The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1883-12-19
STRASBURG CLOCK.

lutions of Its Automata-The savior and
the Twelve Apostles-A Life-Like Chanti
cleer.
The Strashurg clock has always had
a prominent place in all books on the
"wonders of mechanics" and has beer
written and talked about so much that
one has an idea that IL is one of the
most wonderful pieces of mechanism
ever put together by the hand of man.
And / guess it is tolerably complicated.
What with indicating the seconds, min.
months, and setting In motion com.
plete planetarium and perpetual calen.
dar, besides holding a sort of marion.
ette show once in the twenty-four hours,
one must, perforce, admit that the man
who built il must have had h 8 wits about
him and was not to be sneezed at as q
mechanic. But then, one hears com
paratively little about the really won
derful parts of the clock. Writers some
way or other, have always sort of slur-
red over the planetariums, calendars
and such things. and have given their
whole attention to the automata which
go through their evolutions at noon
every day. So that one more than ex-
poets to see q wonderful exhibition
when the hour and minute hands point
to the figure twelve on its dial, and
gives hardly a thought or a glance to
the rest of the clock. What a glorious
thing it would be II one had this clock
set up in his hallway. Besides having
the correct time, he would be totally In.
dependent of almanacs and the like, in
keeping track of moonlight nights and
the day of the week and month. The
only thing needed to make the clock a
perfect substitute for a modern almanac
would be patent-medicine and
ancient, ,,oke at aohment. But then,
Yankee Ingenuity would soon apply
these If the happy owner desired it.
Besides all these advantages and disad-
vantages, the clock is so constructed
that all of its different parts regulate
themselves and also adapt themselves to
the revolutions of the seasons for an
almost unlimited number of years. So
that with this clock in its possession, a
family would be sac from those periodi-
cal disturbances which call up so much
i'll feeling when all hands start in to
regulate the clock. 1t would soon pay
for itself in the saving which it would
accomplish IN i'll temper and family
jars. But If 1t ever broke down, as
clocks often do. il would bankrupt any
body but millionaire to get it mended.
THE CLOCK AND ITS PREDECESSORS.
The clock, as it now stands, is not
the original one; in fact IT is the grand
son-or, if one wants to be little Ger
mani ed in his expressions, the grand
daughter of the Strasburg horological
pioneer. The present clock was begun in
1883 and was finished four years later.
The man who had the matter in hand
rejoiced in the uncommon name of
Schwilgue. The eimmediate predecessor
of the present clock stopped short in
1889, after long run of 21S years. 1t
was constructed. by a man who was
compelled to 60 through life bearing
the name of Dasypodius. The grand
mother of the present clock was ticking
merrily away and numbering the life
seconds of men who lived and died in
the thirteenth century. Just when it
was built no one seems to have any set
tied idea, and the name of the maker is
also lost, though If one NAV Judge by
his successors queer names, it is safe to
say that his cognomen must have been
a regular jaw-dislocator and tongue
paralyzer. The present clock, though
the lineal descendant of the two preced-
ing ones. contains but little of the works
of these two-which, one may well sup
pose, We're pretty we'll worn out by their
long use, as well as being, in all proba-
bility, tolerably clumsy in the begin
ming. Only few of the less important
wheels which were contained in the
handiwork of Mr.. Dasypodius still do
duty in that of Mr.. Schwilgue; while
the case, with the exception of few
decorations and a couple of paintings,
is entirely new-that is, new in 1888.
So that when one wonders at the skill
of that master workman who construct
ed so wonderful a piece of machinery
so long ago, when man, compared to
the craftsmen Of to-day. is supposed to
have been n sort of mechanical bar
barian, he wonders at something which
has no foundation in fact and wastes
lots of time in sentimentalizing.
WAITING TO SEE THE AUroMATA. a.
The little wooden images connected
with the clock and going through their
performance in illustration of q Biblical
event, and, allegorically, the flight of
time, have really given the Strasburg
clock its reputation. Every writer and
observer has followed the fashion set by
the first one who wrote about them-to
whom in all probability, they did appear
wonderful-and praises their evolutions
without stint. So that when one hears
or thinks Of the "Strasburg clock" he
has q mental picture of a splendid pa
geant OF automatons, which are so skill
fully and deItly constructed and whose
every motion Is so perfectly natural as
to almost deceive even the most observ-
ant. That Is, had that sort of a men,
tai picture, and when one goes to see
the clock he goes to see the wonderful
pageant and does not think a thought
nor care rap about the rest of That
is, went there with that idea, and
stepped into the dimly lighted transept
of the great cathedral where the clock
is and found myself on the outskirts of
large crowd of tourists of almost all
nationalities, who stood with uncovered
heads in the cool darkness of the place,
anxiously waiting for the moment TO
arrive when. high noon having struck,
they could see with their own eyes the
things which had caused them so much
wonderment when read from the pages
of a book. 1t is rather an impressive
moment, that's fact. One goes there
with his mind full of expectation, hardly
knowing what TO look for; stands there
on the outskirts of an expectant crowd,
hushed and silent save form and then
a shuffiing of feet, as some tired pilgrim
changes his position to rest himself.
suppressed whisper from some female
pilgrim who can't keep still any longer,
or q half-smothered sigh from some
tourist who wonders when 1t will begin;
stands there In the enshrouding gloom
of the place, not knowing at what in
slant the performance may begin and