New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-12-30
OrEER FREAKS OF PATCHES.
THOUSANDS OF MAIN SPRINGS BREAKING WHEN THE
AURORA BOREALIs APPEARS-EFFECTs or DE
MAGNETISM.

ruors, NDs OF MAIN SPRINGS BREAKING WHEN THE
AURORA BOREALIs APPEARS-EFFECTs or DE.
MAGNETISM.
gDccidedly watches are queer things" said
D. H. Hopkiuson OF The Jetrelers Cireuiar. seated In
the easy chair of his editorial sanctuary They possess
some unacoountahle peculiarities. For instance some
time about the beginning OF last summer, when there
had been succession Of fine displays Of the aurora bore
ais It was estimated that In single night in the City Of
NewYork mau springs OF not less than three thou
sand watches broke This estimate Is based on actual In
ouires Fine sensitive watches are particularly liable
10 be affected by electrical atmospheric disturbances
During the months Of June. July and August when these
phenomena are most frequent, there are more main
springs than during all the remaining months OF
the year They break in variety OF ways sometimes
swapping into 5 many rs twenty-seven pieces
"tis fact that since the introduction OF the electric
light has become general large number OF watches
some OF them very fine ones have become magnetzcd.
While in this condition they useless tmekeepers.
This defect used to be considered ncurabe and because
Of if thousands of watches have thrown away after
much money had been spent them In vain attempts
20 persuade them 10 keep good time Among the me th
DDS resorted 20 were washing the parts in garlic juice
refnishing and passing them through the fire. But all
these devices were entire failures only in part eec
tive I know OF a man who had fine and valuable
movement which kept excellent time. He transferred IL
from a silver case TO a second hand gold Immedi-
aey il lost all its characteristics OF steadness and re
ability and in fact did not keep time at all. When
placed In the silver case II kept good time again. The
owner iewellcr, puzzled himself and experimental In
vain TO discover OF this strange Partially
the part of his watch for silver AT length he sent It TO
an expert lie discovered that the lifting Of the
gold case had become magnetlzed On substituting
other for IT, the watch kept as good time In the gold case
As in Lne silver
There occasions when 1t is very serious matter
TO have your watch magnetized The most striking In
stance in point II which lately under
tiCe Captain W. H. Smith commands the Della
ware, which plies between NewYOrk and New-LOndOn.
Before putting 10 recent he was invited
10 Inspect electric machine and examined
its parts closely soon after getting board the steamer
c observed that the became strangely affected
when he approached It, Whether he the right
or the left. Immediately In front OF tho compass, the
was worse than useless when he came II. IL
dangerous and might wreck the ship. You can imagine
that this phenomenon alarmed ard puzzled Captain
Smith little At length he recalled his visit TO the
behavior OF the needle flashed upon him. His watch had
become magnetlzed. when he removed it the needle
resumed Its cOnsancy 10 the polar star On his return
10 the city he took tho wa,oh 10 Mathey Brothers &
Mathey, who demaguetized II for him. THIS firm has in
vented some machine the mechanism OF which Ia a
cnet, by which they demagnetize magnetized watch
speedily aud efcctually. They get watches sent them
from all parts Of the world 10 be thus treated.
Watches frequently get magnezed in iron mines or
I'm machine shops. where they incautously brought
near swiftly running belts. knew workman who used
hang his watch between the parts OF running belt
lie pended a small fortune on main sprtngs.
It is Weil-RnOwn fact among horologisfs that no
watch will keep the same time with two people The
cause has not yet been definitely asoertaned, but u
would seem that In some mysterious way watch fs
affected by the temperament OF the wearer The mere
herent people il not Sufficient 70 account for all the
variations that have DeeA ooscrTod."