Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-01-04
WATCH WORDS.
Influences on Time Pieces--Import-
ant Gathering OF Railroad Employees.


was held in the Rock Island depot build
ing at Davenport yesterday 1t was CON-
posed of employees of the Chicago. Rock
Island & Pacific railroad company-di-
vision superintendent. train masters.
foremen of round houses, conductors,
locomotive engineers aud other train
men. They were there TO hear the ad-
dress on magnetism in watches and on
railways by G. X. Giles, chief watch ex-
aminer for the company, and to ask any
questions they desired TO have answered
o. explanations they wished TO have
made. Mr.. Giles chief assistant, E. X f..
Mac Gillivary. was present ard very
useful with his knowledge. superintend-
ents Given of the Iowa division, Cham.
berlain OF the Illinois division, and Ewing
OF the Southwestern division. Trainmas.
ter Root. Foreman Hobbs of the Daven.
port and Mir6eld of the great Rock
Island round houses, with engineers from
all the divisions named were present.
The Democrat Gazette says:
All were gathered about long table.
on which were placed watches of various
degrees of excellence in time keeping,
magnets. compasses. magnetic ore, bottles
OF iron filling, squares of card board, to
be used in illustrative experiments 1t
will be remembered that in November
General Superintendent Royce issued an
order directing all conductors and epgi>
neers to have their Watches examined AS
TO whether they were affected by magnet
ism or not, aud 10 have them regulated
and protected by magnetic shields if they
were. The cost of the inspection would
be nothing. while the cost of the shields
would be IS TO - There has been good
deal of complaint concerning this order
and so Mr.. Giles has entered upou his
tour OF inspection.
Dir Giles said that it has been found
that magnetism is the most potent infiu-
ence governing the performance of peck.
ct time pieces, if it is not actually the
governor of the rate of the watch. Every
watch is more or less magnelized. Fully
three-fourths Of them to degree to in
terfere with close performance, and 25
per cent are maguetiZed to dangerously
mischievous degree. Mr. Giles then took
his hearers through in what he called a
solid, vestibuled train of magnetic facts.
introducing illustrations as he passed
along. The watch is as delicate in its
constitutional functions as the human
physical form, and must be studied AS
closely 10 ascertain its disease and in
considering the watch We must consider
certain physical laws which govern the
metals OF which il is made; We must
control, or adjust. the movement of the
metals In its escapements; therefore
we must know the influence which
is in them, or surrounding them.
The watch and the locomotive are con>
stituted much the same; the difference is
10 their size and the character of duties
they have to perform. The locomotive
duties are regular-irregular time. ir.
regular speed, Irregular labor 10 perform
and you expect but irregular results;
on the other hand, the perfection of reg.
ularity Is expected of watch. without
regard to the irregular treatment, abuse
or previous condition of scr ,,tIhSe- :,
--fne watch and The locomotive are made
OF the same metals, subject to the same
physical law. We expect only ordinary
accuracy of performance from a locomO>
tive, during stated periods OF action;
while the ws,ch, performing without rest
or intermissiOn, must be accurate TO the
100, OOOth part of an inch in space of &C.
ton; and about l~2OO. 900 h parts of n
second of time, or IL will he condemned
You select metals for your locomotive
with the utmost care, and put them to-
gether with the hest skill born of experi.
ence-y you consider the condition sur
rounding the locomotive. and use the
care and attention necessary TO its hest
performsnce-should We do less with The
watch, of which more is expected, and
which, TO the extent that il is more deli
cate and exquisite, is more susceptible to
the Influences and conditions surrounding
bothr In order 10 investigate the effects
OF magnetism on the time Keeping Quail
ties OF the watch. we must first ascertain
the parts affected. locate the points of
attack, and then investigate, by expert
ments and otherwise. the B.odus operandi
OF the cause of this trouble and its
sources. The escapement or vibratin O
parts, such as the balance wheel, balance
spring, lever, etc. are the vital points
affected, and are subject 10 the magnetic
conditions surrounding the watch. These
are made Of steel, and AS they vibrate in
a magnetic atmosphere, they are crossing
lines of force. and their free movements
are intertercd with necessarily, according
to the strength of these lines OF force
Then by use of the tools and materials
before him, Mr.. Giles made experiments
with Dagnetized and de-maCnetized
watches and showed to every man pres
ent how little magnetism will demoral,
lie watch. His experiments were
watched with great interest
Then he said that the universal force
which exists in and surrounds the metal
OF watch-this magnetic infiuence-is
not an unmitigated evil. On the con
trary, 1t is decided advantage when
under proper control. This control is
accomplished by the use of a shield o f
highly magnetic metal which has been
found to protect the watch fully from ali
undue magnetic influences, and at the
same time allowing The use of brass and
steel in construction of the compromising
escapement, with which alone the highest
theological accuracy has been obtained,
and this protection is attained by utiliz-
ing the same natural law which causes
the trouble. or use the same dual mag,
netic force to protect the watch and we
secure this result by surrounding the
watch movement with q circle of highly
magnetic metal, which will secure the
lines OF force existing in any charged at
mosphere, and hold them in a complete
circle or closed magnetic circuit, where
all the enclosed space will be neutral. or
IN state of satisfied polarity. Exactly
how this accomplished was made vlsi.
BILE by more experiments. II was not a
one~sided discussion by any means. Sew
eral engineers put question after aues-
tIpn to Mr.. Giles, which showed that they
Ind been looking into the effect of cleo