The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1873-08-28
rn1n1rr oLocK ANp onIMEs

From the N Y journal of Commeree.l
Weeks have passed since the hands
were removed from the dials of Trim
ity, and since the busy frequenters OF
Wall street looked in vain on the face
of the steepIe to read the closing hour
of the business day. For month the
hours have silently passed without a
bell toll g too late or a merry chime
to ring out "Wen done." For the first
time in twenty-five years, the old
time-pieee has rested, and the tongues
of the bells have been still. Before
this week has passed, however, the
ssmot4 4i IL BfgureIly will resume its semi
annual Office, and ring safety or disas-
ter along the street that fronts its por-
tai. Its service now is to warn the
busy workers after wealth that they,
too, must rest.
Since James Rogers. the builder of
the clock, put its wheels in motion, it
has never topped for any heightened
time before. In 1916 the clock was
put in position, and connected with
the chiraes.s Rogers then had his Of
fee at4Io5k lBEOadway, and still con-
tinues in the business at l02 Fulton
street. He has built since the great
clock at they Vanderbilt or Grand Cen
tral depot, and several other great
clocks, but the one in Trinity is his
masterpiece, and with one exception
mot Elle StfasBarg figure clockl is the
largest dial-WoRking clock in the
world. The dials are ten feet IN di-
ameter, each hour being cut in relIef
from a single block of stone. The
hour hands ara four feet In length,
and the minute hands about five feet
four inches. il The clock is forty feet
above the dials, and the movements
of the hands work through long tin
tubes encaseds in oak. There are in
the clock tower three large cylinders
carrying steel and brass cog-Wheels,
inches in diameter, and the smallest
being seven inches. In all there are
twenty-seven wheels, not counting
the friction rollers. The pendulum
rod is made of wood, tWenty-one feet
in length, having at the lower extrem-
ity about five feet swing. In this
there is trade secret. Wood shrinks
sideways, while iron, steel, brass, and
the other metals shrink in all direc-
tions. Therefore wood well seasoned
and Waxed is used for tower clock
pendnlnms. Three weights are used,
hung at the ends of heavy seasoned
ropes. The largest is on the hour
hand, and weighs LIS pounds. Bales
of cotton are on the lower floor of the
clock tower, so that if the ropes
break, the weights shall not fall into
the body of the church. By a simple
trip Leverage three bells i'm the chime
are connected with the clock and thus
ring out the quarter hours, repeating
on the last quarter. Another lever
tolls the. hours. The clock is wound
up once week, taking two hours
each time to raise the heavy weight
from the cotton bale to the top of the
works. To economic labor a patent
winch is used TO perform this work
The clock was placed so far above the
dials because the bells are hung just
behind the clock hands, and the
churehmen feared that if the bells
were tolled by hand they might turn
over and throw the ringers in contact
with. the cIoek-gear. ~ "a Is5 5a.a
Under the bells is the station of the
mysterious man who rings the chang
es onIthe bells.5tA A rough wooden seat
faces q framework from which pro-
ject nine long wooden handles. They
are fleyers fastened to thin lines con-
Meeting with the tongues of the bells.
Beside the octave is the ''baby" bells.
Struck with any other. bell, the tone
of the tfbabyp raises the sound one
octave. Mr.. Ayliff, the master of the
bells, will be at his station when the
hands are put on the face of the clock.
some day this week, and again the
deep-toned benisons of Trinity will
swell the air of Wall street, mingIing
with the clink of gold, the hurrying
footsteps of belated fnanciers, and
the WhiFl of carriage wheels taking
merchant princes home. a,,