Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1879-11-06
a WONDERFUL CLOCK.

The Curious Machine that a Man Ia,
Been Working on for Seventeen
Years.
From the Alton, Pa, Call.
For the past seventeen years gentle
man of THIS city has been engaged in the
construction t a curious clock, which
he expects to Lave completed by the first
of January next. A representative OF
the CaA accidentally came across it the
other day, and was kindly given the fol.
lowing description of it by the inventor,
who exacted promise that his name
should not be given to the public at the
present time:
1t consists of sixty-five automatic
figures and workmen. The base repre-
sents hill of stone upon which is large
structure TO the left is beer garden
with beer on draught, which one figure
occasionally draws and passes to another
near by.
Two more fgures-a lady and a gen.
tleman-are seated beneath tree in the
attitude of lovers. The lady is reading,
and at intervals turns her head toward
her companion as if for his approval.
The next representation is of an old
fashioned linseed-oil mill. Here are
workmen engaged in the various parts
of the business. One carries large yes
sci and empties it into the hoppers to be
pressed by the stampers. On the out
side is carpenter, Ratchet in hand, who
ascends ladder in perfectly natural
manner, stopping when half way up, as
if to look over the mill to see that all is
right.
Adjoining this is blacksmith shop, in
the background of which are workmen
heating iron, who change the piece after
allowing it to heat. A man is also en-.
gage d in sloeing horse and strikes his
first blows gently; he gradually in
Creases them until the last is a strong
one, calculated to drive the nail home
Another is at the anvil, and occasionally
rests when his wife brings him some
refrt shments.
A fountain plays near by and in a
small summer-house where professor is
reading, and when he becomes excited
over some passage, raises his hand and
brings 1t down upon the page in an ex-
cited and emphatic manner. Below is a
workman engaged in splitting stone. He
strikes repeated blows upon wedge
until the stone cracks, falls away, and
then replaces itself. Above the black
smith shop is a sawmill where a log is
hing sawed When the end is reached
the boards are taken away and the tlume
replaced.
Still above this is shoe factory, where
half dozen men and women are engaged
in the different duties requisite for the
manufacture of shoes. One is waxing,
another cutting out, another pegging,
another sewing, and still another bevel-
ing.
Over the linseed mill is the grist mill.
In front is a miller dressing a stone;
another comes out of the room and emp
ties large vessel into the hopper. As
the -four is ground and the bags accumu-
late man carries them away. A large
elevator bucket carries up the wheat and
dumps it into bin, making but one
ascent to the before mentioned mans
two. To the left is dwelling house; in
the kitchen a servant is at work, Who
passes about inside and out to attend to
her duties. Upon the top is the resi-
dence of the owner of the respective
mills. Here visitors occasionally call,
with whom the mistress shakes hands
and talks about her neighbors. The
clock proper crowns the whole structure.
1t is in all about five feet in length and
four feet high. Each figure has differ
ent motion, and some have two motions,
requiring very complex machinery to
run the whole. Two buckets of water
furnish an unending supply of power, as
Il is used over and over again. The saw
and grist mill are run by this water fall
ing on an overshot wheel. Thence the
water falls on another wheel which runs
the liuseed mill The water and ali is
Kept in motion by an eighty-nine and a
half pound weight, 1t Is truly work
Of art, and over seventeen years We're
occupied in its construction.