The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-06-14
AN ANTIQUARY'S
CHIl CLOCKS.
a MONDAY Concert Of GOngS, CymbalS
and Tiny Clock Bells.
The Westminster, Cuckoo, Strassburg, Fan,
Russian, Napoleon, Marie Antoinette,
Louis XIV and Others

Many pedestrians passing through East
| Sixteenth street, between the hours of II
and o'clock in the afternoon, have been
attracted by the mingled sound Of silvery
J clock bells which echoed from the antigua
| rvs studio. / happened to be near there
| yesterday at the right time, and was treated
| to a "hymnal" ehanted by dozen chime
bells representing the noted nations OF the
| earth. walk through the various apart
mems in this interesting place revealed a
very fine collection of chimes. The smallest
one is the japanese. 1t consists of two flat
brass cymbas, held about two inches apart
| by a series Of complicated hair-line springs
/ AT the top is tiny ebony knob some
| what resembling the modern electric but
| ton. When this is pushed, the force sets
the wire tingling and Gnwinding, which.
| when it is entirely unwOHnd, brings the
| eymbals together with a clash sharp, shrill
and penetrating. This chime is over 100
years old, and was for half century used as
| call for tiffin, the MONDAY meal of the Japa-
| nese in the palace of the MikadO. 1t is thin
hammered brass. curved delicately and pro-
| fusely 10 consorted shapes Of figures and
flowers.
THE WESTMINSTER CHIMES
Are renowned for their euphony and sweet
ness of tone the wide world over. You read
in the books of the harmony expressed in
the tolling chime of the church bell in a
London suburb, but you never realize the
truth of the description until your own ear
listens to the melody.
The Westminster chimes are not all con-
fined in churches. In the olden times house
wives saved and economical from the early
days of their honeymoon to purchase a
Westminster chime clock, which would
chant hymn as the pendulum wagged and
the bell struck the hour.
Our antiquary has a dozen Of these West
minister chime clocks. all in different sizes,
and they all ring at once when II O'Clock
comes round. Besides their musical wonders
these old clocks are models of unique
mechanism.
There is one little timepieee of circular
shape, not more than a foot in diameter,
which contains the altar of church, with
all its ornaments and figures of three
priests. When the hour hand reveals the
sixty-minute traverse of time a tiny crack in
the top of the clock opens. up flies this
altar, with the priest and all. the chimes
ring out and the figures move back and for
ward as if alive. Then the echoes of the
chimes die away, the altar slowly descends
within the body of the clock and leaves the
looker-on astonished with abatement.
The cuckoo-chime clock shows big zoos
ter Growing and Tapping his wings when
the chime tolls the hour. This clock stands
some three feet from The floor. is long and
narrowly built and
GAYLY PAINTED IN RUSTIC SCENES
And landscapes. Cuckoo-elocKs are not
scarce Many of the Puritan fathers
brought them. with their household goods,
to our shores, and several we'll knOwn En-
glish- born citizens show great pride in the
possession of an Old-fashioned cuckoo clock.
The famous StraSSburg chime clock has
many limitations, which are exhibited all
over the country as specimens of the real
timepiecf but Mr.. Lanthier says, to his
| knowledge. there have never been but three
| in America. In tie first place." said he.
| 1.-THE duty is so enormous that only very
! wealthy man could afford TO bring il into
! the country; and, in the second place, the
manufacture of StrasSburg chime clocks
| ceased nearly quarter OF century ago
| and they were also so expensive that only
! the blueSt blooded families ever possessed
! them"
This chime clock has won for itself the
| finest reputation of any chime clock IN the
| world. Mr.. Lanthier has one OF the three
| in America: William K. Vanderbilt an
other. and George Plant, the rich railroad
| SOutherner, the other. Mr.. Vanderbilt
! paid $1,000 for his Ia very small-siZed one) at
| gluten berg, in Northern Germany. 1t
stands about three feet high. is shaped like
a small, fiat, gothic church-steeple; the
! sides are made up OF series OF small In
| dentationS in which are brackets Of walnut.
| The foundation wood of the clock on these
! brackets are figures or statuettes, which
] dance all sorts Of gay steps when the CLOCK
| bell is Ginning.
| The more ignorant natives of Northern
! Germany regard the Strassburg clock as
the work of the devil. They have legend
! to the effect that
A PIoUs PRIEST
| At one time dipped into the science of time
| and eternity, and finding that through
| prayer he could not obtain Inspiration.
| sought the aid and succOr or his Satanic
majesty to complete his cunning device.
The first clock was placed in st. Mary's
| Cathedral in Berlin, and after that smaller
ones were made for houses. The Strass-
| burg clock has most always an elaborate
| decoration somewhat after the style Of buhl
| furniture. which renders 1t exceedingly deli
| cate and artistic
! There is a seriously dignified air about
fine old Dutch ebony clock which stands
| uea rthe window and chimes in fnneTeal
| tones slow stroke like a requiem. 1t is in
| laid at the top with pearls. The Dutch are
very clever cloek-makers, and they have fur
| nished many of the best designs.
The fan chime clock Is unique enough to
| suit the most faStidiouS When the clock
| strikes the Ian OptllS anu tHo CHliub u6iio
! clash and ring and make terrible commo-
| ton, viii h is not as musical aS some OF the
| others, but far llvelieT
The old Hindoos told the flight of time by
| compass chime, which would be wound up
! like modern music box, and would dis
| penSe weird strains. A small. odd co
! pass chime of this sort can be seen in the
| aBtiquary's cabinet
The Russian chime clock has no peculiar
| musical features, but is different in shape
from anything modern in either English or
American make. The one exhibited here Is
OF sterling silver. with
BATTLE SCENE
! Engraved on its surface. Soldiers, horses
! and ancient implements of warfare indicate
| its antiquity. 1t is square, like the clocks
| of to-day, and only attracts attention by its
| exquisite carving.
| There is nothing so beautiful in all the
collection as the French chime clocks. Both
| in musical and artistic device they take the
| lead With none of the grOteSQueneSs of
| the German clock. the hideousness of the
| Japanese or plainneSs of the English, they
| rPyel in frames of gold and Jewels and often
scented woods. The Napoleon chime clock
| rings out complete tune at the hour time.
There are no moving figures or conspicuous
display of meC haniSm, but there is always
an exquisite landscape or figure piece,
painted by a master hand, on the outside,
rich with gay colorS, IN which Napoleon
| blue predOminateS.
Next in Importance in the French clock
! display is the Marie Antoinette chime clock.
| 1t is circular in shape, and has its chime
bells on the outside. They consist of four
gongs, with tongues of brass hung in the
| middle. When the hand stops on the h our
the gon9s strike each other and provoke
sweet sounds. The portrait of Marie An
toinette is on porcelain in the center.
| The Louis XIV clock is a model of skill
in carving The frame is literally covered
with dragons heads. inlaid in tulip, sandal
or Corean woods. The chimes are not ex-
traordinary
Perhaps the most imposing of all the
chime clocks is the white Italian marble
timepiece. which looks like
| A wHITED sEPULCHER