The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1894-07-25
How Watches Run.

Every man in his own magnet l.
the proposition recently evolved by
Washington jeweler of many years eN-
perienee. p. +. Schmitt has IA shop in
Eleventh street, near the avenue, and
there, in little Old-fashiOned brick
house, one Of the architectural relies Of
the city, he runs hospital for disabled
timepieces OF all sorts, with the wards
Of his institution full most Of the time.
Here, through the experience Of many
years, he has discovered mystic bond
betwixt the watch and its owner that
few have suspected.
at Is all dependent ON the animal
magnetism of the owner, whether OF
not his watch will run fast or slow
said the jeweler when explaining his
theory To the postman- The same
watch will run at different speeds when
carried by different persons, and no
person is likely to put watch on and
have it keep satisfactory time without
returning once or twice 10 the jeweler
to have the regulator touched to get the
system oft keyed up to the same pitch
as that of its owner.
''NOw, | used 10 have friend who
had an excellent Swiss watch, while
had one of another make. BY mutual
consent at one time we exchanged
watches, and, though they had gone
all right before, they then changed
their gait entirely, mine running five
minutes ahead i'm a couple of days and
his running five minutes behind.
There was ten minutes difference in
our temperanents. But that Is moth
ing compared To the difference between
some people. Sometimes a watch that
will run well on one man will not 90
with another, and there are some peO-
Pile who cannot get watch that will
run on them at all
II remember a good many years ago
/ had man come to my place with an
old-fashioned English lever silver
watch to be repaired. had some very
nice gold watches in stock at the time,
and as he looked well off tried to sell
him one, but he laughed and said if
any of the gold watches | had i'm the
store would run twenty-fOur hours in
his pocket he would give me twice
what asked for it, He said he had
tried all sorts of gold watches and had
hot
run while he had it. He had expert
mented with his brothers watch only
little while before, he said, and it
cost him $3.50 to have il demagnetized
after he had carried il in his pocket
two days. Most silver watches acted
the same way with him, but the old
English watch he was carrying had
double inside ease TO it and worked
fairly well.
ave never been able to tell whether
the average watch will run faster when
il is in its owners possession or not
There seems 20 he no rule ON the sub
ject, but | can never regulate watch
VA ltN SNiu-htAlh tAitAt anu tiANi -4fN
il TO customer and have it keep good
time Then there i variation with a
change in vitality. \ watch will or
dinarily run slower the longer it i ear
ried after cleaning, because the oil
dries and the bearings are harder, but
/ have had customers come To me and
say that their watches had started up
and gone to gaining time several
months after they had been eleaned. |
Just tell them that / can't account for
it except ON the theory of a change in
their own vitality or temperament
It's one of those things that cannot be
explained, but it is true nevertheless
- Washington Post.