The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-01-18
wAroHEa AND NAaNErIsM.
People Who Believe Their Wetches
Are Stopped By Electric Cars

Are stopped oy Hiecrr1c NaF5.
From the Washington Star.
"This watch Of mine" said he, es he
leaned over the counter in the store OF q
jsweler on Ninth street the other day,
touching the elbow Of Star reporter &C
cideDtly as be spoke, this watch Of mine,
say, has kept perfect time for Ave years,
and has not stopped once during all that
period, and here it is going slow and losing
nearly an hour a day. What shall do
with it!'
The jsweler took the piece and smiled
"How long have you had itT' he asked
Five years" was the reply; and It has
run Continuously
The ieweler smiled again, and was evil
IDENTIFY about to dispose Of his diagnosis OF
the case when the watch owner went on TO
say, in a rather aggrieVed tone. as II he
wanted to make q complaint against some
one:
THAT watch always kept perfect time
until last week, and it was Wednesday,
think, that / had to take ride out 70
lexington on the electric care. The next
day found the watch running slow and
am pretty sure that the works have been
magnetizad by the electric current OF the
line. / think that it Is a shame that there
Is not some method whereby passengers can
be protected from the loss OF their property
Hnile LleY rue on btlS
The smile Of the matchmaker deepened
little and De gave the reporter barely per.
ceptible wink as he told the irate individual
to call in the morning and he would have
his watch demagnetzed by that time, and,
handling his customer cheap timepiece to
carry in the meantime, he bade him good
morning. As soon as the coast was clear
the smile returned and intensified until it
was a real true and earnest laugh that caused
ba dYtlf ~ flaa oil nm
shake out OF their course
''He Is but one Of hundred men whom l
have had to humor lately" he went on to
say, as soon as he could straighten bis face.
"His watch is good one, aud there is not
better timepiece In the city; but, as he has
said. it has run without stop for five years,
and that is enough to make any watch stop.
This watch is simply dirty and all 1t needs
is little cleaning, l am sure. l could have
given it to him in an hour. but 1t is better to
humor such people. When they take an
idea Of q certain thing it is dangerous work
to try TO undeceive them, for they might
60 to some other place for sympathy.
There is not one watch in a million,
would aim st say, that ia affected by the
current on an electric street car line. Of
course there are plenty Of cases where
watches have been magpetizsd by the
effect of dynamos and other electric ma
chimes, but do not believe shat the current
of a street car line can possibly affect
watch. There is something peculiar about
this matter. Some watches you cannot pcs.
sibly affect by electricity, while o hers go
to pieces, as it were, as soon as they are
brought within ten feet of dynamo. It is
claimed that there Is non-magnetic watch
made, and this is probably true. but l do
not thiak that they are as good time pieces
as the others. They do not seem to be able
to combine the two qualities of being proof
against magnetism and keeping true time.
This man who has just left here is, as
say, sample case. His watch has been
running SO long that he imagines that it is
impossible for it TO go wrong. He forgets
that a watch needs food and care once in o
while, just as much as does a man, and
when his watch gets tired aud rests he
thinks that the trouble is caused by some
other means than a natural cause. Then
he happens to think that he had been on an
electric road not long before, aud, not know
ing very much about electricity-few people
do-he at once ssizes ON this as an excuse
for his magnificent watch. 1t has, in all
probability, worn out all Of its oil, or it may
haYe run so long that it has worn
grooves in the case, as often happens. la
the former instance ID is a matter of but a
few minutes to remedy the evil but, when
there are ruts in the case, il is often impos-
sible to get the works into shape again so
that they will fad their old places. 1t is
very easy to demagnetize q watch. All you
have to do is to make a series of counter
passes over it ia certain way, and the
deed is done. But you have to know how
to do it. would not advise you to try it
unless you are a matchmaker. / do not tell
this man who has just left US all this, be-
cause he wants to be humored, and humor-
ng men Is a matter Of business"