The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-09-03
CURIOUS CLOCKS.
TiMEPlECES OF WONDERFUL AND
ELABORATE CONSTRUCTION.
Skeletons Struck the Hours In the Hindoo
Princes Ciock-One Timepiece with
Ninety five Faces-Birds and Mice An
nouncing the Hours.

'h"ces Siock-one Iimepiece with
Ninety five Faces-Birds and Mice An
nOuncing the Hours.
The recent exhibition Of clocks and
watches held at the Royal aquarium In
London was the means of bringing before
the notice OF the public for the first time
many very curious examples of the horol-
ogist's skill This interesting collection,
numbering upward of 1000, included q
Sabbatarian timepiece, which refused to
go on Sundays and which revealed to all
who consulted the dial on that day the
inscription, Remember the Sabbath ;"
This remarkable clock played different
tune every quarter of an hour and contain
ed among its numbers the One Hundredth
Psalm.
Included also i'm this fine collection,
probably the largest ever brought togeth-
or, was the old dial which was part of
the furniture in the house where Horatio
Nelson, the great naval commander, was
born and the first clock made by John
Harrison, the inventor of the chronome-
ter. This little piece of mechanism had
wooden works and appeared to be an OBJ
Ject of the greatest interest to the many
members Of the craft who visited the
show
An account of most remarkable clock,
the property Of Hindoo prince, was re-
Gently given in South African paper.
Near the dial is large gong, hung on
poles, while underneath, scattered on the
ground, Is pile of artificial human
skulls, ribs, legs and arms, the whole
number Of bones in the pile being equal to
the number in ~ human skeletons. When
the hands of the clock indicate the hour of
/, the quantity of bones needed to form q
complete human skeleton come together
with snap. BY some mechanical contriv-
ance the skeleton springs up, seizes a
mallet and, walking up to the gong
strikes one blow. This finished, he re-
turns to the pile and again falls to pieces
At 2 o'clock two skeletons get up and
strike, while at the hours of noon and
midnight the entire heap springs up in
the shape of ~ skeletons and strike, one
after the other q blow on the gong and
then fall to pieces as before.
Undoubtedly one of the most wonderful
clocks in the world is that originally
manufactured for tho late Duke Charles
Of Brunswick, which is now being ex-
hibited in st. Petersburg There are no
fewer than 95 faces to this colossal time
piece. 1t indicates simultaneously the
time of day at 80 different spots on the
surface of the earth, besides the movement
of the earth around the sun, the phases of
the moon, the signs Of the zodiac the pas.
sage over the meridian of more than 80
stars of the northern hemisphere and the
date according to the Gregorian, Greek
Mussulmen and Hebrew calendars. At
his death Prince Charles bequeathed the
clock to the Swiss confederation. So COM
plicated are the works that 1t took two
years to put them together after the clock
had been sent in detached pieces from
Switzerland to Russia.
The timepiece ordered of Boucher by
the Duo d'Aumale's grandfather for the
Prince of Wales, afterward George Nv Of
England, was recently sold in Paris. 1t
is in the form of negress head, modelled
admirably. Jewels are incrusted in the
bronze around the neck to form neck
lace, in the woolly hair, and in the bust as
a clasp for the handkerchief. A pair of
openwork gold earrings, long and delicate
ly carved, hang from the ears On pulling
one of them the hour is shown on the
right eye and tho minute on the left If
the other earring is drawn, set of musical
bells, lodged where the brain should be,
chimes out tie time of day.
A clock without works is distinct nov
city, yet ono formerly stood in the splendid
Cour de Marble at Versailles, where 1t was
installed in the reign of Louis XIV. Its
hand always pointed to the exact moment
of the death of the last king of France,
and it never moved during his successor S
reign. Thus, as one writer has put 1t, it
was perpetual reminder to the most
splendid of courts that "the paths of glory
lead but to the grave"
In the private collection of gentleman
In the south Of England Is timepiece
which records the age of all the planets by
an arrangement which gives the exact
revolutions of each one. Besides giving
| the golden number, the dominica letter
and other similar information of equal
| interest, this remarkable clock records the
| time when 1t is high tide at various points
| In Europe.
Some time ago description appeared
in an American journal of japanese
clock standing in frame 8 feet high and
8 feet broad, representing landscape of
great beauty. In the foreground were
plum and cherry trees In full bloom, while
in the rear was hill, gradual In ascent,
| from which flowed a cascade of crystal.
From this point threadlike stream Gid
! ed along, encircling rocks and tiny islands
in its wanderings but presently losing
| itself in faroff stretch of woodland. In
the sky turned a golden sun, indicating as
| 1t passed the striking hours, which were
all marked upon the frame below, where
slowly creeping tortoise served as hand.
A bird of exquisite plumage, resting on
| the branch Of plum tree, proclaimed by
its singing the expiration Of each hour,
while when the song ceased little mouse
sprang from grotto close by, and, run
ming over the hill, hastily disappeared In
the distance John Walton Sellick In
New York Times.
The Way Out.
Bless the babies. We couldn't get along
without them. But how careful we have
IL - l.. l. IL