The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1870-10-01
.he Great Clock at strasburg.

The details of the clock are exceedingly
interesting. The following particulars are
abridred from an old copy of the Str0S-
1,s-g chronicle: " Herein nine things are
70 be considered, whereof eight are in the
wall; the ninth stands OH the ground IT.
from the wall This is a great globe of
the heavens, in which are three motions
one of the whole globe, which displays
the whole heavens, and moves about from
the east to the west In twenty-four hours;
the second is of the sun, which runs
Through the signs once every year; the
third is of the moon, which runs her
course in twenty-eight days. 80 that IN
this globe you may view the motions OF
the whole heavens, the motions of the sun
and moon, every minute OF an hour, the
rising and falling of every star, described
Tn instruments of these motions are hid
III the body of pelican, under the globe.
The pole is lifted up TO the elevation of
Strasburg, and noted by fair star made
of brass. The zenith is declared by an
anceI placed In the midst of the meridian.
The second to be observed are two great
sfrcles, one within another, one IT., the
,ther 9 ft. broad the outermost moves
from the north to the south once III year,
and hath two angels-one on the north
side, which points every day i'll the week ;
the other on the south side, which points
what day shall be one half-year after. The
inner circle moves from south to north
once in a hundred years, and hath many
things described about it; as the year OF
the world, the year of our Lord, the circle
offhe sun. the professions of the equinoc-
fials. with the change of the celestial points,
which things fall out by the motions which
axe called trepi0dtiO,1 the leap-year, the
movable feasts, and the dominical letter,
Dr. golden number, as 1T turns every year
Ehere is an immovable index, which en-
Hoses for every year all these things the
aver part of which index is joined to
lnDther round circle, which is immovable,
herein the province OF Alsatia and the
Htg of Strasburg are described. On both
ides of the circles, on the wall, the
schpses of the sun and moon are told for
nany years-from 1873 to 1924. The
hird thing is a weekly motion of the
5anets on Sunday the sun is drawn about
his chariot as the day is spent and be-
ore he be full in, you have Monday, that
athe moon clear forth, and the horses of
hars' chariot putting forth their heads /;
Aa so for every day in the week. The
ourth thing is a dial for the minutes of
he hour. On the north side, a child, with
septre in his hands, tells every stroke
H the clock; another child, on the south
noe, has an hour-glass in his hand, which
runs Just with the clock; and when the
sioek has struck he turns his glass. Above
the minute-dial is dial for the hour The
outermOst circumference contains the
a0nrs- but within it is a perfect astrolabe,
whereby Is shown the motion of every
5laeet, its aspect, and in what sign, degree
md hour, every one is in every hour of the
izT; the opposition likewise of the sun
and moon, and the head and tail of the
1rAgon. The sixth thing is a circle, wherin
are the two signs of the moons rising and
fallRgi at two hollow places 1t is seen at
VA state she is, and her age is declared
oy - index. The seventh thing consists
d tplTr little bells, whereon the quarters
n TIC hour are struck. At the first quar-
.er ONES forth little boy, and strikes the
arat bell with an apple, and goes and stays
~ tR fourth bell until the next quarter {;
her comes a youth, and, with a dart,
str1s.ts two bells, and succeeds into the
place of the child; at the third comes
fsrtAa man-at-arms, with a halbert in his
aan1h and strikes three bells, he succeed
Ing nto the place of the youth; at the
torFh quarter comes an old man with a
tan having crook at the end and he
Nril1ks the four bells, and stands at the
Garth quarter until the next quarter; i'm
nefiAtely to strike the clock comes Death
"a foom above the others, for this is the
h9fth thing; and at each quarter he comes
oTtA to catch each of the former ages
FAy with him but at a contrary side
81 forth figure intended to represent
ur Savior, which drives him in; but when
: me last quarter is heard, Death has to 90
pthe bell, which he strikes with his bone
md stands at the bell, as the old man does
- bis quarter bell, till the next quarter
'n.' then they go in both together. The