Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-10-02
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QUEER TIME-TELLEHs.
How People In Old Times neP'
Track OF the Passing Hours


n collection Of clocks and devices Tor
telling the time among various people In
different parts of the world. says lhe
Chicago Inter-Ocean. The result oil seVe-
raj years labor in this direction by
number of persons connected with that
institution have recently been arranged
and classified. and are now on eXhipl-
ton TO visitors. Professor Langley 'ne
secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.
has made a hobby OF collecting eioch9
az ancient design and history, and seVe-
raj were brought by him from the Ola
countries which he had visited IN the
last few summers.
The devices 90 back to the primitive
times when sun-dials were In use ana
constituted among the mass OF the peo-
pla the only method OF measuring the
Iapse Of time There Is one dlal III the
collection such as were not uncommon
I'm the rural regions OF the Northern
States thirty or :orty years ago hoh
glasses such as were used IN EhglahI
during Shakespedre's time, ana models OF
the early clocks which were run ~
weights. are included in the number OF
oueer Inventions large number or
watches illustrate the progress in the
make II that important mechanism.
ono of tho curatOrs. who has made
study OF the subject, said. In referring 10
tho collection. that one Of the eaiiieS'
methods az committing time Of which there
fs any record was among the Bapylonlau9.
They used staff stuck in the ground or.
erected perpendicular pillar m sunny
Mace The sun-lial was speedily evolNeu
rom this. II was first called a ghomOn.
and The first OF these instruments recorded
l,t
II is believed. however. that dials wert
constructed on mathematical principles
long before that year. Big posts were un-
Ioubtedly placed upon wooden or stone
bases. but they were 50 rude and IN
w.pldy that most OF the people probably
preferred To guess the time rather tnau
attempt to compute IL from the shadow.
The progress I'm the invention of devices
for measuring the flight of the hours was
very slow II Was hundreds Of years be
fore the sand-glass was worked out "
answered very well To mark the duration
Of time. but for counting the hours ONLY
tine wealthy who could afford an eiaborat'
improvement on the device. could utiliz"
it. II will be noticed that all thes" early
time keepers were not portable, ana a'
number Of years elapsed before any sue
cess was made In manufacturing time
keeper that could be- carried about. The
pocket ring-d,al was the first solution OF
this problem They were Invented about
l00 H. G. They were manufactured IN
large quantities as ate as the seventeenth
century and sold 70 those who were too
poor 10 purchase watches
The water-clOck vas the successor OF
these earlier Inventions This was an IN
yention of the AleXandriaus. ana was
brought out about the time Of the birth
n m
duration Of time by allowing water T.
escape from a cavity through regulated
flow. 1t met with popularity in Greece.
where II was introduced and used to mei-
sure the time for speakers in Athenian
courts Of Justice The first water was
given 70 the accuser. the second 20 tht
accused. and the third 10 the JuigeS.
4 special ofiic was appointed 10 watch
the water-clock and see that IL wa
stopped during any interruption. The
amount of water 10 each speaker wa
regulated by tn importance Of the case.
II was intended also To make tn
Athenans speak 10 the point without
wandering from their subject.
King Alfred. II England had variation
of the wat r-clock. wn.cn consisted OF
burning candles that had rings around
them at various intervals. In some az
the sc devices coggej wheels We're made 20
receive their impetus from falling water
Bv this method there was a regularity or
motion. but "A want of equality ln force
one Of these clocks, sent by Haroun
Alraschil i'm N1 90 Charlemagne. was
considered one OF the wonders Of tn
world. The wheels were set IN motion
hv falling water. AMI there were twelve
little brass doors which were opened
by the revolution OF the wheels. Little
balls tn rolled out. marking the time
Of day. Although the time was hardly "a
exact as that required for running
modern express train, il was very accu-
rate for those days.
As the balls rolled out they fell upon a
brass bell, striking the hours. The doors
remained open until 70 O'Clock, when
figures Of twelve knights rode out on
horseback and paraded before the dial.
\ monk named VALLEY modified these
dlals. and first gave them a scientific cha
ractcr. He divided "a cylinder into several
small cells, and as the water flowed from
one to another the centre of gravity
was changed. and by the use Of an in
dicator as the suspended cylinder re-
viewed the hours were marked.
The invention OF the clock. in principle
as il Is known to-day soon followed Its
origin is unknown, but clocks were known
in Italy as early as the tenth century
some tnluh ulcE were I4St Inv ntel by
the Saracens From that time many
elaborate and whimsical designs were con-
structed. and those which were skil.ully
and wonderfully made brought fabulous
prices. An old Italian soldier. who served
prior 10 1853. constructed one OF IN.
most curious Of these. BY its mechanism
the figure Of a tortoise was made to drop
into a plate Of water having he hours
marked on its rim. The figure would
float around and stop at the proper hour.
telling the time like "a learned pig" a
lizard also was made IN the same time
Keeper TO ascend 2 pillar on which the
hours We're marked. and point out the
time as it advanced. y mouse did the
same thing by creeping along an hour
marked cornice. The figure Of 4 golden
cock that tapped its wings twice With
the approach Of the hours and crowed
twice WAS also = popular fayorite for
ancient tmekeepers.