The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1890-09-26
AN INTERESTING cLook.
fss Maker Is Proud Of II, bat He Has Ns
wish 70 mnk& Another.

ffs Maker Is Proud Of II, bat He Has Ne
wish 20 sfaks Another.
In the window of German jevs1cx
On Court street, Brooklyn, there stands
brass clock not more than ten inches
high. The passerby who looks through
the window sees under the clock, which
Ii supported by fonr polished columnss
small brass platform, balanced TO
nicely ON two pivots in the middle, Ike
an ordinary seesaw. A groove cut into
the surface Of the brass runs zigxag
from one end to the other, and ON tho
path so made q brightly polished steel
ball, no larger than bullet. runs un-
ceasingiy When the ball has Travelled
from one end of the platform 10 the
other, zigzagging from side TO side, IL
strikes thin steel wire which hangs
from above. and in an instant the plat
form Is tilted mp at that end and the little
ball. impelled by the fqrce Of gravity.
starts back again. At the ofher end Il
comes into contact with another wires
and up goes the platform once more
| Sometimes big crowd stand around
/ the window intent On the little sphere.
the mystery Of which they find II hard 70
solve.
F.T. Kraft, who runs the store, has
followed his trade for many years One
! day six years ago Kraft was walking
down Broadway when he saw clock in
jewelers. window with the same de-
+ vice. He stood for an hour In front Of
the glass watching II and trying TO solve
i the problem of It's construction The
i proprietor of the store told hirn the clock
had been made IN England twenty-five
i years before. and was the only one OF Its
kind in existence. Mr.. Kraft's request
4 TO have q look at the mechanism was
met with sefusal, and he went OF with
the determination TO study IL out for
himself. He worked at it six months
during his odd hours and finally tri-
umphed Then he was surprised 10 find
how simple the idea was after all, al
though he found the greatest delicacy
necessary in carrying it out.
Mr. Kraft took the clock from its shelf
In the window to explain its mechanism
J 10 the reporter. The two mysterious
. wires which the ball strikes against al
. the end of each trip are fastened above
: 10 long rod From the upper side oi
this rod runs strip of steel, which rests
. against one of four pins on an escape.
ment wheel in the works. When the
bali strikes the wire it releases fhis
wheel, which makes quarter revolution
1 to the next pin On the same axis In q
! cog wheel whose teeth fit into those d
j another of half the circumference Ths
! smaller wheel makes a half revolufior
. while the other is making a quarter. Il
= the axis of this wheel Is fastened o rod
!, which Is attached at its other end to tisa
platform, which Ii pulled up or down &C
!, cording to the wire which the bal
strikes.
= Ii was in the manufacture Of the bal
, itself that Mr.. Kraft had the most din
. Guilty. II had to be perfect sphere b
/ work properly, and ID was turned dews
/ bit by bit to the proper size a htfI
s guard rail is placed at each angle OF n
r groove, SO that the ball viii not jun
e of. 1t takes the ball just fss second
4 to make the trip, half second for eac
= section of the groove. The platform acf
n as a pendulum with fve second swing
!. The device is only interesting as n move
!, ty, as it is more susceptible to change
in the weather than the pendulum clocl
and has 10 be regulated frequently.
1t is interesting to figure out the di
lance which the industrious little ba
. travels from day to day. Every secon
il runs 2-5 inches, or % feet minut.
This is quarter OF a mile an hour. {
: miles q day, or $50 miles . month, ;
: 81 100 miles year, over IL .000. 900 fee
y Since the clock was first started Il
, ball has Travelled a distance equal |
: nearly three-fourths of the way arour
the globe. In that time it has not bee
!, worn to any perceptible degree, althoue
= the brass surface ON which it runs b
= been ground of considerably.
: al have had lots of offers for Il
: clock" said the old jeweler, as he put
: back ON its shelf, ''but / wouldn't sell
+ for any price. Itwas pleasure to wo
: out the principle of the thing, but u
:. couldn't get me to make another one
a them for q good deal. New York SUI
"a