Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-03-02
TRINITY CHURCH CLOCK.
AMER Correctly Marking the
Time for Thirty-seven Years,
II Succumbs 90 the UId Father.
n. Y. TriSune,


NY. Tribune,
The clock Of Trinity Church has
recently been conducting itself more
like an ill.regulated, risky Dissent
ing timepieee than a staid orthodox
High Church clock. Gray-haired
brokers, bankers and business men,
accustomed to look up to its face for
the last thirty five years, and to regu
late their actions by it, we're astounded
at first to find a difference between it
and the surrounding timepieees They
we're inclined to doubt the accuracy
even of the time ball or of the sun it,
self rather than to suspect Trinity
Church clock. But even their faith
was shaken as the installations CEN
tinued, until they we're regrettully
compelled to admit that the clock
could no longer DO trusted. The ire
qularities we're charitSbly accounted
for by age, or on the ground that the
double duty OF telling the time and
ringing the chimes had weakened its
understanding. Some had seen pre-
monitory EXPRESSIONS Of this catastro.
phe developing in its face for sew
eral months, .and they did not
wonder at it considering the many
new upstart clocks with no pretensions
to holiness springing up around and
even above it on all sides from the
tops of ten story buildings, and try
ing to stare it out of countenance
There we're few without respect for
its Affections who smiled aud whis-
pered that the clock must have be-
come infected with the liberalism OF
the day, and had started out with the
intention of inaugurating new time
system Of its own, and, after few
spasmodic attempts, had come to a
standstill. All cheese plausible thee.
ries are, however, entirely reluted by
the clock regulator, W. 5. Sperry, q
mild faced elderly man, who Las been
the power behind Trinity clock for
the last twenty years.
1T is not growing old, " he said; its
avery young clock yet; it was only
put there in 1916, 50 il isn't yet fifty
years old aud tower clock ought to
last 200 years, and keep good time
then. Some of those in Europe are
nearer 800 years old than 200. The
clock at st. PAul's, the Oldest one in
the country now, was made 10
1883, and there is nothing the
matter with it; that of St. Johns
church was made in 1872, and
is as good as ever yet. They are both
English clocks. The onein St.George' a
church. Stuyvesant Squire, is the
finest clock in the city. 1t will last a
good many years yet; so will the
Tribune clock, aud all the tower clocks
10 the city, if we'll nade. The trouble
with Trinity clock is that it was not
we'll made, That kind of work was
new in this country, when it was
built, and the work is heavy, crude
ana imperfect. The cogs on the wheels
should move without any perceptible
friction, but they CRATE and clog with
oil which freezes when the weather is
cold. / have cleaned them out well
now, and the clock will probably run
correctly unless there comes another
severe cold spell. The chimes make
the machinery little more cOmpli-
GATED, but it has four times as much
power al is necessary. and takes nearly
two hours to wind it up every eight
days, while any one of the clocks /
hove mentioned can be wound in half
an hour. Some years ago the winding
ropes broke, and if il had not been
for the bales Of cotton below the
weights for cushions, they would have
gone through the Ssor. Since then wire
cables have, been substituted for the
ropes. A very slight obstacle will stop
the hands of a large clock. Often a
storm Of sleet or snow does it. a year
or so ago could not account for the
variations of the large clock tower OF
the White Star Line, but after watch
ing it closely for several days | found
that the trouble was caused by dove
that would fly upon the minute hand
and ride there for ten or fifteen min
utss at time. Every time this was
done the clock lost two or three min
utes.
1.-The trustees of Trinity church
have been talking for some time about
q new clock, but have as yet done
nothing about it. The clock that was
shown at the Centennial Exhibition
has been spoken Of 1t will bear com
parison with that in Westminster
Abbey; in fact, think it is finer. A
companion OF tits now at Indepeud
ence Hall, Philadelphia. American
tower clocks are now as good as any
that are made in the world but greater
cate is given to the cathedral clocks ia
Europe. A man attends to them Is
an engineer cares for his engine. The
clock at st. Georges church in this
city is very carefully attended. The
works are inclosed in glass case and
are kept scrupulously clean. They
are worth seeing. This is the manner
10 which Trinity clock. situated as it
is 10 such an important part Of the
city, should be kept"
-Sa------
The largest workshop of the body is the
liver, whose Office it is to withdraw the