The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-09-30
The Astronomical Clock in the Stras-
burg Cathedral.

/ NC SACSA 80 eNN ASNAS10
burg Cathedral.
10 ne IVAGaiaO LstAli0EAosr:
This wonderful piece Of machinery,
considered the most complicated and
elaborate In the world, is not a town
clock IL the Cathedral spire as many sup
pose. On the contrary, It's place Is in the
Southern part Of the nave near the choir
of the !" Munster" as the Germans calls
their cathedralS, and It's shape Is more like
modern parlOr time piece, except 10 SIZE,
1t being sixteen or eighteen :eet high, and
about ten feet wide. Made during the
middle of the sixteenth century, it was
first setin motion in the year 1911, and
ran with little interruption for nearly two
hundred years, when 1t got out Of order,
and could not be put into operation until
1912. At that time 1t was taken apart by
matchmaker and repaired, so that it has
not failed since,
The best time 10 see il IS about twelve
o'clock noon, as then all the automatic fig
ures 20 through their various evOlutiOns.
Near the centre Is the dial showing the
time of day; directly above is a figure,
about fifteen inches high, representing
Death holding small bell. At the end
Of the first quarter Of every hour the
figure OF q boy, symbolizing the first quar-
ter Of life, comes before Death and strikes
once on the bell. He moves on until, at
the expiration of the second quarter hour,
the figure of a man comes forward and
strikes twice, while, at the third quarter,
an aged man strikes three times. Finally,
when the hour Is full, Death himself
strikes the time.
Above this shelf is another bearing the
figure of Christ. AT midday figures
representing the twelve Apostles. come
from a side apartment, and, in sue
cession, move before Christ, turn towards
him and make a bow, then resume
the forward position again and move of.
As Peter comes TO make his salutation, a
cock, which Is perched on an ornamental
spire near by, flaps its wings and crows
three times. On one side OF the dial Is q
cherub holding pair Of cymbals, with
which II strikes the hour, and on the other
side is another cherub with an hour glass,
which it rcYcrses at the end Of the hour,
SO that the sand runs back again. All
these movements are executed with com
parativc ease and gracefulness, there be-
ing nothing Of the stiff awEwOrdncSs about
them, such as usually characteriZes auto
matte figures Of this kind, as for instance,
the dancing bears Of the clock in Berne.
The astronomical features Of the work
arc, sphere representing the moon, which
shows the precise quarter or condition OF
that body IN the heavens; also spheres or
balls showing the movements Of the sun,
plahets, etc, and their relatiYe positions
10 each other. One dial indicates the day
of the week and month, and group OF
seven, shows the time Of as many cities in
different parts Of the globe as compared
with Strasburg time. Even the parts or
divisions Of the year arc shown by figures
representing tho seasons.
4 In time Of peace there is always q crowd
Of visitors, mostly strangers, waiting at
noon to sec the figures go through their
respective performances, so that the pres
encc Of a policeman is necessary 10 keep
order and leave passage fOrnew.comers'
One hears nearly all the languages Of Eu-
rope spoken there ut such a time.
H W F. S.