Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1844-09-10
WONDERFUL. CLOCK

The Rev. Mr.. Turnbul, pastor Of the
Harv ard street church, Boston, wrote a let
ter during his recent tour to Europe, TO the
members of the Sabbath school connected
with his congregation, in which he gave an
interesting account OF wonde rful work OF
art. Alter introducing the letter he pro-
cee6s as follows:
There is no subject that can think Of
which will be so likely to interest you as
the great astronomical clock, which saw
The other day in the Cathedral at Strasburg.
This Cathedral, by the way, is one of the
finest and Oldest in Europe. 1t is very
large and its tower or steeple is the high
est in the world. 1t is twenty-four feet
higher than The great Pyramid in Egypt,
one hundred and forty feet higher than St
Paui's in London, and three or four times
higher than the old South church in Boston.
The astronomical clock stands in the inside,
in one corner Of 1t, ard is most imposing
and beautiful edifce. Five or six hundred
people visit it every day at twelve O'Clock,
when it performs some extraordinary feats,
which | shall mention presently, and seve-
raj m lions in the course Of tho year.
There have been two or three clocks in the
same place, upon the model Of which the
present one is formed; but it is almost a
new one and was constructed by mocha
mic whose name was Schwilgue, in 1888,
to whom nocturnal fete or festival was
given by his fellow citizens, on the occa-
sion Of its completion.
TO give you some idea of the size of this
clock | will compare it with some other
things with which you are familiar, instead
of saying it is 50 many feet high or so ma
ny feet wide, &c. Well then, you remem-
Der the size Of the post-office in Washing
ton street. tits as high as that and about
as wide,o or at least nearly so. Its top would
reach to the very summit of our meeting
house and its front would 60 half way
across the front Of the meeting house. On
the top of it is the figure of the prophet
Isaiah, about as large as life; on its two
SIDES are couple stairs to go up into it.
Its trent is beautiful painted, and has placed
upon with the hours Of the day, the days
of the week, the revolutions of the stars, the
motions Of the sun in the ecliptic, the days
of the month, the seasons of the year, the
phases Of the sun and moon, and a great
many other things, are indicated. Here,
also, in nitches prepared for them, are
movable images or tho Saviour and his
twelve apostles; Death, and Time with his
scythe; the four ages of human life, and
several other forms which | cannot men,
ton.
To give you a little further idea of its
ma gnitude, let me say that there are means
of going inside Of it, and that some ten or
fifteen people, perhaps more, might stsnd
together in its very heart and examine the
machinery. MIR. Neale, two other gentle
man and myself, with the conductor, went
into it and spent about an hour there. We
went first into a lower, then into higher,
and :hen still higher apartment of it, and
saw the various parts of the machinery,
consisting, should think, of more than
thousand pieces splendidy polished, aud
all dependent for their harmonious action
upon the short, thick brass pendulum which
swings in the centre.
But must tell you what this clock does
L, not only points out the hours and the days
the times and the seasons, but the reyou-
lions Of the stars, the solar and lunar. eoua-
lions, the conjunctions and the eclipses of
the heavenly bodies, their positions at any
given time, and various changes through
which they pass for thousands Of years.
1t points out apparent time, mean, or real
time, and ecclesiastical time. On its face
YOU see the molten Of the stars, and the
sun and planets, Of the moon and her sat
elites. Two little cherubs, who sit on one
side, the other on the other, strike the