Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-06-06
WATCHES AND STORMS.
EFFECTS OF THE EQUINOcTIAL UPON
THE DELICATE TIME-KeEPERS
What the Watch Makers Say-Rush Of
Broken Watches at Part icuIsr Seasons
-PecuIiaritie- of the Break-The
Experience General


About the list of March and Scptem-
Der or as soon thereafter or before as the
sun crosses The line. watch springs hcgin
10 break in great numbers This fact is
automatic and is discounted by watch
makers Promises of speedy repairing
are not madc So readily then rs at other
times ~LlcCtrical disturbances of the
atmosphere" is the cause assigned for this
phenomena but Just why electricity in or
out of the atmosphere should have this
elect none of the crafts can explain All
the testimony is ClrCumStantial in its
character. but all clock and watch repair
crs assert aud vigorously maintain the
theory.
We sometimes have, said Chestnut
street iewccr. such pile of watches
come in upon us when the equinOCtial
storms make their appearance that We have
to send round to the smaller shops and
pay premiums and big premiums. al
that-for IOurncyman or SO for a couple
of days. IL only takes about forty eight
hours to do the business
And il is not the ,uinoCtial storm
alone that plays havoc with the delicate
spring mechanism of clocks and
watches said he. 81 have noticed that
northrastcrS at all seasons of the year will
have the same devastating effect Some
times in April. when thunder showers are
so frequent and lightning is peculiarly
vivid. watch main springs break but
ths sort is of rarcr o, Currence than the
Jthcr two
rarIIItRITY OF THE RREAK.
But the most remarkable. and. at the
same time most uncNp plainable part OF the
phenomena Is yet to come. \ large per
ccnta-c of watch springs that break dur
Ing the prevalence Of an eQuinOCtal storm
do not fall in two pieces. but sustain
clean cut fracture across the entire barrel
OF the spring. dividing the spring into as
many fragments as there are COnCcntrics
il tic coil. And. more remarkable stiH.
If that were possible, the line of the fraC
turc or cut is perfectly straight. and. as
nearly as can be asccrlaiued passes
directly through the point which would
be the center of the spring coil
\ prominent Camden dealer. who was
in the establishment at the time said Il
had "A wonderful Illustration of that
character a year or SO ago and caused
mcChanlCa. artist 10 Photograph ii. If
break occurs in watch spring, it in
stautly UnCoils, of course. Ii would bt
impossible with the finest al usted tools
10 strike blow that would Cuta watch
into twenty or thirty fra mCnts. leaving
no rough edges TO indi, ate the manner OF
fracture. yet in this photograph the euds
are rs sharp and rs clearly defined ~
though made by a razor edge and wher
the skilful mechanic had placed the tiny
pieces OF steel in order the line of fracture
was found TO 10 straight and cutting the
center.
THE EXPERIENCE GENERAL.
This experience is common A gentle
man in another cSiaUl rshment declares
that the cle triCal disturbances that occur
on the list of March and september in
var ably produce a huge crop Of broken
mainsprIngs He CorrOboratcd the state
ment Of the peculiar brcakagc across the
spring coil and said he ha I seen many
ILLUSTRATION" of the peculiar phenomena
Il can not eN lain it, said he. but 10y
recourse 10 the Ia kneycd reason assigned
10y watchmakcrs all over the country,
which is electricity in the atmosphere. !
once heard an electrician. TO whom the
sub .cCt was referred, explain that the
polarity of the meta WAS unined-what-
ever that mcaus-but how unified polar
ity can accomplish such work am at u
loss to understand And why ISM the
same cct produced on tue balance
springs, II is seldom that baIan springs !
are broken in larger numbers during an
e uinON than ut other times. and never
saw one with the clean cut across the en-
lire coil