The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-12-04

in size, and in value than in beauty. II con-
victs the perjured, and cures the infrm; and
what seems still more wonderful is, that 1t did
sound every hour without being touched, until
1t was prevented by the sin of men, who rashly
handled it with polluted hands, and 1t ceased
from 80 delightful an Office" They looked their
gift-clock in the mouth, and probably dis
turbed the works.
st. Paul's had a clock Of some sort at a very
early PERIOD in the year 1886, allowances to
"Bartholomo 0rologiaiio" (the clock keeper
being entered, in its accounts, of so much
bread and beer. Iron and steel were used for
the wheels and frames until the end Of the
sixteenth century, and baoksmiths were the
chief clock-makers. Chauoer, who died in
l400, remarks of punctual cook of his
acquaintance
Full sikerer was his growing In his loge
Than his clock or any abbey orologe;"
orr
''As certain was his growing in his roost
AS any clock or abbey orologe;"
which might probably have been truthfully
said of many a less punctual bird; for to
Judge by the old parish account-books, these
blacksmiths clocks were not good goers,
and were for ever being rectihed. That OF St.
Adams Abbey, however, was an exception.
II was constructed at great cost by Richard
de Wallingford, son of a blacksmith in the
town in question, but afterwards made abbot
for his learning $3.50, and this clock was
"goipg' in Henry Wits reign. II noted the
course of the sun and moon, the rising and
setting of the planets and fixed stars, and the
ebb and flow of the tide. When the good
abbot felt his end drawing nigh, his thoughts
being fixed on Time as well as Eternity, he
left book of directions for keeping this piece
of mechanism in order.
For ingenuity and complication, however,
all ancient clocks must hide their dials
in the presence of that of the Stras-
burg Cathedral. "Before this clock stands
globe on the ground, showing the motions
of the heavens, stars, and planets. The
heavens are carried about by the first mover
in twenty-four hours. Saturn, by its proper
motion, is carried about in thirty years; Jupi-
ter, in twelve; Mars, in two; the Sun, Mer-
curry, and Venus, in one year; and the Moon
in one month. In the clock itself are two
tables on the right and left hand, showing the
eclipses of the sun and moon for the year 1878
to 1924. The third table in the middle is di-
vided into two parts. In the first part the sta
tues Of Apollo and Diana show the course Of
the year and the day thereof, being carried
about one year. The second part shows the
year of our Lord, and the equinoctial days, the
hours of each day. and the minutes of each
hour, Easter-day, and all the other feasts, and
the dominica letter; and the third part hath
the geographical description of all Germany,
and particularly of Strasburg, and the names
of the inventor and the wOrkmen. In the
middle frame of the clock is an astrolabe,
showing the sign in which each planet is
every day; and there are statues of the seven
planets upon circular plate of iron; so that
every day the planet that rules the day comes
FORTH the rest being hid within the frames till
they come out of course at their day, as the
sun upon Sunday, and so for all the week.
There is terrestrial globe, which shows the
quarter, the half-hour, and the minutes.
There is figure of human skull and statues
of two boys whereof one turns the hour-glass
when the clock hath struck, and the other
puts forth the rod in his hand at each stroke
of the clock. Moreover, there are statues OF
spring, summer, autumn, and winter, and
many observations Of the moon. In the upper
part of the clock are four old mems statues,
which strike the quarters of the hour. The
statue Of Death comes out at each quarter
to strike, but is driven back by the statue
of Christ, with spear in his hand, for
three-quarters; but in the fourth quarter
Death strikes the hour with the
bone in his hand, and then the chimes sound.
On the top of the clock is the image of cock,
which twice in day crows aloud and claps
his wings. Besides, this clock is decked with
many rare pictures, and being on the inside
of the church, carries another frame to the
outside Of the walls, whereon the hours OF the
sun, the courses OF the moon, the length OF the
day, and such other things as are set out with
much art.' But perhaps the most striking
part of the history of this famous Strasburg
clock was, that it was made, or, at all events,
perfected by blind man. The artisan who
contrived it lost his sight, and was super
seded; but since nobody else would carry
out his ideas, and he refused to communicate
them, he was reinstated in his work, and
actually carried out the affair." in all its intri-
cate delicacy, to the end. There are several
other examples OF blind clockmakers, and
even watehmakers. The Illustrated London
Netcs of August %, 1851, tells us that there
was then living at Holbeach, Lincolnshire,
matchmaker named Rippin, who was COM
pletely blind. He was frst-rate hand at his
business, and it was truly surprising to OBJ
serve with what ease he could take to pieces
and place together again watches OF the most
delicate mechanism. Some years previously
Rippin was robbed and the property taken
from him consisted of watch-wheels, hair
springs, and other tiny things belonging to
the trade. The thief was traced, and convicted
at Spalding Sessions, the blind man having
sworn to his property by feeling.
Those who are accustomed only TO eight-day
clocks will be astonished to learn that some
time-pieces have been made to go for hun
dred years The Marquis of Butte had one at
Luton Park; and Sin Sir John Moore's account
of his large sphere going olockwork' Ma
them. CompeRd,) we read that 1t made
revolution of once in seventeen Thousand
one hundred years, by means of six wheels
and five pinions, for the suns apogeum."
Instead of sit made, - one should surely here
read 'it was made TO make" since the Oldest
inhabitant could scarcely certify to the fact
having been performed. In 1883, after years
of labor. James White, of Wicl1ham Market,
completed a self-winding clock, which deter