The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1897-10-22
THE CLOCK WINDER.
A NEW YORK MAN WHO MAKES HIS
LIVING AT THIS CALLING.

whims of Some of His Patrons Whose
Timepieces He Looks After-Mystery of
the Clock That Would Not Go on Friday.
Twenty Clocks In One House.
Clock winding seems a simple enough
task to be performed by owners for
their respective timepieces, but there are
many people who find it sufficiently
burdensome to make them delegate it to
some one else. Hence has arisen the
profession of clock winder, which as
yet claims probably fewer members
than any other calling in the city. For
some years jewelers. have attended to
the repairing of clocks which they sold
and have even looked after the winding
where this was especially desired, but
they never tried to obtain this kind of
business, and it was done merely as an
accommodation to their customers. Now
there is at least one man in New York
there may he more, though not many
whose only occupation is the wind
ing, regulating and occasional cleaning
of clocks for numerous families. he
makes daily rounds so as to cover his
entire route, but he never visits the
same house oftener than once week.
On that day his coming is expected, and
he has free access to all the rooms,
whether they are occupied at the time
or not. Through the various halls and
apartments he goes, from the top of the
house to the bottom, winding the clocks
and giving a touch here and there to a
regulator where he finds it necessary.
OF course he does not pay any attention
to the little nickel alarm clocks, which
run for only one day. His care, being
given weekly, is spent upon the eight
day clocks of more expensive design and
workmanship
The clock winder whom The Tribune
reporter saw had several stories to tell
about the pursuit of his occupation.
Some people are very particular about
the striking of their clocks, :" he said
"They will ask me if l can't arrange to
have all the timepieces in the house
strike together. Now, as general
thing, that is an impossibility, and III
tell you why Some clocks are arranged
to strike jus. half a minute before the
hour, some for a quarter of a minute
before, some for few seconds after the
hour and so on. You see if | fixed them
SO that they would strike together they
would not be exactly together in point
of actual time, which is more important.
In one house ON my list the family owns
al I X r
perhaps more-strike III unison, and
the others all within minute My or
ders in this house are to have all the
clocks except one at precisely the cor
rect time This odd one is the timepiece
in the bedroom of the mistress of the
house. and she wishes it kept three
minutes fast. | think that is the only
instance among my customers of any
body who wants clock perpetually
fast, and | am very. certain there is nc
one who asks me to keep one slow.
"When | undertake the care of the
clocks in a house, nobody else is allow
ed to touch them, and the servants in
particular have orders never to move OF
interfere with them in amy way. Some
times this is done accidentally, and it
is hard to find out how the clock has
been injured A few months ago I lost
one of my best houses because there was
one clock which / could not seem tt
put in proper order. l would take il
away, clean it thoroughly and look tC
every smallest part of the mechanism.
Apparently it made no difference. The
clock positively refused to run right.
Finally gave it up, and that family
had mighty poor opinion of my abil-
tiles as clock repairer.
''Some weeks after that | came across
clock in another house which acted il
exactly the same way. was puzzled
for awhile. Finally noticed that it al
ways stopped Oh Fridays That wa!
queerer than ever, until by chance l hit
upon the solution of the mystery. The
servant, while busting the room ON thai
day, was i'll the habit of passing hel
cloth along the mantle under the clock.
This would have made no difference
with many tinepieces, but this one had
an open bottom, through which the til
of the pendulum projected The busting
cloth just touched this enough to STOP
it. The girl did not know what she had
done, and thus the family were mysti-
fed anew each week by finding that the
clock would not so on Friday.
81 clean all my clocks regularly once
in two years, and in that way keep them
in proper running order. Most people
think that it is just as well to let a
clock run until it stops, fairly clogged
up with dirt, but that ism so. By that
time it may be SO bad that it will be
impossible ever to make it run as accu-
rately as it did before.
81 am usually paid by the month te
take entire charge of all the clocks in a
house, it being understood that / make
weekly visits Sometimes, though,
am employed by the year. In the case
of the house was telling you Of, whore
they have 20 clocks, they pay me $1aC
annually for the work. 1t takes a good
deal of my time in the course of Il
months, and don fill my pockets as
fast as some folks seem to think