Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1897-09-16


is carried upon an extension of the base
upon which the works" are placed.
The motor shaft carries small
grooved pulley from which coiled
wire belt runs to friction pulley on
the arbor or shaft of the escapement
gear, which is thus subjected to a
steady pull, answering to the pull Of
the weights in an ordinary clock. Every
movement of the escapement allows the
shaft to rotate the required amount,
and the resulting movements of the
clock are transmitted by light hollow
shafting to the tower clock dials. A
cam on the minute shaft makes an cleo
trical contact once minute and sends
a current to "a contact disk on the hour
shaft The disk is furnished with four
contact points, which operate every
quarter of an hour, to throw in mag
netic clutch and start the Westminster
chimes barrel, which is in the lower
right hand corner of the clock. This
barrel is similar to those which are used
in music box, being furnished with
number of pins which operate similarly
to those Of music box cylinder. They
do not strike the teeth of a comb, how
ever, but serve to lift series of small
electric keys and pass successive cur
rents through series Of wires which
lead up to the chimes in the belfry.
Beneath the ten bells are placed ten
powerful solenoid magnets, one to each
bell. Each of these consists Of an iron
armature, which hangs, when the mag
net is not charged, just within and
above the solenoid coil When the pins
of the rotating barrel below strike
key, current is passed through the
solenoid coil in the tower, and the arma-
ture is pulled violently down within
the coil. The chain by which the arma-
ture is hung runs up over pulley and
attaches to the clapper of the bell,
which is thus caused to make one stroke
for every contact.
A similar mechanism to that above
described serves TO throw in wooden
cylinder or barrel at 9 o'clock every
evening, which plays what is known as
the curfew hymn. and after the hymn
is played the clock remains silent
through the night, in order that the
neighborhood may not be- disturbed by
the bells
In addition to the automatic mechan-
ism for striking the quarter chimes, the
hour and playing the curfew n separate
keyboard is provided in the small room
at the base of the tower in which the
clock mechanism is located. 1t is carried
in "a boxlike structure, shaped something
after the fashion of reed organ, and
it is used every morning at 8 O'Clock
for playing a hymn tune by hand, and
also at the regular Sunday services
This key board has electrical connection
with the magnets in the tower and OPP
crates In the same manner as the appa-
ratus already described. In case there
should be any breakdown of the cleo
trical connections or failure of the cur
sent, each of the connecting chains be-
tween the magnets and the bells is fur
nished with wooden lever which is
hinged to the frame of the magnet box
This arrangement is the same as is used
in the ordinary tower chimes for tune
playing.
The chime consists of ten Meneely
bells, the largest of which weighs about
5000 pounds and the smallest $50
pounds, and to strike a sufficiently pow
erful blow ON bell weighing ton and
half requires considerable amount
of force. AS matter of fact pull is
exerted equivalent to between three and
four horsepower, and to secure this the
main current from the dynamo is
thrown on by means of the relay box
which is attached to the wall of the
tower The cost of the current for run
ming the motor is estimated at 6.10
cents per day, and the clock has proved
to be reliable timekeeper. Scientific
American.