Wichita eagle., 1889-05-01
A HUNDRED YEARS AGO.
How Clocks We're Made and Sold
in the Colonial Days.
Interesting Historical Facts About Time
Pieces-The Pioneer Matchmaker OF
America-Antique Clocks Tha@
Represent Honest Work.
NV Mail and Express. |

my Mail and Express.l
Mr.. Cherries s. Crossman is a dark-haired,
pleasant-mannered man about thirty-three
years old. reporter gained from him
historical facts about watches and clocks.
aI,uther Goddard was the pioneer watch.
maker in America" Mr.. Crossman said.
"He began in 1909 at Shrewsbury, Mass.
The factory building was one story high,
with a hip-roof and built on the declivity OF
Shrewsbury Hill There are no traces left
of the little factory. The watches he made
were similar to English verge watches.
The hands, dials, round and dovetail brass
and steel wire, main and hair springs, bal
ance yerges, chains and pinions were all
imported But the plates, wheels and 9TH
er brass parts Goddard cast himself He had
with him several British soldiers who, after
the revolution, decided to remain and ply
their trades as watchmakers. He also
made the cases for the movements, which
were of the usual style, open face, double
case and somewhat in advance Of the thick
bulls eye watches Of the day. The first
watch he made was sold to the father OF
Ex-Governor Lincoln, Of Worcester. The
first attempt to manufacture watches by
machinery in America was made by Henry
Pitkin in the fall of 1888. He had four APP
prentices, each Of whom he paid $50 and
board year. The machinery was all in
vented by Mr.. Pitl1in, and though very
crude, displayed great orig nality.
sGideon Roberts was the first to make
wood clocks in Bristol, in 1890, and one OF
the first to make them in Connecticut. His
clocks were the old-fashioned, hang-up
style. The plates were half an inch thick
and foot square. He sawed the teeth out
by hand and the weights were tin CAMS.
ters filed with shot. These clocks were
valued at S25 each. The one-day weight
brass clock was invented by Chauncy
Jerome, in 1888, and was the most popular
style of cheap clock for many years. TWAS
this style Of clock which was first exported
to England in 1842. Main springs
were first introduced in 1345 and
since then the tendency has been to reduce
clocks IN size The small nickle clocks,
first made in 1876, are an outcome OF this
popular demand. The Colonial hlgh-case,
or Grandfather cl ocks, that are sought
after now by lovers of the antique, were
pretty much the only style Of clock known
a century ago The Connecticut clocks did
not come into use until the beginning OK
this century, so when the Colonial clocks
were in vogue there We're only few Dutch
and English STYLES besides. Many Of the
finer Colonial clocks of the most celebrated
markers are to be found now in the homes
of the wealthy lovers of the antique and
rare in art. These clocks are OF English
origin, and date back to the practical intro
duction of the pendulum into clocks early
in the seventeenth century. Obadiah
Holmes, a minister, brought the first clock
of this style from Europe to Massachusetts
in 1899, and finally in 1850 settled in Rhode
Island. These clocks were very expensive,
and Rev Mr.. Holmes in those days was
considered very wealthy to be able to pos.
sess one. The first knowledge history has
of clocks being sold in New England was
when Joseph Essex and Thoman Bradley
offered them for sale in Boston in l712 1t
is more than probable, though, that BenJa'
min Bagnan was making clocks as early
as this In Boston No correct data
can be found to prove otherwise. Tho
first definite knowledge of him was
an entry made in the treasurer q
book of Charleston, August %, 1874, which
mentioned that he was paid so much for
cleaning the town clock. Bagnalps
clocks were rather small in size, with cast
brass dials and plain mahogany cases.
William Claggel, the most celebrated Co.
lonial clock-maker Of the seventeenth cent
ury, was born in 1896 and made clocks at
Newport. His clocks are very scarce and
highly priced. The movements are all tine
and the cases of good workmanship. One
now in the Rhode Island Historical Socie
tvs rooms is of the hanging style, and val
ued at a high price.
"Clagget was versatile man, and be-
sides making the best clocks of his time he
gained some prestige by writing religion:
book The next maker of Importance wal
John Bailey, of Hanover, who f1ourished
during revolutionary times. He was man
of great mechanical ability and progress
i've ideas. He made several hundred clocks
and the workmanship was so fine many OF
them are running still, almost as good a:
when new They are all cased in large
sized cherry cases with brass balls on top
Simon Willard began to make clocks II
Roxbury, Mass, in 17S6, and soon becam'
famous. He was the most extensiv,
maker Of clocks of the Colonial style
in this country He invented the ia
nous Willard time-piece. His hal
clocks were all eght-day clocks, and were
, usually seven feet high, all cased in plaii
mahogany, with fret work across the top
surmounted by three good-sized brass balls
| In 1915 he made the clock in old st
Georges, in Beekman street, New York
which kept the standard time for man.
year. The prices of Colonial clocks ranged
/ from sixty dollars to one hundred dollars
It took from three to four months to get
, clock made by the smaller makers, ant
( then usually a longer time elapsed befor
: the maker received his pay. The pay wa
: often in merchandise. None but tn
r wealthy could afford clocks in those earl.
, days Sun dials were very common unit
: Connecticut hang up wood clocks began t
= be made in 1890 and sold at twenty dollar
/ each. BY 1926 hall clocks had almost en-
| tirely been superseded. Wood mantle
clocks soon superseded the hang-up woot
clock on account of being smaller and NOR
, easily transported. The old Colonia
clocks represent honest, conscientiou
; work, and many Of them run as well to-da.
, as when first made"