
adopted offers peculiar facilities for cleaning and
oiling the works, which the common construction does
not possess, and it can in consequence be kept clean
and in order with less trouble, and at much less ex-
pense, than a clock made in the ordinary mode.
The first clock entirely made upon this construc-
tion was that put up in the tower of Norwood church,
A.D. 1827; but I have made several clocks upon the
same principle since, and with equal success, but will
content myself with referring more particularly to
those I made for Windsor Castle, and for the New
Victualling Office at Cremille, near Plymouth, both
of which are eight day clocks, and strike the quar-
ters as well as the hours. The former is very large,
the great wheels of the striking parts being 24 inches
in diameter, and the hour is struck upon a bell of 32
cwt. The clock room at Windsor Castle is the
easiest of access, the best lighted and ventilated, and
in all respects the best adapted to the purposes for
which it is intended of any that I am acquainted
with ; but from local circumstances, which the skill
of the architect, Sir Jeffery Wyatville, could not
overcome, the construction of this clock was attended
with much difficulty. The fall for the weights is
exceedingly small, and the dial (for the time is shown
only on one face) is placed considerably below the
clock ; the pendulum also is unavoidably very short,
and the bells are placed at a considerable distance
behind the clock ; all of which circumstances are
more or less prejudicial to its performance. Never-
theless, the accuracy with which the clock has mea-
sured time has been everything that could be desired.
That at the Victualling-office, made under the im-
mediate direction of Sir John Rennie, though some-
what limited for space, is in every respect a very per-
fect piece of work. The time is shown upon four very
large faces, and there are probably few clocks to be
found in so exposed a situation. This clock may be
said to face the Atlantic, and to brave the storms of
the 'Western Ocean. It stands at the head of Ply-
mouth Sound; and a straight line drawn from the
clock across the centre of the breakwater would cross
the ocean, and only terminate on the eoast of Ame-
rica. sell persons conversant with the south coast of
this island are aware of the violence of the gales of
wind which occasionally visit Plymouth harbour.
Though much confined for room, the general arrange-
ments of this clock are everything that I could wish :
it has a two-seconds pendulum, with a bob weighing
2581b5., yet the weight of the maintaining power, cal-
culated with a single line, is only 26ilbs. The scape
wheel of the clock carries a seconds hand to show
time within, and a degree plate is employed to indi-
cate the arc of vibration of the pendulum ; conse-
quently there is not any difficulty in determining
exactly the deviations of the clock from mean time.
The mode employed for communicating the motion
from the clock to the hands is simple and convenient,
and has not on any occasion gone out out of ;order.
This clock, notwithsanding its exposed situation, has
kept time so correctly as to become the standard for
regulating time in all the Government establish-
ments at Plymouth, Devonport, Stonehouse, and all
other public clocks in the neighbourhood.
I will briefly notice the clock at the New Post-
office, because it is considered a very beautiful speci-
men of the art on a small scale, on account of the
weight of the pendulum bob, which is 4481b5., re-
quiring a maintaining power of only 331bs. to cause it
to vibrate two minutes twenty seconds on each side of
zero; this weight, considering that it is for an eight-
day clock, which is much incu in hered with rod-work,
and labouring under manifold disadvantages conse-
quent upon its ill contrived situation, is, in reference
to the weight of the bob, an extremely small motive
power.
The clock I have proposed as most fitting for the
New Palace at Westminster would be, in many
respects, similar to the clocks made for Norwood,
Windsor Castle, and Plymouth, but of necessity larger
and stronger in proportion to what it is required to
accomplish.
There are few advantages to be obtained without
some concomitant disadvantage, or at least some
inconveniences. The only inconvenience, however,
that I am aware of, resulting from the new construc-
tion for public clocks, is the increased length of the
machine, caused by the parts being placed side by
side, instead of one over the other, as in those made
on the old plan. This circumstance sometimes proves
an obstacle, which, from local circumstances connected
with the building, cannot be overcome. It was for
this reason that I was compelled to employ the old
plan in the two very large clocks I made for the
cathedrals at Oxford and Calcutta, the latter of which
struck the quarters upon four bells.
I may, 1 think, very fairly lay claim to be the
originator of the various improvements that have
taken place within these few years in public clocks ;
for instance, I was the first in this country to employ
a two seconds pendulum (the clock at the Hotel de
Ville at Paris is, indeed, the only clock on the Con-
tent that I ever saw with one), or who applied a hand
to indicate seconds, or a degree plate, by which to
ascertain the arc of vibration of the pendulum, and
with few exceptions, to employ for a pendulum a
wooden rod, a short suspension spring, and a very
heavy bob. Previously to this, the pendulum rods
were almost invariably made of iron, with very long
springs and light bobs. The only instance, in fact,
that I am acquainted with of a wooden
pendulum rod
applied to an old clock was to that
of the Horse
Guards, which I happen to know was made at the
suggestion of my father, many years since, and which
I replaced in 1816 by a two seconds pendulum with
a teak rod and bob weighing 1901b54
I was likewise the first to employ gun metal in the
place of yellow brass for the pivot holes, w heels, and
other parts commonly made of brass.
The employment of gun metal, as a substitute for
brass, was recommended to me by Sir John Jones,
to whom I am indebted for many valuable sugges-
tions; and it certainly is a very great improvement.
I have examined some public clocks in Flanders,
but did not see any deserving notice. In 1844 I
went to Paris, in order to be present at the Exposi-
tion de l'lndustrie Francaise. There I saw a num-
ber of public clocks of various sizes and descriptions.
In those of a superior quality, the wheels were made
of yellow brass; and in the inferior, the wheels of the
striking train were of cast iron, and the going train
only of brass; but in no instance that fell under my
notice was gun metal employed. Most of the clocks
of a superior description were furnished with a
contrivance called a remontoire. This mode of con-

struction, most inviting in appearance, but substan-
tially bad, has long been the idol of the continental
artists, who devised various modes of applying it to
their marine chronometers ; but in this country it has
found less favour, its fallacy having been long since
detected.

Mr. Mudge was, I believe, the only English maker
who employed it ; and his chronometers, though exe-
cuted with infinite care, and at very great expense,
were found not to perform so well as Arnold's or
Earnshaw's, which, though not better executed, were
much more simple in construction, and consequently
less expensive, as well as less liable to derangement.
This
,remark applies equally to clocks, to the per-
formance of which a remontoire is as objectionable as
to chronometers.

No expense is spared in the pendulum of French
clocks of a superior class, which are all what are
termed gridiron pendulums, of various constructions,
varying from five to nine bars, and in length from
five to seven or eight feet ; consequently the clocks

cannot indicate seconds in the ordinary mode ; indeed,
I did not notice a single clock of this description to
which a second hand or index, or a degree plate, to
indicate the arc of vibration of the pendulum, was
supplied.

The execution of these pendulumscer-

tainly is very beautiful ; but the great weight of the
rod in reference to the bob is a very serious error in

principle, and, in my opinion, more than counter-
balances any advantages they may be thought to

possess.
I will here notice that the clocks in Belgium which
I saw, some of which show time upon very large
skeleton dials, have only one hand, which makes a
revolution in twelve hours, and they were wound

every day ; they likewise strike upon bells compara-
tively small. These circumstances very much di-
minish the difficulties attendant upon making a clock

of this description. Moreover, the performance of