Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-09-11
THE NINTH WARD CLOCK.
what Prof. Bailey Has 10 Say About IL
To the Union and American.

W akaN EEtl. DHAACH Jus ~ ooE ADOtAN ~
To the Union and American.
The general desire manifest by the UNION
AND AMEhICAN to advocate and push
forward all Improvements Of real public
utility makes no apology necessary for
bringing to your notice the following facts
relating to the Ninth ward clock, the
striking of which fails greatly in giving
satisfaction 10 the majority Of citizens who
subscribed for and worked hard to obtain
it. There are also other points connected
with its erection that are not only deficient,
but in reality dangerous, and ought never
to have been permitted in a public school.
The bell cannot be heard distinctly a
reasonable distance, and in some directions
not at all, even by those in the immediate
neighbOrhOOd; and as there is no good rea-
son to be found either in the clock or the
tower why this should be so, the defect
must necessarily rest elsewhere.
8The position in the cupOla of both clock
and bell are the reverse of what sound judg-
ment would dictate. The clock itself, in
stead of being in the most solid place pos
Sible. is set where most exposed 10 shake
and tremOr, while the bell below it is en-
closed BY walls almost solid and hedGed
in with timber Of the toughest kind, dead
ening the effect, as though il was intended no
sound should ever have a chance to get out
except at one small hole. Moreover, this
room where the bell is placed, has open
ings only on three sides, whose combined
area is but As square feet, while above it is
a room of such form and structure as would
defect sound completely, and in which
there are Openengs on four sides collect
lively of the SAINT area as in the room be-
low, but which could have readily been
increased three fold, giving at least 100 feet
of opening through which the bell would
have had some chance to be heard. As it
is, it might almost as well be in the cellar.
The hammer work of the bell is greatly
defective. The force of blow necessary to
thoroughly wake up a bell weighing 200
pounds is not less thar $50 pounds, and
even more if the sound-bOw of the bell is
particularly thick. To obtain this force
requires a clock hammer of 80 pound head
falling 81 inches perpendicularly; or, if the
hammer head weighs only 20 pounds, it
must fall s inches TO obtain the same effect.
1t cannot be said that the clock in ques-
ton is inadequate to the work, for il is
capable of giving a blow of It's pounds
without any extra strain; neither is there
ally hAAANNtAAN Al a AHbAAANAh6 VI NE( I'll
except what a little ingenuity and exper-
fence could readily have overcome.
Another dangerous error is committed in
placing the striking weight in the centre Of
the tower. This weight is said to be 100
pound; should it fall % feet, it would gen
crate a force of thirty thousand pounds
blow that neither a truss or anything else
placed there could withstand; and, since
science has shown that the ~galvanizing pro
cess renders iron brittle, there is always a
possibility of this galvanized wire rope
breaking; in fact, a similar rope did break
a few months since in West Tennessee.
This weight should have run down some
spare corner clear through to the fOunda-
ton; nojOist need to have been cat, nOrthe
building injured in the slightest degree
Space of only twelve inches square would
have been all sufficient, and, by having a
longer space TO fall, a less weight would
have lone the same work, even better, and
no child's head would have been in danger.
The fine wheelWUrk of the clock is not
pr0tected from dirt nor the filth of birds
that soon infeSt a bell tower. The pendu-
lum is uncased and exposed to wind and
other interruption; lao provision is made
against the breaking of its slender spring "a
thing of not uncommon oc~currence), and so
another chance is left tor $50 pounds 10
fall upon and kill somebody.
No reflection is here intended 10 be made
on the committee which accepted the work;
they could not be expected TO know the re-
quirements and minutia Of tower clocks.
THOMAS L. BAILEY.