Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1885-05-28
An Old-Fashioned Clock.

Inc clOGS-maKer sClentlHC kuOWl-
edge ley much in the direction of
astronomy, for there he was chiefly
called upon to exercise it. The ma.
jority of the works produced in the
West Riding in the palmy days of the
art have ablack 1isk, affixed by its Gen.
ter, as pivot, at the top of the brass
face, behind which it makes semi
revolution during lunar month.
Half of this disk, which itself is as
large as the clock dial, appears above
the face, and has painted upon it a
moon the size Of large orange and a
number of stars in silver. The young
moon rises on the left from behind a
black semicircle of its own diameter,
and slowly increases day by day until
it reaches the full, and appears as
silver circle upon black, star-sprink-
led background; then it descends on
the right behind similar black semi
circle, and, just as it is lost to view,
another moon on the second half of
the black disk begins to show itself
on the left.
The age of the moon may be learned
from figures cut on brass rim which
surrounds the lunar semicircle. This
astronomical arrangement was made
by Batty, Jackson, Lister and others.
Some clocks, differing from these,
have a small, round aperture in the
face itself, behind which silver moon
shows itself, as the month goes on.
One so designed was a wedding
present in the first half of the last
century, and the first possessor has
written his own name, with that of his
bride. inside the case door. This
clock was made by Richard Midgley,
and has the motto, "Dum spectas
tugio,' over the dial. The defect of
the lunar arrangement described is
that the moon never appears gibbous,
but is always in its phases a circle
with crescent-shaped piece cut out
of 1t. This circumstance led some
mechanicians, among whom was one
John Bothomley, to make the moon
globular, one hemisphere being silver
and the other black, and it was placed
in an ornamental semicircle above the
face, and revolved within beveled
recess. Thus the actual appearance
of the changing moon was produced,
but clocks of this kind are rare. and
we have seen only four or five. The
clock face which supported this lunar
orrery was of brass, ard the dial circle,
which had the hours beautifully en-
graves upon it and colored black, was
of silver. The white painted faces
which are often seen on ''grandfathers'
clocks" are altogether later or more
degenerate productions The clock
hands were frequently of wrought
iron, in elegant designs, and below
them was an arrangement for showing
the day of the mouth, produced by a
circular plate turning behind the face.
The case was beautiful piece of car.
penter's work. The "head,' which
inclosed the works, had usually Ionic
or Corinthian pillars, or pilasters, at
each side, supporting the top, which
was of Queen Anne design, and often
terminated with three brass balls.
The "body" Of the clock was narrow,
somatimes so narrow that there we're
apertures at the sides to ADMIT of the
swing of the pendulum, and it was
connected with the head by number
of holdings. In some cases the clock
door had beveled- glass panel in it to
admit of the large brass pendulum
dulum bob being seen. The base of
the clock was again broad and mas
sive, and supported the whole struc-
ture with becoming dignity.--We
Saturday RevseeO.