The Dickinson press., 1890-08-16
AN INTERESTING CLOCK.
Its Maker IL Proud Of It, but He Has No
Wish to Make Another.

It's Maker Is Proud Of It, but He Has No
Wish to Make Another.
In the window of a German jeweler
on Court street, Brooklyn, there. stands
a brass clock not more than ten inches
high. The passerby who looks through
the window sees under the clock, which
is supported by four polished columns,
a small brass platform, balanced to a
nicely on two pivots in the middle, like
an ordinary seesaw. A groove cut into
the surface of tho brass runs zigzay
from end to the other, and on the
path so made a brightly polished steel
ball, no larger than n bullet, runs I'M
ceasingly. When tho ball has travelled
from one end of the platform to the
other, zigzagging from side to side, it
strikes a thin steel wire which hangs
from above, and in an instant the plat
form is tilted up at hat end andthe little
ball, impelled by the force of gravity,
starts back again. At the other end it
comes into contact with another wire,
and up goes the platform once more.
Sometimes q big crowd stand around
the window intent on the little sphere,
the mystery of which they find it hard to
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 u clock in
" jewelers. window with the same de-
vice. He stood for an hour in front of
the glass watching it and trying to solve
the problem Of its construction. The
proprietor of the store told him the clock
had been made in England twenty-five
years before, and was the only II of its
kind in existence. Mr.. Kraft's request
to have q look at the mechanism was
met with n refusal, and he went off with
the determination to study it out for
himself. He worked at it six months
during his odd hours and finally tri-
umphed. Then he was surprised to 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
to the reporter. The two mysterious
wires which the ball strikes against at
the end of each trip are fastened above
10 q long rod. From the upper side of
this rod run u strip of steel, which rests
against one of four pins on an escape
ment wheel in the works. When the
ball strikes the wire it releases this
wheel, which makes n quarter revolution
to the next pin. On tho same axis is a
cog wheel whose teeth fit into those of
another of half the circumference. The
smaller wheel makes a half revolution
while the other is making a quarter. To
the axis of this wheel is fastened q rod,
which is attached at its other end to the
platform, which j spulled up or down ac-
cording to the wire which the ball
strikes.
1t was in the manufacture of the bali
itself that Mr.. Kraft had the most diff
Guilty. 1t had to be a perfect sphere to
work properly, and it was turned down
bit by bit to the proper size. A little
guard rail is placed Mt each angle of the
groove, so that the ball will not jump
off. 1t takes the ball just five seconds
to make tho trip, q half second for each
section of the groove. The platform acts
as n pendulum with a five second swing.
The device is only interesting as a novel
ty, as it is moro susceptible to changes
in the weather than tho pendulum clock,
and has to be regulated frequently.
1t is interesting to figure out the dis
lance which the industrious little ball
travels from day to day. Every second
it runs 4 rs inches, OF % feet a minute.
This is a quarter of q milo an hour, or
9 miles q day, or 1870 miles q month, Or
21,790 miles a year, over 1000, 900 feet
Since the clock was first started the
ball has Travelled a distance equal to
nearly three-fourths of the way around
the globe. In that time it has not been
worn to any perceptible degree although
the brass surface on which it runs has
been ground off considerably.
II have had lots of offers for this
clock" said the old jeweler, as he put it
back on its shelf, "but l wouldn't sell it
for any price. twas a pleasure to work
out tho principle of the thing, but you
couldn't get me to make another one of
them for a good deal."-New York Sun.