The New York herald., 1876-09-23
THR CONTROL CLOCK

THK CONTROL CLOCK.
The control clock is contained within the upright
box None Of the mechanism Is visible, and the
pant sees nothing to attract hts attention but the
watch face conveniently in front or him. The contrv
ance may be described as follows
The upper part Of the box contains clock with two
faces dial In 'front.' the other behind toward
different circles and three hands The inside circle
shows the hours and quarters oil nn hour during which
the carriage is engaged, fifteen minutes being tho
shortest time for which fare is received II resem-
bes ordinary clock face except that zero takes tho
place twelve The outer circle Is divided into twelve
principal divisions, each subdivi vided into four
showing the dollars and quarter dollars received and
for registering the money paid. OF course 1t must
correspond with the time shown On the inner
CIRCLE This dial requires the use OF only index.
Tho back dial-the the other side Of the box
has index only, and is for registering tho number
Nr Van Hoven takes his little key and opens tho box,
except little gong with handle, which the driver
can reach. Now to describe the working OF this nys-
terous control clock.
now IT WORKS
In the morning when the drivers started out the
clock is wound and 1.-THE hands set AZ 0, show
ing that business has been done AT the time
he displays the small glass sign with the words ITO
hire' attached to q rod which rises from tho box,
bringing the watch with It, While this Is turned
up, displaying the sign the movement OF the control
clock suspended entirely none OF the hands moving
AS soon az passenger gets In tho sign Is turned
down. BY this operation the watch dial appears be-
seeing the exact time Of The day and just how long no
is in the carriage At the same time by turning down
tho sgn the movement OF the control clock started.
When the occupant Leaves the conveyance the driver
riugs his gong for cvory quarter OF dollar he re-
csvos fare and Tor each ring tho hand the outer
circle OF the nrst dial 10 moved forward As the
passenger steps out Of the carriage the driver turns
the sign again, 80 as 10 get another customer. This
movsmsns Of the saeK saas'' cn.8 ss aa, On s
moved forward, to show hiring, and
stops tho control clock, which then has recorded
the time tho sign was turned down--or, the same
thing the carriage in occupation-the received
for fare and the one hiring
For Instance. the coupe has been engaged for
hour and nineteen minutes the passenger pays 81 60
because nineteen minutes counts half hour This
reriod OF time-onc hour ana nineteen minutes-wil
be shown by the hour and minute hands OF the inner
circle, while the ringing OF the gong for every
quarter Of dollar the third hand, which
around the circle, TO leave zero and go forward
six spaces, showing 81 80 The turning of the sign
again shows that one hiring Ia over, aud stops the
clock until another passenger gc,s n In this condition
the contrvapce remains until a second hiring, when
pcaed showing at the end OF the day the aggregate
timc hours and minutes for which tho coup6 has
been hired the exact amount Of money collected and
the number OF hirings
CREATING THE PUNCH"
The question Will be asked, Cannot the driver
knock down by negiectng 10 register the money by
purposely failing TO turn down the littc sign when
passenger gets in W Your correspondent has investi-
gatcd this possibility and is satisfied that the tetslo
would hardly fail TO show his dcrcIcton; for II
he did not register the control clock would show the
time he was IN service aud hrs money would have to
correspond. This is not explained 10 the drivers.
They supposed to understand that the only check
upon them Is tho gong SO that their honesty may be
tested but they fail 10 ring the Instrument bstrays
them. II driver attempts TO carry passenger with
hts sign up he would not proceed far before be would
DO discovered, for the occupant would see empty
space where the watch ought to be, and the words
'fook the watch" would stare him In the face IL
does not TO be possible TO cheat the
truth telling ttc instrument In any way, even the
odd mlnisos wien PASSENGER ''sves With margin Of