Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-01-02

THOUSANDS OF MAIN SPRINGS BPEAkING WIN THE
ArRoR, BoREALIs APPEARs-EFFEcTs OF tEMAG-
SETISN.
From the New York Tribune
Decidedly watches are queer things said ID. IT,
EopInson OF the .It2r"tS' CittlH57, seated in tie
easy chair Of hio editorial sanctuary. They pos
sess SOME unacc0Uutsb.e pecuIariues For in
stance some tine about the beginning OF last sum
mer. when there had been succession OF fine dis
plays Of the aurora bore3iS. it was estimated that
fl single night in the cI;y OF MY YOrl. the main
springs ot not la;s than three thOastnd watches
b,Oke- This estimate j. based actual inquiries.
lin" sensitive watches :aie part rniaIiy liable 10 be
affected by electrical atmospheric disturb ances.
During the months Of June. July aud AUGUST when
these phenomena are most frequent. there ara more
main springs broken than during all the rem aiming
months III the year They break in "A variety Of
ways. sometimes Swapping into as many as twenty
Ill Is fact that since the Introduction or the
electric light has become 50 general large number
OF watches. some OF them very line have be
come magnetiZed While In this condition they are
useless ttme-keeDerS. This defect used 10 he con-
sidrred incurable. and because or IL thousands Of
watches have been thrown away after much money
had been spent on them In vain attempts Ia per-
suide them to keep good time. Among the methods
resorred Ia were washing the parts In garlic
juice. re!lniahing and passing them Though
tie fire. But all these devices Were en-
tire failures, or only in part eHe ,tiye.
/ know OF a man who had fine and valuable
movement which Kept excellent time He trans
ferred II from silver case To a secondhand gold
one. Hnnle,i etey II lost al its characteristics Of
SteadineSS and reliability. and In fact did not keep
time at all. When replaced IN the silver case IL
kept good time again. The owner. a leweler. puZ-
Zled himself and experimental In vain TO discover
the or this strange Partially the part OF
hiS watch for silver. II length he sent Ii 10
pert. He discovered nat the iiftingSprfng OF the
gold case had become maCnetized. ON substituting
ano her for Ii. The watch kept as good tine ia the
gold case as In the silver ease
'.Ihern are occasions when II IS a very serious
matter to have your watch ma-ncTized. The most
striking instance in point i one VIII Lately came
under my notice. Z PIT. ". X. SI.lth commands
the steamer Delaware, which plies between New
York and New London. BetoFa putting 80 sea on a
recent voyage he invited 10 Inspect electric
light dynamo machine and examined It's part )
closely. Soon after getting on board Tie steamer
he observed that the compass became strangely
affected when he approached ii. Whether he
stood on the right or HE lelt. or Immediately in
'front.' Of the compass. the needle would inyaIi by
point tn him. The compass was NO. 'e than uS'>'
when me came near II. Ii was dangerous and
a little. At length he recalled his visit u the
dynamo machine. and the true solution OF the
eccentric behavior OF the needle flashed upon him.
His watch had become magnetiZed- When be re-
moved IL: the needle resumed its conStancy fo the
polar star. ON his return TO the city, he took the
watch 10 Mathey Bros. q Mateey, who delndl- met
tied IL for him. This firm has Invented some ma
chine. the mechanism OF which f. secret. bv
which they iena gnetize a magnetlzed watch
speedily and efiectuilly. They get watches sent
them from all parts OF the woI.d TO be thus
treated.
"Watches frequently get magnetlzed in iron
mines or In machine shops, where they are incau-
tiouslv brougl near swiftly running belts. l knew
workman who used TO hang his watch between
the parts OF running belt He expended small
fortune main springs.
lit Is a well-kn0wn fact among hnrol0giSts that
no watch viii keep the same time with Two people
The cause has not yet been definitely aSrerjalno,
but Ii would seem that i'm some mysterious way 4
watch Is affected 10y the temperament OF the
wearer The mere physical differences la gait and
movement between differt Mt peopleis not sufficient
account Tor all the variations that have been Oh
served