Helena weekly herald., 1889-11-28
WONDERFUL WATCHES.
Some Curious Timepieces of Old and
Modern Times.
Fro n the American Analyst,


Modern Times.
From the American Analyst.l
For years DIR Allan, the Scotch physician,
was suspected of being a wizard, an opin-
ion which was considered all but confirmed
when, in 1880, he provided himself with
silver watch of the regulation size and
style. CHANGING to stop with neighbor
over night, and it being somewhat cold, he
laid his watch near the bed and covered 1t
with the bed quilts, so that the chilly
weather would not affect the works. Next
morning he arose rather abruptly and left
the house without removing his treasure
from its cosy nest in the bed. In fixing up
the room the servant discovered "the infer
nal chattering thing" and Immediately
concluded that it must be the old doctors
familiar spirit" conclusion which she
had hardly arrived before she wildly fled
from the room. The other servants were
called, and the whole array charged the
chattering thing" in the bed. Clubs and
tongs were freely used, but the case was
strong and the thing still chartered de-
| family. One of the girls, more courageous
than the others, finally agreed that she
| would take the tOngs and carry the
| thing to the mOat and there drown 1t, a
proceeding fraught with danger, but at
last decided upon. Toe others followed at
/ a respectable distance with hoes, clubs and
shovels, with which they proposed to
pounce upon the thing should 1t attack the
heroic girl. When the old doctor returned
for his watch he was informed Of what had
been done, one of the servants leading the
way to where the thing had been drowned.
1t was found hanging on bush on the
bank of the moat. Tha failure to beat or
drown the thing to death fully convinced
the servants that it was the old wizards
spirit, and they could not be persuaded to
touch it. The story is related to show
what rarities watches must have been even
at that late period of the seventeenth cen
tury. In 1859 one OF the admirers OF
George III, caused to be made for that
monarch watch which was a marvel In
is way. 1t had a calendar hand which
pointed to the days Of the month and OF
the year. Instead of making a revolution
every month, like calendar watches OF to-
day, it took the whole 365 days to get once
around The dial plate was only two In
ches in diameter, therefore the figures
must have been very minute, otherwise the
365 numerals could not have been ar
ranged around the border The annual
dial calendar was but one of number OF
extras with VIII ch this watch was pro-
vlded A movable diamond performed di-
urnal revolutions as regularly as dld the
great orb after which it was modelled, 1t
struck the hours the half hours and the
quarters, while an inside dial plate re-
volved In a manner clearly exhibiting the
variations of the seasons. The Engllsn
House of Commons, following suggestion
of Sir Isaac Newton, appointed commit
tee June II, 17I4, with power to offer
reward of 100000 to any one who would
invent an accurate time keeper for use at
sea ia determining longitude. After many
wears of labor and study the invention was
announced as perfected. However, the In
yentor. one John Harrison, did not receive
the reward for his labor until Septemnel
IA, 1854 Keyless watches have beer
known for the past hundred years, but moi
until the past twenty five have they come
into general uee 1t would take columns
+ to enumerate all the dainty and won erfu
: little time pieces that have been made dur
ing the past 200 years. They have beer
made no larger than peas and set In rings
for physicians to facilitate the counting o
the pulse. They have been fixed in brace
let's, brooches, eye glasses, tops OF umbrella
handles and even On the ends of lead pen
ellis, where they occupy the same position
as the rubber of the average Faber Ii
1883 a matchmaker at Dresden exhibited ;
watch made entirely of paper The pape
was chemically prepared, and the make
]. | claimed that it would be as serviceable a
if made of the material ordinarily used
The same year at fair held at WOrces
tershire, England, Crowther Brothers
Co exhibited one made entirely of iron
An ingenious prisoner at Kariaus, Bohemit
recently constructed watch eight cent?
meters in diameter, with no other tools Q
g msterials except two needles, spool {
J, thread, a newspaper and some rye straw
The wheels, posts and cOgs are all made {
rye straw, which it is we'll known is quit
coarse and tough 1t rams six hours with
out winding and keeps good time. 1t
9 now in the possession of the Prefect {
Kariaus, who considers it the creates
marvel of the nineteenth century. Th
most ingenious, perfec and complext watc
ever manufactured was sent out from tn
works of Patek, Philippe & Co, of Gene
va, Switzerland, in July, 1877, and is now j
possession of Baron Nicholas 1t is what
known as the full sized hunter" On on
. side there is dial of the regulation kint
: exhibiting the hour, minute and secon
> hands; also an independent chroncgrap
. hand which marks the fifth of seconds
= The same dial has repeating mechanism
which g tkes the hours, quarters and mir
b. utes The opposite dial has hands point
ing to the months, weeks and days. Ar
other large central hand on this dial, if sc
at the beginning of each year, correctl
points to all mon phases and also acts q
perpetual calendar. 1t is so censtructe
as to admit of it's keeping two differer
> times, say standard on one side and su
time on the other.
Knights of Labor.
ATT ANITA NOvomhar On The Gpnors