The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1889-10-02
WONDERFUL WATCHES.
THE INGENIOUS cHRoNoMETERs OF
THE PAST 200 YEARS.


sign and ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In the
Ends of Umbrella Handles and Lead PEN
ciis-The Physicians Familiar Spirit"
For years old DIR. Allan, the Scottish
physician, was suspected Of being a wiz
ard, an opinion which was considered
all but confirmed when, In 1880, he pro
vided himself with silver watch Of the
regulation size and style. CHANGING to
stop with neighbor over night and it
being somewhat cold, he laid the watch
near his body and covered it with the
bed quilts so that the chilly weather
would not affect the works. Next morn
ing he arose rather abruptly and left the
house without removing his treasure
from its coy nest in the bed.
In Kidding up the room the servant dis
covered ''the Internal chattering thing"
and Immediately concluded that It must
be the old doctors familiar spirit" con-
illusions which were hardly arrived at
before she had fed wildly from the room.
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 defantly. One OF
the girls, more courageous than the
others, finally agreed chat she would
take the tongs and carry the thing to the
moat and drown it, a proceeding fraught
with danger, but at last decided upon.
The others followed at respectable dis
lance with hoes, clubs and shovels, with
which they proposed to pounce on the
thing should 1t attempt to attack the
heroic girl. When tho old doctor re-
turned for his watch he was informed Of
what had been done, one of the servants
leading tho way TO where the thing had
been drowned. TWAS found hanging ON
a bush ON the bank of the moat. The
failure to beat or drown the thing to
ss;sA-f ~ kiyllced the servants that
TWAS In reality the old wizards spirit.
and they could not be persuaded to
touch it.
This story is related simply to show
what rarities watches must have been
even at that late period OF the Seven
teenth century.
A MARVEL. IN IT'S WAY.
In 1869 one Of the admirers of George
IL SstuoiQ W BO iuttd6 lOE tilitb tltDk1ICit II
watch which was a marvel In its way,
1t had a calendar hand which pointed to
the days Of the month and of the year.
Instead of making revolution every
month, like the calendar watches of to-
day, 1t took the whole 1876 days to get
once around. The dial plate was only
two inches In diameter, therefore, the
figures must have been very minute,
otherwise the 1886 numerals could not
have been arranged around the border.
The annual dial calendar was but one
of number of extras with which this
watch wasprovided. A movable diamond
performed diurnal revolutions as regular
as did the great orb after which 1t was
modelled; IL struck the hours, the half
hours and the quarters, while an inside
dial plate revolved in u manner clearly
exhibiting the variations of the seasons.
The English house OF commons, fol.
lowing suggestion of Sir Isaac Newton,
appointed a committee June II, TIA,
with power to offer reward of SEQ, 00C
to any one who would invent an accu.
rate time keeper for use at sea in deter.
mining longitude. After many years OF
labor and study the invention was an.
nounced as perfected. However, the in
ventor, one John Harrison, did not re-
ceive the reward for his labor until Sept.
10, 1864.
Keyless watches have been known for
the past 100 years, but not until within |
the past twenty-five have they come into |
general use.
1t would take columns to enumerate |
all the dainty and wonderful little time
pieces that have been made during the |
past 400 years. They have been made
not larger than pease, and set In rings
for physicians to facilitate the counting |
of the pulse They have been fixed In
bracelets, brooches, eye glasses, tops of
umbrella handles and even on the ends |
of lead pencils, where they occupy the
same position as the rubber on the aver
age Faber.
In 1888 matchmaker of Dresden ex-
hibited watch made entirely OF paper.
The paper was chemically prepared, and
the maker claimed that 1t would be as
serviceable as II made of the material |
ordinarily used.
Tho same year, at n fair held at Wor-
cestershire, England, the Crowthers Bros.
g. Co. exhibited one made entirely Of
iron.
WONDER OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.
An ingenious prisoner at Kariaus, Boz
hemia, recently constructed a watch,
eight centimeters in diameter, with no
other tools or material except two nee
dies, spool of thread, a newspaper and
somo rye straw. The wheels, posts and
cogs are all made of the rye straw,
which, 1t is well known, Is quite coarse
and tough. IL runs six hours without
winding and keeps good time. 1t Is now
in possession of the project of Kariaus,
who considers it the greatest marvel Of
the Nineteenth century.
The most ingenious, perfect and com
pick watch ever manufactured was sent
out from the works of Patek, Philippe |
& Co., of Geneva, Switzerland, In July,
1877, and Is now In the possession of
Baron Nicholas. 1t is what is known as
the full sized "hunter." On one side
there is dial Of the regulation kind, ex-
hibiting the hour. minute and second
hands, also an independent chrome
graphic hand which marks the fifths
of seconds. The same dial has repeat
ing mechanism, which strikes the hours.
quarters and minutes.
The opposite dial has hands pointing
to the months, weeks and days. An
other large central hand on this dial, II
set at the beginning Of each year, cor
rectly points to all moon phases and also
acts as a perpetual calendar. 1t is so
as to admit Of its keeping
two different times, say standard ON one
side and sun time on the other.--Jehn
W. Wright in st. Louis Republic.
A Little Late.
Nearly twenty years ago my first interest
n the cat was excited one day In early youth
when out hunting. A lady at the farm
whore stopped for dinner requested me to
hoot her cat, which was getting old and USE
ff, With. tho