San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-10-31

many GITereHJ peoplsand GGIrl0uted TO many
eras. The Chinese declare they owned clocks
1900 years ago. The Germans insist that the
first mechanical clock was made by them
only eight centuries back. The word origin
oily signifed bell and the French "cloche"
still retains its meaning Clocks were re-
garded as curiositieS until the Eleventh
century. when they were placed in all the
monasterieS. In this manner arose the
fashion of placing clocks in church towers.
Even the use of clocks by sanity men did
not keep the common folk from regarding
them as the devils own handiwork-
In the early part of the Fifteenth century it
was discovered that o'clock work. could be set
In motion as well by the gradual uncoiling
Of spring as by the running down of weights,
and that these motions could be made $50
erroneous by balance wheel acting upon the
escapement But it reclaimed for Calico to
discover tho great principle Of the pendulum
and reveal IL to mankind. Applied 10 the
clock the pendulum added greatly to its
accuracy. Until after the Revolution scarcely
a clock licked on Americas coast Sun dials
and hour glasses sufioed for those slow days
of religious rigor. Now the American clock
the Chinese capital, tn tho heart of Siberia.
The first watch devised was called q pocket
cloch,n or nuremberg animated egg" It
was made In lat by Peter Hele, a clock
maker of Nuremberg 1t took yesrs labor
to make n When IL was finished It varied
nearly an hour day from true time. It re-
quired winding twice a day, and the price
asked for it and similar ones subsequently,
made was $500. 1t was the size and shape
Of goose egg. Il had only one hand, and
no watch with more was made for many
years. Nothing was known Of hair springs
in the days Of tho one handed watch. Hele
invented the fasce. But for 1ao years the
fusee chain was made Of catgut, O material
peculiarly susceptible TO atmospheric changes
The library of the Walsham watch factory
contains a watch bearing the date of i600
which has the catgut fusee chain
THE ooLED HAIR SPRING
The application Of the coiled hair spring
was the most important improvement in
watch making IL is attributed both to Dr..
Robert Hooke and the astronomer Hughena
Jewels were first used in the construction Of
watches in 100. Previously the pfvots ran
on metallic bearings, which soon wore
out, making constant repairing ne
oessity. The diamond, ruby, sapphire,
chrysolite, garnet and agate are the
precious stones used for the bearings
upon which the pivots rest. Pfvots Of brass
or steel will run for generations In teweled
bearings without any pereep<ible wear.
Very rare watches arc jeueled with dia-
moDds, sapphires and rub4es. For al prac-
teal purposes garnets and aqua marines an
uus,s- a.S vpIl Montana IA hvac{nDtnp m szlrA
ply garnetR Precious stones for watch fac
tory use are bought by The carat
One popular little ttmc keeper for ladies
has fifteen jewels, ali Of ruby. The stones
are cut into "p2anks," and then into '-ioists'
by circular saws and Afterwards broken into
cubes. Then each ia turned out tn a lathe
exactly as q bed post ia turned ont In fur
niturs factory. By this time II weighs less
than oneeighty -tboussndth Of pound Troy.
1t Is afterward FURNISHED into fts setHng-a
little circle of brass
The English watch attained high develop
ment with John Harrisons invention OF the
compensation balance wheel in 1857. French
and Swiss watchmakess very nearly aban-
doned two OF the chief features Of the Eng
lish watch, considering them unnecessary
These were tho fusee chain and the vertical
escapement They threw cot more than 600
Of the 800 parts Of tho cumbersome English
watch. For fffsy years we're the Industrious
Swiss tho oAies wstchmakeFs Of the earth.
Tho operatives Of The Elgin factory are
about equally divided, male and female
Girls are taoghs their trades in tie factory,
but men usually are practical workers before
beinsempsoyed IN any department. Chicago
Herald.