Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-01-09
BEFORE TIMEPIECES Tucked
ODD ExPEDIENTs WERE RESORTED
TO CENTURIES AGO.
Clepsydrn the Enrliest-It Was Used
$500 Years Ago by the Assay.
ians-The sun Dial
Came Next.

To modern man the clock or watch II .
necessity. To be without the scope Of
either is tantamount to being on an I'M
inhabited island or 4 raft in the Pacific
Up-to-date life so largely depends on the
exact ALLEGATION of time that the man Of
to-day cannot understand how nations
existed ere clocks licked the hours away
He cannot understand any form of civiliza-
ton existing without its handspring. the
clock. Yet this Indispensable accompani-
ment of our daily life is but just over
five centuries old. which, in comparison
with the long duration of ancient vanished
but complex civilization, of which the
Egyptian is the most conspicuous. IS a
very moderate extent of time.
According 10 the London Standard, the
first clock. in our sense of the word, seems
to nave been flor We are not sure as to
wha clocks they were which. in sI2. the
Venetians invented. of which they sent a
specimen to Constantinople) one made in
1874 for Charles V. of France 1t was a
very big one. weighing several hundred
weights. and made by a converted Arab.
named Henry de Vic, and those who are
curious may find full details In Froissart.
This clock was put up in the Round tower
of the palace, and for months vast crowds
assembled TO watch the novelty,s action
and details. II Is not with this. however,
or any of the succeeding efforts OF clock
makers, that we are concerned, out al
far anterior date, with the contrtvances by
which men measured time and supplied
In some degree the place of the clock
And back TO remotest ages must we so.
The Most Ancient Timepiece.
The water-clock. otherwise the clepsydra.
seems, unless the EgyptologistS find some
thing fresh in that land of incessant discoV-
have been the first scientific effort at not
Ing the hours. A good many people talk
giibly about the clepsydra who neither
know its precise construction nor the nation
who have the credit of constructing 1t,
That belongs to the Assyrian. and as far
back as at least over 800 years ago the
sway of the second Sardanapalus. 1t was
a brass vessel OF cylindrical shape. holding
several gallons OF water. which could only
emerge through one tiny hole in the side.
Thus the trickling of the fluid marked a
certain amount of time. and the water was
emptied about half a dozen times per diem.
In Nineveh there was one at the palace,
and one in each principal district These
were all filled by signal from a Waterman
each had an attendant, whose business was
to refill the clepsydra as soon as 1t was
emptied. the fact being announced by
criers. much as in the last century the
night throughout the streets of London.
Some five centuries later an anonymous
inserting toothed wheels, which. revolving.
turned two hands on a dial in clock-fashion.
thus showing the progress OF the time.
averaged two hours and a half. In this
shape the clepsydra. which was then chiefly
procurable in Egypt. became introduced to
where it fiourished with various splendid
embellishments until the end Of the en-
pire.
to the clepsydra. 1t was invented at Alex-
andria some five centuries and a half b. c.
Unlike the water clock, it. flourished
own days. where it fifty adorns many
a stately or simple Old World garden and
smooth. shady lawn. 1t was naturally OF
those of our ''brumous'' isle. from the
far larger amount of sunshine these enjoyed.
But some fine and famous sun dials have
long existed within the realm. and the in
scriptions have not been their least charm
Of the past. During the dark ages the
clepsydra seems to have vanished with the
Roman empire. Its reintroduction into Eu-
rope Is due to that hero of our young days.
the Caliph Haroun-aI-Raschid. the famous
year S07 a splendid specimen to Charlie
magne. But just about or a little before
this time France had hit on another mode
of making time by the invention of the
hour glass, destined to as long an existence
as the sun dial. Indeed. properly made.
this was a valuable and accurate timepiece.
provided II was regularly turned.
OF all the primitive methods of telling the
time. however. the most curious. and among
the most ancient. existed in China. and as
tered for ages no wonder it Is still in use.
Time was guessed by recourse to the HARM
less, necessary cat. BY examination of
her eye the Chinaman could and can make
a fair shot at the hour by inspection of the
creatures pupil. At noon 1t is said COM
pletely to contract. so that a thin hair-like
perpendicular line only denotes the pupil.
which again after noon begins to dilate.
The floral clock of Linnaeus is. of course.
comparatively modern. But. doubtless. In
remote ages there were some. at least
among hunters, herdsmen. and shepherds.
who would note the closing or Enclosing OF
the petals of certain flowers at particular
times-morning, noon. and evening. There
pire. one rude method of computing time
among the hordes of barbarians who over
ran Italy. Something like a rude division
of time was obtained by setting a follower
of the chief to empty a helmet full of small
pebbles one by one into an empty one OF
similar size.