Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1871-05-17
4 Wonderful Clock.


The wonderful astronomical clock at Stras
bourg is thus fully described in the Owe
the Ocean sketches by Curtis Guild, recent
sy issued by Messrs Lee & Shepard, Boston
The great astronomical clock here is
curious and wonderful piece Of mechanism
Fancy structure twenty-five or thirty feet IL
height, and twelve or fifteen broad at the base
having on either side two others nearly oil
equal height one being the Masonic flight oil
winding stairs, surmounted by FIVE small EN-
blematical Cornthian pillars, and the other q
Gothic pillar It's panneliug enriched with
figures.
Placed directly in front Of the base Of the
clock is a celestial globe which, by means Of
the clock work, shows the procession of the
equinoxes, solar and lunar equations for cal
culating geoceniric ascension and dccllno-
ton Of the sun and moon at true times places.
Then in the base itself is an orrery after the
Copernican system, by which the mean tropi-
cal revolution of each Of the planets, visible
to the naked eye, is shown Then comes an
ecclesiastical calendar, a sort of perpetual
almanac, indicating holy feast, and fast days
above, aud about ten feet from the floor, and
Just beneath the clock dial, is an opening, with
a platform in front upon which come forth
figures representing each day of the week, as
Apollo on Tuesday, Diana on Monday, &c.
Thus figure in chariot representing the
day appeared at the entrance in the morning
II reached the centre in full bloom by noon,
and drove gradually out of sight at the close
Of day. On either side Of the clock dial sat
two Cupids, the size Of three-years old
child, one holding bell and hammer, with
which it strikes the hours and quarters and
the other an hour-glass, which il reyerses
every hour Above it another dial with the
signs Of the zodiac; above that a figure of
the moon, showing its different phases, also
put in motion by the clock-work ; and still
above this, two sets Of automaton figures,
which appear only at twelve o'clock, at which
time there is always crowd gathered to
witness their performance
We viewed this wonderous piece of mech
anism for an hour, and witnessed the follow.
ing movements AT quarter past eleven the
Cupid near the dial struck one; then from
one OF the upper compartments ran forth the
figure of a little child with wand, and as he
passed be struck one on a bell, and ran away,
Childhood, the first quarter. Round whirl
the wheels of time, and the second quarter
chimes but this time it is Youth that passes
and taps the bell with tis shepherds staff
twined with flowers, Again, we reach the
third quarter, and manhood strides forth, the
mailed warrior and smites the sonorous bell,
ere he leaves the scene, three sounding blows
with his trenchant weapon-the third quarter
Once more, the hands tremble on the point Of
noon; the fourth quarter is here, and Old
Age a feeble, bent figure, hobbies out, pauses
YEARLY at the bell, raises a crutch and taps
four strokes and totters away out Of sight
last scene of all, when as finale, the skel-
eton figure of Death, before whom all the
four have passed, slowly raises his baton, which
the spectator now discovers to be human
bone, and solemnly strikes the hour of twelve
upon the bell. While he is engaged in this
act, a set of figures above him, representing
the twelve apostles, pass in procession before
the Savior, who blesses each as they pause
before him in turn and chanticleer, the size of
life, perched upon the pinnacle of one of the
side structures lifts up his voice in three
rousing crows, without stretched neck and
tapping wings, while the Cupid on one side
oe' the dial reverses the hour-glass for the
sand to flow back, aud the other also strikes
the hour with his bell and hammer