Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-08-04
Grandfathers' Clocks.

During the past few weeks (writes a
correspondent of The PHILADELPHIA Press)
l have been travelling through various
sections of Berks. and adjoining counties
and in one of the many little villages I
came across an old cabinet-maker who
was doing a novel and thriving busi-
ness in a quiet way. He was turning
out ''grandfathers' clocks" manufactur-
ing by hand these tall tower-like
clocks that were in vogue a century ago,
and which are now being bought up as
relics and sent to all parts of the coun-
try, His little shop was just back of
his house, and it was very evident that
the honest old man had no idea that his
wares were being used in a manner for
which they had never been intended.
In the coarse of conversation he said:
60, yes, l am kept very busy. There
is a great demand for the old.fashioned
clocks, and l can sell all 1 make. All
l have to do is to make the cases, you
know. The man I send them to puts
in the works. I have my own patterns.
1t is the oyster clock, the pattern of
which was first cut out in 1853. I don't
finish or polish the cases at all; they
don't need to be. I get my walnut
boards from Philadelphia and New
York. can turn out about two clocks
a month"
By inquiry from other sources it was
learned that this old clock business is
quite poular. EVERYBODY wants one of
the tall cofdn-like clocks that formerly
swung their long pendulums in the
corners of old farm-houses all over
Pennsylvania. The famous song,
..Grandfather's Clock" has caused
the o~ld-fashioned time-keepers to be
known as ''grandfathers' clocks"
Nearly all the genuine old time-pieces
have long since been bought in by those
who want them as relics. The demand
being greater than the supply, they are
being manufactured to order in the back
country. The clocks are put up in the old
fashioned way, the cases are notpolished
Or finished in any extravaganza manner,
and the works are procured ION east
and sent to this section for insertion.
The dials are paintedinth the old-fashioned
manner, and the clock is turned out so
as to resemble atime-piece one hundred
OF more years old. 1t is then stood
away in some dark corner of a mouldy
log house, until finally it is accidentally
discovered by the owner and dealer,
who sends it on to New York or Phila-
delphia to be sold as an aged relic. 1t
is also learned that quite a number of
strangers are engaged in this business of
getting up ''ggrandfathers' clocks to
order. 1t is really given out as actual
fact that a number of dealers have
placed these ..new old clocks'' into an
Gent Lighthouses where public sales of
furniture had been announced. They
would then start the story that a very
old clock vas to be sold, which had
been intentionally kept off the sale bill
in order to avoid ompetitioni in bidding,
SO that the heirs could buy it cheap. In
this way a large crowd is attracted to
such sales, andth clock is sold for very
high. figures, The purchaser takes it
home, confidently believing he has a
genuine article, and he has never been
told the truth about it. Philadelphia
sharpers are said to be at the bottom of
the fraud.