The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1890-06-26
WONDERFUL CLOCKS.
Marvellous Machinery Used for
Keeping Time.
Clocks Made Wholly of Ice, Straw, Paper
or Hardened Bread-Minute Time
Keepers, One of Which King
Wore On His Ear.

Five hundred and eleven years ago.
in February, 1879, Henry Vie, or, as
some authorities give his name, Henry
De Wyck, the Nuremberg Wizard" !" set
up the first clock, of which we have any
authentic record, in the palace of the
King of France. Charles V. was King
Of France at the time (although he did
not survive the erection of his wonder
ful timepiece more than year and a
half, and Nuremberg, ''the cradle of
Europen invention" was the mistress
Of all the high mechanical arts. Legend
ary accounts and casual illusions of
various authors to mechanical contriy-
anees for the measurement of time es-
fablish the fact almost beyond shadow
Of doubt, that the clock was known
some years, perhaps centuries, before
the historical effort of the ingenious and
deft-hngered De Wyck.
II is known that Frederick IL, who
died in 1851, was at one time presented
BY the Sultan of Egypt with time
measuring contrivance provided with
wheels and bell. Dante, who died
hfty-eight years before De Wyck, set
his wonderful teller" going on
the regal palace of the French King. in
three separate passages of his works
alludes to striking clock. So, too,
Vaimet who wrote in 112O, speaks of a
striking clock used by the Cisterian
monks. History is history, whether right
q wrong; making it worse than heresy
lot writer to go beyond certain pre-
scribed limits.
As all the authorities" concur in Civ
ing to this Nuremberger of uncertain
name, and still more uncertain nativity,
tae honor Of being the original clock
maker, shall follow a time-honored
precedent and accord to him esteem
which clearly should be divided equally
between several inventors who lived
ana toiled in the dawn which followed
u the wake of the night of the Dark
ages.
Conradus Dasipodius of Strasburg,
Nho perfected his wonderful astronomi-
eal clock in 1878, is believed to have
oeen She first to apply his skill to the
marvellous in clock-making.
me best description of it is that of a
traveller who spent five hours day for
sEenty-one days carefully inspecting
every part of it before attempting to
give to the public pen-picture of it's
wonderful intricaeies. Although couched |
u me peculiar language of the times,
@na abounding in odd and unseeming
expressions, the description is other
wise remarkably clear. He saws:
AZ otrasburg spent almost a full |
'aVasn' putting in half day each day
sOs three weeks, studying out the curl
sslales to be found in the strange clock !
,lfented : by one Conradus Dasipodius.
ne.ofe the main part of the clock stands |
: globe, which shows to perfection the
ao'ions OF the heavenly bodies. The
-oasens are carried about by mover
slss every twenty-four hours; Saturn,
y MS proper motion, is carried once
s so0ae every thirty years; Jupiter in
ssslVe' Mars in two; the sun, Mercury
sl'a venus in one year, and the moon
snoe y each month. In the clock itself
4 a'e9e are two tables, one to the right,
-, ~ olner to the left. These show the
seAllses OF the sun and moon from the
ssaF 1918 to the year 1924. A third table
I, sseapies the middle of the space in the
s-oSA interior. This table is divided
49, w ehree parts. In the first part
ss@'ae OF Apollo and Diana shows the
Use -. OF the year and the day thereof,
ssaig turned once about in the course
4 L WE'VE months. The second part
.-o@s the year of our Lord and the
\ .sssainoetlal days, the hours of each day,
~ NJ minutes of each hour, and the sec
siAs 4, ol each minute, besides Easter and
~ ~ o'her feast days and the dominical
,ssssF, The third part of the table has
ss0graphical description of all Ger
- y and France, plat of Strasburg
~ IS sae names of all those who assisted
i ualiding the clock. In the middle
'a ,~.us q the clock there is an astrolabe
lag .ls the signs through which each
y ses 4 passes, and also statues of each
\ sue seven planets upon round piece
49, iylpg fat, so that every day the
.s ss g the planet that rules the day
ss seFth. the Others being hidden