The herald., 1894-05-07
WATCH DISEASES.
EoMET4lNG LIKE THOSE OF THE HUI
MAN MECHANISM.

JoWcter Cails the Ailments OF a Watch
Consumption. rheumatism and Hemrt
Failure and Explains the Analysis In
Each Case.
That's the twenty.third today
we're going to have an electric storm, "
remarked a down town jeweler as he
was handed aiwatch having broken
handspring for repair.
How do you make that out?v in
quired the customer.
why, by the number of broken
mainsprinas, to be sure, was the reply.
There is a regular epidemic to which
watches are subject, much as human
ity is to smallpox and cholera. 1t is
produced by certain electric conditions
of the atmosphere. The handspring &C.
comes magnetized and more brittle, and
a slight shock will break it. Occasion
ally it will snap with no apparent cause
whatever. l have had it happen to
watches lying in the showcase or upon
the rack there. You know, of course,
that such atmospheric conditions fire.
quently disturb telegraph and telephone
lines and even prevent communication.
That might be expected, as they are
operated by electricity, but the effect
.on watches is singular. Frequently
even eretiundcrstorm will produce
it, but an auroral display, which seems
to be an electrical disturbance, is sure
to result in many broken watch springs,
and no better term could be applied to
the trouble than epidemic.
mo, tlfere is no reliable protection
against it, though many things have
been tried and many thousands OF dol
lars have been spent. Attempts have
been made to temper the springs by
electricity, a sort Of ipooulation against
the disease. Then small plate or disk
OF soft iron placed within the case to
absorb the magnetism, disinfectant,
go tospeak, has given some good results.
"Do you know" he continued in a
discursive tone, THAT a.watch is SINH
lar in many ways to human being? 1t
has its diseases and decays, its epiden-
les, old age and finally dissolution.
Yes, and each watch has its individual
ity and specja. oharacteristics, and the
finer thewafrh thestronger this person
ality, if it can be SO called, exactly as
culture develops and strengthens indi"
vidual character among mankind.
Now, in this epidemic this watch
feels the atmospheric. condition as you
do before a thunderstnrsn, only more
acutely, as does equity or rheumatic
person, being specially susceptible to
such inflnence, and, perhaps having an
Inherent weakness at one point in the
handspring that snaps. fractures vital
organ. Heart failure it might be
termed, for the handspring Of the
watch isits heart, its driving force.
True, we can replace the handspring,
which cannot be said flor tho human
heart, but theIe is no telling how soon
surgery Will attain tlfat result.
'Thensthere's tie shairspring of the
watch, equivalent to its brain. 1t is
affected by proximity to strong local
lied electric force-for instance, the
generator or dynamo OF an electric
plant. 1t becomes nagnetised and stops
"a sort of paraIysis. The ncnmagnetic
watches have fsairsprings made of a
composition metal, tin, zinc and other
varieties. hesofbsiron plate or disk l
mentioned neutrality-suspicious. to the
handspring as well ,as The mainsoring by
absorbing the magnetism. A few years
since a number of railroad companies
had these iron disks applied to the
watches of many of their employees,
but they are by no means a complete
disinfectant.
The lever Of watch also is subject
to electric influences, and when polar
lied, having forked end, it becomes
regular horseshoe magnet and first re-
tards, then stops the hairspring-a sort
of spinal meningitis, you see.
1.-The jewels and bearings are its
joints and processes and are subject to
sprains and dislocatiois as we'll as in
fammation or toomuch friction. Any
severe shock may resultin a sprain or
even dislscation tosthess joints. The
latter will stop it and probably have
immediate attention, while the sprain
may remain unnoticed, but will render
its movement irregular and eventually
cause far greater Injury than an actual
bI eaking of the joints. At seas on the
approach of a storm the ships chro-
nometers, of which three are usually
carried, are put to bed, as it is called,
being packed inspiliows to prevent in
jury by sudden jar from the ships vio-
lent motion. A few minutes error in
the time Of making observations might
throw a vessel many miles out of its
course.
Then a watch has kind Of rheu-
matisin. The'oiiswith which les joints
are fabricated dries and forms corun-
dun, which irritates and cuts the pin
ions and bearings, creating friction or
inflapmation.
Dirt to a watch, like biliousness
20 humanity, is IT'S most frcauept, dis
agreeable and kastsdangsrous ailment.
n. come from all sertsaof things--small |
6fs from the pocket, fine dust, micro
Hcopic matter from many sources, work
through into the case and collectively |
disturb, retara and finally prevent mo-
tion altogether. Tie systen becomes
clogged, and thorough cleaning out is
the only corrective. IN beth these lat
ter Diseases atmospheric conditions ma
terially influence the patient's condition,
dry, dusty weather fastening the devel-
opment and rendering the attack more
acute. Rustsor cdnsumptipn is as dead
ly to watxh as tpghumanity. and after
it reaches certain stage is incurable.
Once in the system' its effects are never
wholly egadieated, and a warm, moist