Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-03-05
Two Wonderful Clocks.

One Of the most curious clocks ever
mede was completed some years ago by
Kari Keller, q German miner of Penn
sylvania. It so nearly resembles the
famous Strasburg clock as to seem al
most an imitation; but Keller declares
that he never has seen the great clock
OF Strasburg, and that he never even
heard of it until his own work was nearly
completed. At any rate, some account
Of ketler's clock will be of interest to
American boys and girls. as the first
piece of mechanism OF this sort our
own continent has produced.
Keller was occupied three whole
years in the construction of this won
derful time piece, during the last of
the three working at it day and night,
and often 80 absorbed in his undertake
ing as to forget both food and sleep.
He was man of limited education,
without any of the advantages of travel
or wide observation. and the whole
work of this curious clock was per-
formed with no other tools than two
common jack.knives.
The clock is eight feet high and four
broad, has sixteen sides, and is sur.
mounted by globe, over which is a
cross. There are four dial-plates, all
carved in curious, emblematic figures
of most unique design. One of the
dials shows the day of the month; an.
other, the day of the week; a third. the
minutes and seconds; and the fourth,
the hour of the day. Above the dial.
plates, a gallery extends about half way
around the clock, and in the center of
this gallery is a carved wooden figure
OF the Savior, while at each end is a
small door opening into the body of
the clock. Over the right door is an
eagle, and over the left rooster. Twice
day-that is, at noon and midnight
there is sweet Ginning of bells, dur
ing which the small door at the right
opens, twelve wooden figures, person
ating the twelve apostles, march in
procession, with st. Peter at their
head, all along the gallery. Each in
turn. as he passes the Lord, bows with
face towards him, and then, resuming
his former position, walks slowly for
ward till he reaches the door of the left,
which they all enter. When Peter
salutes the Lord. the cock crows; and
when Judas, who is in the rear, with
one hand shielding his face and the
other grasping bag, reaches the cock,
it crows twice. At the extreme corners
of the clock, placed on pedestals, are
beautifully carved statues of Moses
and Elias, and in the rear are two OBJ
elisks of the Egyptian style, inscribed
in hieroglyphics, and designed to SYM
bolize the ancient period of history.
The clock will run thirty.two hours,
and, by Especial attachment, the pro-
cession of the apostles may be repeated
whenever desired.
But the most astonishing thing ever
heard of in the way of time-piece is q
clock described by Hindoo rcjah, as
belonging to a native prince of Upper
India, and jealousy guarded as the
rarest treasure of his luxurious palace,
In front of the clocks disk was
gong, swung upon poles, and near it
was pile of artificial human limbs.
The pile was made up of the full num-
Der of parts for twelve perfect bodies,
but all lay heaped together in seeming
confusion.
Whenever the hands of the clock in.
dicated the hour of one, out from the
pile crawled just the number of parts
needed to form the frame of one man,
part joining itself to part with quick
metallic click; and, when completed,
the figure sprang up, seized 0 mallet,
and walking up to the gong, struck one
blow that sent the sound peeling
through every room and corridor OF
that stately castle; This done, he re-
turned to the pile and fell to pieces
again. When two o'clock came, two
men arose and did likewise; and so
through all the hours of the day, the
number of figures being the some as
the number of the hour, till at noon and
midnight, the entire heap sprang up, and
marching to the gong, struck, one after
another, each his blow, making twelve in
all; and then fell to pieces" Some
Wonderful Automata," in 81. Nicholas.