The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-09
soME wonogRfuL CLOCKS.
The Worlds Marvels of Astronomical and
Chroaometric Mechanism.
From Tit Bits.

heEhHmt%m.
/ From Tit-Bits.
or course every Briton has heard al
one time or other Of the famous clock
/ adjoining the houses Of parliament. No
doubt he imagines 1t To be a very fine
structure, and, as a matter of fact, ii
i is regarded as the hest specimen i'm our
4 country but there are many more won
i derful clocks in existence to-day, per-
/ haps not in size. hut certainly in their
skillIul mechanism
The most wonderful clock in the
I world is exhibited in st. Petersburg.
/ Its magnificence may he imagined from
I the fact of this colossal timepiece hav-
/ ing no fewer than ninety-five faces. 1t
4 indicates simultaneously the time of
/ day at thirty points on the earth's sur
face besides the movement of the earth
around the sun. the phases of the moon.
4. the signs of the zodiac the passage
over the meridian Of more than fifty
stars of the northern hemisphere. and
the date, according to the Gregorian,
Greek, Mussulman and Hebrew calen-
dars. The works took two years to put
together after the clock had been sent
in detached pieces from Switzerland to
Russia
I A certain matchmaker constructed a
clock whose mechanism represents, ev-
cry 10 minutes, all the activities of Il
miniature railway station The tele-
p IL.
doors of the station open the station
master and his assistants appear on
the steps. the clerks open the windows
and distribute the tickets. several trav-
e1ers rush toward the train that comes
in at full speed. In short. until the
train has gone the usual stir of such
stations is exactly reproduced
As the train leaves each automaton
returns to it's place, and for a quarter
of an hour everything is peaceful. The
clocks dimensions are not known, but
il is said to have had six years labor
expended upon it.
Another remarkable clock Is that
made by Viilingen. the cloekmaker of
the Black Forest. Germany. Ii shows
the seconds, minutes, quarter hours,
hours, days. weeks, months. seasons
years and leap years to the last sec
ond of the year 99a99, besides host of
other astronomical, geographical and
historical facts.
There Is celebrated clock tower at
Berne, i'm Switzerland The approach
of the hour is announced by the crow
ing of a cock. At the same time may
be seen at the very top of the tower a
man clad in a coat of neil striking the
hours with his sword on a huge bell
As the hours are striking a troupe of
bears make their appearance and par
AIDE around the tower then make their
exit. Long strings Of carriages draw
up every hour for the occupants 10
witness this interesting spectacle.
A gigantic clock, made of cycle parts
was shown at a recent exhibition held
in Paris. The hour figures are com
posed of brightly plated cranks All
the smaller wheels reyolNe by means ot
gear chains, but this was only for at
traction. The clock kept excellent time
and struck hours. half and quarter
hours, the real mechanism being CON
cealed /. the base.
AT the time of the coronation Of the
empress Of Russia at Moscow in t724
she was presented with a watch as Won
derful in every particular as the fam
Gus Strashurg clock. on the opposite
counterpart of the holy sepulchre, with
a carved image of the Roman guard
the scene being viewed through the
glass in the case. Upon opening the
case the imitation stones would roll
away from the mouth of the miniature
sepulchre. the guard hneel. angels APP
pear at opposite sides of the opening,
and at this time The music would be-
gin to play, in soft. sweet strains, the
Easter songs Sc well known to all Rus
slams. The watch only weighed seven
ounces. The maker Of this wonderful
piece of mechanism is said 10 have
worked upon ii almost nninterrupiedly
for period Of nine years.