The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1883-03-03
Our 0liu.
CLOCKS AND WATCHES.

the perpendicular staff or pillar which was
SO placed that at sunset it cast shadow
equal to twelve feet, and time was comput-
ed by the length of the shadow. So sup
per time was called the hour of a ten foot
shadow, and the hour of the bath, in later
records, was the time of shadow six feet
long. Any very accurate measurement OF
time was, of course, impossible under this
method, but we see in the ''gnomon, as 1t
was called, the first indication of the sun
dial, referred to in Kings, when Isaiah by
supplication brought the shadow back upon
the dial. From Babylon to Greece transi-
tion was easy, and in Grecian history we
read of the Polos, which was the fore
shadowing of the later sun dial, and which
was like shallow basin, in the center of
which an upright shaft was fixed, the days
and hours being marked upon the basin
with lines. Little as there is in either OF
these methods akin to our own, there was
equally little in the water clock, as it is
called, which was certainly in common use
in Greece in the days of AriStophanes, for
he computed the time consumed in law
case by reference to it.
1t is little difficult to recognize what
class of timepiece is intended when refer
ence is made thereto by ancient historians,
for the word horologe covers them all, or,
rather. the Greek word from which hOro-
loey is derived, is used for sun dial, water
clock. sun glass or wooden clock indiscrlm-
inately. The water clock was a curious
contrivance, and very uncertain one, and
was the first of which we have any record
as measuring time by mechanical means.
Some writers think that it was in use in
China, Chaldea and Egypt before the
general knowledge of the sun dial, but
whether that was the case or not, it was
very ingenious in its way. 1t consisted OF
hollow ball, fattened a little at the top to
the shape of poppy head, from whence
it derived its Greek name. There was an
opening at the top where the water was
poured in, and this was kept closed with
stopper. so that the water was not liable to
be spilled over, and various small holes on
the onposite side allowed it to trickle out
as if through a filter. Time was comput-
ed by the gradual diminution of the water
in the vessel. No reliance, however,
could be placed upon it, for the flow OF the
water iuctuated upon climatic and atmos-
pheric conditions, and the Greeks and
Romans can hardly have been ''punctnal to
the minute" if they relied upon the
clepsydra, as the water clock was called
1t seems likely that these mechanical clocks
were in use in the houses or courts of the
houses, while in all public places, squares
or ON monumental buildings sun dials were
universally used. In luxurious families a
slave was kept on purpose to watch the
sun dial and water clock and to report the
time, and we all remember the stupid
Tremalchio, who had timepiece in his
room and a slave beside it whose duty ii
was to tell him each time an hour had
ELAPSED. A wonderful water clock is on
record some centuries later when Haroun
Al Raschid sent Charlemagne striking
clock regulated by water, in which, as
twelve hours were completed, twelve doors
on the face or dial opened and twelve men
on horseback rode out and returned, clos
inc the doors behind them.
After water clocks come sand glasses
existing in our midst as egg timers, and
still known as hour glasses, although they
seldom exceed three or four minutes II
operation. These were in greater favor IL
Western Europe than water clocks eve
became, and the best time indicator OF
which we have definite knowledge Is thu
candle clock of King Alfred, and hi
ingenious adaptation of transparent horn t.
keep the drafts from burning his candle
unevenly.
The time of the invention OF whee
clocks moved by weights is still more un
certain than that of water clocks and sui
dials. Some enthusiasts are found to asser
that 22O wears before Christ such a clocl
waa made-in the time of Archlmedes-
but there is no evidence to support such
belief. The first unquestionable fact tina
can be stated upon the subject is that Pop
Sylvester II. did construct a wheel cloc
with weights at Magdeburg in 996, and
is just possible that this was only revlV'
of an earlier invention, and that Boethlu
was the originator of the mechanical whet
clock in A. D. 51O One thing however
certain, namely, that clocks were in ordins
ry monasteries of Europe in the elevent
century, and no doubt the monks, who ha
plenty of leisure and ample means for tn
cultivation of experimental science, perfec
ed them, and in large measure contribu
ed to the perfection of their machinery a
we know it. In 1870 a clock was mad
in France which was considered a marv'
of accurate timekeeping and which ma
have had pendulum, but we cannot fin
positive evidence of the discovery of tn
use of the pendulum until the days {
Galileo, although ancient astronomers al
said to have used them in computing tn
duration of ecipses. From the date
Galileo's discovery to recent times constar
improvements have been made in tn
science of horology until it has reache
what we may call perfection.