Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-04-18
The TulpekOcken Town Clock.

Max Adeler in Our Continent.
The Tulpehocken town clock is interesting to
study as a piece of rather phenomenal ma
chinery. One Of its characteristics is its va
riety. 1t has four faces-a face upon each side
of the tOwer-and persons who are not satisfied
with the alleged record of time upon one face
can obtain another and wholly different record
by looking at another face. The four sets of
hands never. excepting by accident, tell the same
story. It will be quarter past 9 on the north
dial when it is twenty minutes of on the south
dial, and at the same moment the east and west
dials will range from half-past 6 to five minutes
of IL. This would be perpexng to stranger
who wished to catch train at the station; but
the town folks are used to it. Generally, they
regard the clock simply as an original kind of
curiosity, not depending upon it in any manner
for accuracy; but it has been discovered that
reasonable approximation to the correct time
may be obtained usually by adding together the
records OF the four dlals and striking q general
average.
The clock has what may be called idiosyncra-
sizes. On the south dial the minute hand every
now and then changes off with the hour hand,
and each performs for a time the functions of
the other with the effect to fill with complete
bewilderment the mind of the oldest inhabitant
who has made practice Of looking at that dial
alone. The east dial works differently. Now
and then the hands will come to a complete
stop, say at eight minutes past twelve. After
Few moments OF repose. apparently to gather
strength for a forward movement, both hands
will suddenly whiZz around and will slow ND
and begin regularly again at quarter to four.
One who looks at the east dial just before and
Immediately after the operation gains an i'm
pressive notion Of the rapidty Of the flight of
time. Now and then the hands on the north
dial decOme interlocked, and for day or two
they revOve together, so that the meaning of
their record is not very distinct and it Is difficult
to make a fair average of the four dials The
hands on the west dial went backward every
day for three weeks last summer adding much
to the interest with which the clock is regarded,
and suggesting entertaining reflections as to the
possibility of machine which might take I'D
the spent moments and wind us gradually back
into the eighteenth century.
The clock has striking apparatus, but. like
the rest Of the machinery, it is peculiar. 1t has
rarely been known to strike the hour when any
of the minute hands touched the twelve spot
Thus far no one has been able to detect any
exact system In the striking. but some careful
observers hold that when twelve is struck it is
fair to presume that one or the other of the dials
marks ten minutes after two. This, however,
is not yet verified. Occasionally the clock will
not strike at all for several days, and then it
will suddenly start up and strike two hundred
and thirty-seven with such rapidity that the
strokes can hardly be counted. The PROPOSE
ton is that it gets in at one time or another the
proper number of strikes for each year. so that
nothing is really lost. 1t is held by some that
1t would be better to have the clock begin on
the LIST Of January and strike up ahead for the
whole ensuing year, 80 as to get that much work
out Of tho way; but the clock will never be pre-
vailed upon to do anything so systematic and
regular IS that.
The name Of the maker Is not known. It is
thought he Is dead and there are those who
urged that he Overstrained and killed himself
inventing and putting together such an extraor-
binary piece Of mechanism. often feel when
hear his clock strike thirty at quarter to
seven that | should like to have known that
man; should like to have q competent phrenOl-
Ogist examine his cranial development.