The Livingston enterprise. [volume] (Livingston, Mont.) 1883-1914, 1892-08-27
each
An Old Watch .

Anaconda Standard Seth Longa-
baugh, prospector and mine owner of
Butte, has in his possession probably
one OF the most valuable relics in the
country. 1t is a time piece in the shape
of a watch, and bearing the name of
''Joseph Davis, London, 1221." The
genuineness of the article is ungues
toned, an its great value LES in the
fact that the earliest record of pocket
time piece is 1494, and is of Swiss make.
The Davis watch has been an heir
loom of the Swan family for nearly 200
years. 1t finally came into the posses
sion of Frank Swan, one of the family
who lives in Nevada. He did not appre-
ciate the value of the watch, and gave it
to his children to play with. and when
Mr.. Longabaugh first saw it, about four
teen years ago, the hands had been
brc.sen off, and one Of the three cases
within which the works were inclosed
was lost. He recognized it's value and
secured it from Swan. The watch was
examined by Tucker, the San Francisco
jeweler, and after making researches he
pronounced it genuine. More recently
Hight & Fairfield of Butte made search
in the misty past, but the earliest date
watches was 1900.
The watch in question doubtless rep
resents the labor of many years, as it
was made entirely by hand, and the tool
marks throughout all its parts are plain
ly visible. and the watch was probably
the only one made by Mr.. Davis of Lon
don. The machinery consists OF large
steel balance wheel, which works with q
pendulum like lever, and in place Of
the modern hair spring is long stee
chain which winds and unwlnds upon
pulleys. Another large wheel, the pur
pose Of which is not apparent, looks like
belt wheel on threshing machine.
The works are protected and held to-
gether by fine ornamental network o1
J. brass, carved out by hand and riveted
together with brass rivets, which show
plain hammer marks On the back o
the works is polished steel face similar
to the second dial on a modern watch
but the figures running from l to 6
The object of it has never been figured
out by any of the jewelers. who have ex
amined it. The face of the watch is O.
polished steel, and the hours are marked
| IL hx
edge of the faces are figures from five tt
sixty, to represent either seconds ol
minutes. In the center of the dial IS thu
British coat of arms in raised brass, con
sisting of the crown, lion and unicorn.
The whole works are enclosed in sill
yer hemisphere, the silver being ham
mered and shaped by hand, the indent
ures of the hammer showing distinctly
= On the outside of the silver case is an
, other of hammered brass, and the evi
: dence is plain that at one time ther
: was still third case on the outside o
: these two. The watch was wound VI
with some kind of key, the keyhol
being protected by a rude trap or slidin
door.
The watch has a stem nearly tw
t inches long, and ring on the end larg
= enough to hitch horse to. The stem
of solid silver and in the middle is neal
f ly half worn away, which alone is sligh
indication of it's extreme age. The watc
:; is said to have been in running order u
g to about twenty years ago. 1t weigh
5 about four ounces, and in shape look
]. like baseball cut in halves. Mr.. Long;
. baugh has at different times been otfere
i several small fortunes for his relc, bu
d he says it is not for sale. He will hay
r it on exhibition at the Worlds Fair.
d ---'--------
s. Sacks and sacking twine at krieger