Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-10-26
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THE CLOCK NINDER.
A NEW YORK MAN WHO MAKES b,s
 LIVING AT rHis CALLING.

Twenty Clocks Tn ona Ronse.
 Clock winding seems a simple enoneh task to be performed by owners for their respective timepieces, but there are many people who find it sufficiently burdensome to make them delegate ii fo 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 jewellers have attended to the repairing of clocks which thev sold aud have even looked after the winding where this was especially desired, but they never tried to obtain this kind o2 business, and it was done merely as aa accommodation to their customers. Now theVe is at least one man ill New York there may be 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 bis entire routs. but he never visits the same hcuSa oftenef than once week. On that day his coming Is expected, and be has free aecess to sll the rooms, whether they ara occupied at the time CT not. Through the various halls and apart he goes, from the top Of the house to the bottom. winding the clocks aud giving a touch here and there to Q 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 laore 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 I can arrange to have all the timepieeea in the house strike together. Now, as a general thing, that is an impessibility, and I'll tell Yon why. Some clocks are arranged Co strike just half minute before the hour. some for a quarter of 8 minute before, some for q few seconds after the hour and so on. Ton see if l fixed them so that they would strike together they wonld not be exactly together in point of actual time, which ismore important In one house on my list the family owns % clocks. or these suppose or G. perhaps more-gtrlke in unison, and the others all within I minute. My uE. ders in this house are to have all the clocks except one at precisely the cor. fect time. This odd one is the timepieG8 in The bedroom of the mistress Of the house, and she wishes 1t kept three minutes fast 1 think that is the only instance among my customers of any. body who wants q clock perpetnally fast. aud 1 am very certain there is no one who asks me to keep enc slow.
 When 1 undertake the care Of ths clocks iD a house, nobody else is allow ed to touch them. and the servants i'll particular have orders never to move or interfere with theIa i'll any way. Some times this is done accidentally, and it Is hard to 1lnd out how the clock has been injured 4 few mouths ago lost one of my best houses because there was one clock which | could not seem ts put in proper order. would take it away, clean 1t thoroughly and look tC every smallest part Of the mechanism. Apparently 1t made no difference. The clock positively refused to run right. Finally gave it up, and that family had mighty poor opinion of my abil- ities Us clock repairer.
 Some weeks after that came across q clock in another house which acted ia exactly the same way. was puzzled for awhile. Finally noticed that 1t al- ways stopped on Fridays, That was oueerer than ever, until by chance 1 hib upon the solution of the Inysteey. The servant, while dusting the goen on that day, was i'll the habit of passing her cloth along the mantle under the clock. This would have made DO difference with many timepieees, but this oRe had an open bottom, through which the tip of the pendulum projected. The dusting cloth just touched this enough to stop it. The girl did not know what sine had done, and thus the family were mysti, fled anew each week by finding that ths clock would not go on Friday.
 T clean all my clocks regularly once in fwoyea and in that way keep them in proper running order. Most people think that it is just as well to let e clock run until it stops. fairly clogged up with dirt, but that isn't so. By that time it may he so had that it will be impossible ever to make if run as aceu- rately as it did before.
 T am usually paid hy the month to take entire charge of all the clocks in house, it being understood that l make weekly visits. Sometimes, though, l an employed by tho year. In the case of the house ! was :s3lssg yau oF, where they have 20 clocks, they pay me Sl00 annually for the work. Ie takes 8 good deal of my time in the course of 12i aud don fill my pockets as fast as some folks seem to think l ought, . concluded the clock wlnder with smile.--New York Tribune.
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 Scarcity of Material.