The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-12-06
MINSEAPoLIs' BIG CLOCK.
The Largest Timepiece in the Word on
This Continent.


The MAGNIFICENT courthouse in Mime
apolis was occupied or the 18TH instant
The citizens of that prosperous western
city viii set their watches Dy the lalb-
est time-piece in the world, the famous
Westminster clock not exceDted From
the Minneapolis Times ~ gained the iol-
lowing idea OF what tremendous analr
the clock j..
the largest size usually placed in towers,
Vet such a dial II set upon the face OF
one OF the great clock Gials for the tower
would hold the same relation 10 the great
dial that the second nand circle o.
watch does 90 the whole face Of the
watch II four men OF six feet stature
should stand in the tower opening one
upon the head Of another they Wouid
just reacn across II. Inc opening ~
the dial. go feet I'm the air, IS never
estimated by observers from the ErOunu
al It's proper size. 1t is larger than
railway tunnel -, 49,
tage could be elevated to 50 great
height and placed in the dial hole, the
sills resting upon the bottom or the RIM,
the roof would not touch the top. II
will take 2.WW feet Of plate-glass 70 siaze
the four dials To get an idea OF what
this means, IL is only necessary 10 say
that il the glass were laid down for a
walk, il would make walk ten leet
wide and extending the length OF Inc
..The hands are made Of copper. so as
to be impcrlshable and TO last, pracu-
caliy. like the building, through many
ages The minute hands are T. feet
long and > feet wide at their base. The
point OF each minute hand viii travel
10 miles year. Each minute OF the
dial marks of a space of u inches.
These monster hands are 10 be moved
simultaneously by compressed air through
proper mechanism. There really IS 10
clock In the tower. If We use the name
IN It's original sense, that Is, something
that click-clOcks' The clock Is far be-
low and IS called a master clock. aud
IN this case is a precision clock, exactly
like the one in the great Naval Observa-
tory in Washington-ihe clock that every
hour sends impulses over = the wires
throughout the United states, as the
heart sends the blood TO the arteries and
gives TO every point in the land the ex-
act time 20 a second.
This master clock in the courthouse
and city hali will be a time centre OF
itself. and Will not depend upon receiving
the Impulse from HaShirftl = because
It will run so accurately that such cor
reCtion viii not ne NECESSARY. y little
m ;chanism in the clock sends impulses
OF air each minute TO the tower. and this
impulse moves the hands one-half minute
each time, and as the impulse fades
away they move the other hall minute.
IL follows, that as precision CLOCK Is
accurate, so the hands upon the dal
must be accurate and show the. exact
time OF the precision clock. Not only does
this compressed air move the hands,
but IL strikes the great bells. a bell
Weighing 1850 pounds will name the
hour. I'VE other bells (the largest weighs
300 pounds. will. at the quarters, form
u peal. The peal will be st 10 What
Is called the WESTMINSTER chimes" All
OF this labor Is performed by the invisible
fluid which in It's free state SURROUNDS
us and makes life possible. but when sub
iected 10 pressure forms a delicate means
OF transmitting power. The air IS com
pressed by suitable compressors IN the
base OF the building.
be well to mention that all OF the rooms
OF the building will he supplied with
smaller and suitable diais, the hands OF
fmpulso a- the hands OF the great clock
far above them As all move by the
same impulse. all must show inc same
time and be equally accurate.