The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-04-25

NEW ELECTRIC ENTERPRISES.

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NEW ELECTRIC ENTERPRISES.
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The IRE Alarm Tslegraph-The Time Bah
Tammany Han and tho Custom
House In . New Aspect,
THE TINE BALI.
ns OBJECT AND MODE o. oPrRArION-D DESCRIPTION
or TEE APPARATUS.
IN few days the nme Ball erected upon The roof OF
The Custom House viii be put into operation and viii con-
time 10 hsisaae correct thereafter by dropping daily
q precisely Though private enterprise, CON-
melasd and carried out BY few public spirited gentle
me1, srong whom may Be mentioned the namss Of
Nessrs. Royal Phslss, r neston and Dewitt aioodgood
hts Importance which must cause 70 be appreci
atsd BY Ill Glasses Of The community. One of is results
viii. 10 to furAsh citizens with rect standard or
tine, With which al the clocks watches OF the me-
crelb WIN 10 made y correspond: but has mush more
importance IN The fact that nsvyaaors will be afforded
sessr faculties Than they possess in timing and
rating their chronomstsrs IN q known oagttrde, and
shus be made certain that AL their calculations Of position,
vhA depend upsa the accuracy Of their chronoretes,
are correct th
fAis operation simply consists in comparison Of the
exaet time ascerained BY INSTRUMENTAL observaons
Wherever
tuds, st indicated by ,heiT snronometers
Tbs ime ball visible from nearly any part OF the
ssy and savsa.ors wli have she opportunity only
Of Observing bow much ksr chronometers differ from
the time they ought 70 indicate point but also by
dairy .eserva.,on 70 note whether TIE instruments oon
cause It is Il the utmest importance hat . navisssor
sAosld know whether his chronometers are losing Or
For The benent OF those Who feel Interested IN the me-
chanica By which this result is accomplish
c0 Mt hfuAr tha
tom House by the Messrs. T. and J. N Chester, Of this
city, INN generally known to those Interested in the
About twenty-five feet back from the extreme end on
Wan street, hollow iron mast Of four inches diameter,
heavy wooden name raised two feet from the floor Of
the below the roof This mast rises about fifty feet
above ns top Of ss roof and so,nsonea y N iron
zontay three feet from the nass and In directions ver
This truck ia again surmounted by topmasi Of smaller
diameter, ten feet high rom the top Of which 10
The extreme ends Of the brackets extend iron rods and
bos nrmly fastened IN he STONE van Of The building 70
give strength and support TO the mast
height Of twenty feet from the roof Is iron col
Mr 10 winch arc attached second set OF guys passing
TO fbe rarpe anchor bOfs.
The object Of the prevent vibration andshs,
deie1ion to which metal ehaft Of suoh
small diameter would be subject when the ball midway
Of Ms height might be strongly pressed against It by the
| wind.
The ball elk feet in diameter and weighs perhaps,
| three hundred pounds
l CODpOfed NUMBER aShWOOd
seIncrculsry, and their meeting A. and being
eDed niO two solid rings Of brass, through which the
mast passes through locse collars These tied
braced rgidy by IRON bars and posts Of extending
from collar 10 collar parallel to the mast Of tho
bsn. Around is equator passes a ring Of wood into
with canvass, ming perfect sphere, and b painted
red. ~ ~
u was manufactured by Mr.. Eginton. Of Albany.
It's almost unnecessary to add that tue ball plays be
tween the truck crosssrees and the collar 10 which the
lower guye attached. s.sa 49,
hpt0 pcnf N
which we have alluded as supporting the foot Of the
also supports the hangers Of SHAFT carrying two wheels
and fusee or conicaly shaped drum, around which
winds spiral groove The shaft thai the axis
the tangenta TO the periphery Of the FIRST
which was manufactured by W. H. Chester Of han men
in diameter and composed Of some three hundred sranos
me ws TINS one ond inc WoE OF
through the hollow mast puly hung bet
the plates, forming one Of The orosstree arms sra
down outside " the ball where it ia attached the upper
surtace.
The other end pasaes up through a metal guide the
roof TO the brass ring forming the lower enc Of the ball
hence this wheel IN revoved the right or TO the
lett tie ball liz caused 10 rise or fall rr rt
IT freely as ooee pulley Il Is only kept from turning
Independently Of the shaft by set Of clutch teeth
so ,Ss ms rs side which when Is cSssy
conicsl drum, d. roy fastened to the shafht into
responding teeth projecting from is opposing side.
these wheels together At will that the wheel
Carrying the rope may instantly be made to revoive To-
rgply attached to- and form part Of the other wheel,
| which turns only with the shaft
This latter wheel has diameter several inches greater
than that Of the first that its rim projecting, alb
pin TO pace through it in direction parallel 10 is axis Of
notion upon either end Of Which are rollers When the
position Of this wheel such that these rollers In
line horizontal with the centre Of the wheel they may
rest upon the top Of wpgpg bar or detent which when
afurber IN ths direction but which when pulled
eighty outward allows the rollers 70 pass and the wheel
with all it's attachments TO move
Tho bottoy ~ UfuuinC hov
Ia solid block Of Ior which forms the artnature OF
powerful electro magnet the face OF which is placed
though force equivalent TO thousand pounds may pres
upon when 10 Set perpendicuary under the rollers,
to The sbat or ~ axis Of ,bese pun whees y large
drum of two and malt feet diameter containing i'm,
me cpeI atom is as foows-when the bsl is raised 10
thetop Of the mast and the top OF the detent s placed
der the rollers to support the ball, the iron coIi
rypg the wheep lie wound around the spring drum one
end attached 10 the smallest diameter Of the oon DUN
when the current Of electricity from the Dudley
| observatory, operating through relay maguei,
ns 'se noa 'ae ea osenI osEiDy erSea
the shE; revolving the spring cord Is wound Ia the
spiral groove, upon constantly increasing diameter and
unwound from the eprirg drum, thus winding up the
sprirg Hence the opposing the
ball win be gradually and uniformly Increasing, until the
resistance OF the spring ast balances the weight of tbs
ball This be reanny adjusted that the ball
can be arrested at Any point upon the mast desired With
ha or mschpery encounLeEtng sudden ckocS
| or jerk--se If II fell upon cusbjops springs
lis lot TIE tine occupied In falling which ndcates
noon bnt The ins,snt Of starting Hence il ia desirable
tina: It should leap irstantaneously from the top of The
mast and reversing the natural low OF momentum, shoah
descend with conEsnty decreasing velocity until ceases
| 10 move.
This motion attained by attaching short but poxer-
ful spring OF steel plates, which will give the first i'm
pulse in cor cection With It's gravity, but which Will
operate only through the first two three feet Of ia
d9scert when becomes detached and the cooled spriug,
already described besns siacualy 70 arrest ts notion
Il from any stretching clipping Of the rope, when
the bah IL fased 70 the of the the rollers the
second wheel fail TO into such position rest
upon tho oeten the wheel around which the rope is
wnund "a fastened from turning by a break, the two
wheels feparated before described showing the
wheel. en- which The rollers and the frsee, to be
lurped to their postiepe, the two wheels again
pressed together, the brake removed and the whole In
readiress 20 be set in motion by the arrival Of the
eel,