Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1892-06-14
HE TINKERS WITH TIME.
A MAN WHO REMEMBERS WATCHES
BUT FoReETs FACES.

/ The Physiognomy 81 u Timepiecef-Have
Regular Honr for winding The
watch Case Record-How Man Sent
n Valentine To His Son.
! In n iewelry store not a thousand miles
from, the City hall the watch department
4 In charge of pleasant faced, good ma
| tured man, whose weight must be close TO
200 pounds Among his other duties is
that OF winding watches, and this is A
duty which has to be attended TO on Sun
days as well as other days II is his custom
TO look after the finer grades Of watches.
| particularly when they are being regulated,
with especial care and he says that q good
watch ought to be wound about the same
time in each twentyfour hours.
THE wINDER's WORK.
| IF YOU are in the habit of winding your
watch about 10 clock or u O'Clock every
night" he remarked in conversation the
other afternoon, "if you are wise you will
not leave 1t until | or 2 O'Clock on the
nights now and then when you happen to
he up sc late Always wind 1t within the
space of one hour in the twenty four--that
is. If your average time Is half-past 10,
make Il IL rule TO wind it regularly between
10 and II, but the nearer you keep it to a
certain definite time the better OF course
it is impossible for me always to wind all
of the large number of watches here in the
store OH the minute every day. But with
the hest watches try hard to be very reg
ular When come down here on Sunday
forenoons of course ! am wholly uIidis-
turbed and am able to get through the
work in about two hours. On other days
am very likely to be called away by the
demands of customers, so that it may be 2
or o'clock in the afternoon before am
able to complete this part of my days reg
ular duty But it is always the cheaper
and less trustworthy watches that leave
to the last.
do you know that there Is something
singular about what may call the physi
ognomy of watch A good many people
will come here that don't recognize at ALL
but the moment ] look at their watches ]
recognize Them and in that way am able
to identify their owners. have not good
memory for faces, but | know watches
from the word go, and though it may seem
singular to you that the inside of Il watch
should convey more definite idea to my
mind than human face, it is really not
singular at all. have made a life long
study of watches, and it is the easiest thing
in the world to remember how the inside
Of one watch varies from that of another
OF course any body could see the difference
where they are made by different people or
are of different sizes. But have, in par
ticular, to remember how the regulators
stand. If a customer has his watch regu
lated and then comes here few weeks or
a few months afterward to have it touched
up again, unless | remember just how far !
moved the regulator the last time might
easily botch the whole job. So there are
many ways in which | differentiate one
PERSONS watch from another, though !
couldn't point them out in detail any more
than a mother of twins that look Just alike
to the casual observer can tell precisely
why she has never any difficulty in telling
one from the other.
HOW HE GETS HOME.
II said that didn't have a good memory
for faces Let me tell you another thing
have an excellent idea of locality, and if
had once been in place believe that
should recognize it again if were suddenly
dropped into it bf1hdfolded and then had
my eyes uncovered. Now, you may find it
hard to believe, but it is an actual fact that
do not know the number of my own
house. 1t happens to he the third in the
row, and in that way never have any diff
Guilty in finding it. How would it be- you
ask, if it were the seventeenth in long
count up to seventeen every time in that
case, but should choose some landmark
on which could depend, such as a tree OF
a lamppost, and take my bearings from
that On last ST. Valentine S day wanted
to send valentine to one of my boys, and
would you believe it'll actually had to
go to the book here in the store in which
} the addresses of all the employees are kept
in order to find out where ! lived am
afraid if were called as witness in court
and was not able to tell my street number
the judge and the jury would not have
much confidence in my testimony; and
shouldn't blame them. either But what
have told you is i'm actual fact.
Speaking of regulating watches once
more, there is recent simple device which
, makes it much easier for the matchmaker
than it used to be. 1t is merely circular
piece of paper made larger or smaller so as
just to fit the inside of watch cases of diff
ferent sizes. 1t is divided into columns fol
dates and other entries, so as to show the
condition of the watch at the time the en-
try is made. An o indicates that the watch
has been regulated; a star shows that i,
S had run down and had been set going
again. An l. indicates right and that nc
change is needed A plus sign shows that
the watch runs too fast, and "A minus sigr
that it goes too slow, and the number OF
! seconds entered in the next column shows
the rate of loss or gain per day. A charac
q ter like Il turned upside down indicates
a set This watch case record, as it is
called, is great convenience to us and il
causes no trouble to the owner of the
: watch in which it is placed Instead Of
having to go to our books to find out how
watch was running the last time we saw
it, the record is right under our eyes, ant
!, if the man whose special business it is t,
look after the regulating of watches hap
pens to be out, his assistant knows prett,
y; well what is needed. So if man goes t.
. another city and has occasion to consult
matchmaker, the latter can get on speak
ing terms with new watch so to say, il
: very short order. New York Tribune.
r What Hytlrophobia Is.
I A St. Louis physician named I w Thud