The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-07-17
QUEER OLD T%IMEKEEPERS.
EFFORTS OF MANKIND TO ESCAPE
WINDING CLOCKS.

The Feat Actually Accomplished in Ger
mRny-Clocks Tint Run IA Long Time
Oliver ~Cromwelrs Clook-A watch That
Required No Winding by Its Owner.
Since the first invention OF the clock man has
busted himself in scheminE and lnventing ways
OF winding timekeepors that would give as
little trouble as possible. For this purpose tho
winds. tho tides. the atmosphere. even the
movement OF the body. have been utilized.
Long before the Christian era water clocks
were in use. They were followed by the sun
dials. About the eleventh century clocks moved
by weights and wheels began TO be used in the
monasteTies Of England. In 1886 the first OF
the wheel clocks publicly seen in England was
placed In st. Paul's Cathedral. In 1875. when
the present ct, Paul's was begun, a project WINS
on foot to make a clock. for the cathedral that
should go 100 years without winding UP and
cost $4,000. The plan was not carried out. The
clock made cost 1900 and ran for eight days.
It was considered q great wonder.
1t is said that the first pendulum clocks were
made In England about 1922. Oliver Cromwell
owned ono OF them. Through the nckleness Of
fortune It has since found its way to the Phila-
delphia Library. which boasts it's possession
as the oldest clock In America. Another OF
these early pendulum clocks was made In Ger
many in 1640. and was recently taken for re-
pairs to a clockmaker In Hartford, Conn. He
found that IL was wound by means Of an end-
less chain and would 60 for six months without
stopping.
In the London Times in February. 1927, an
advertisement appeared Of the sale Of a VAL
liable and curious clock for 620. 1t was war
ranted to 60 for twelve months without wind
ing. The advertisement stated further that
only three such clocks had ever been made,
that one was at Hampton Court. one in o noble-
mans family. and one at the advertisers.
What fate befell the two latter is not known.
but the one at Hampton Court is still shown al
a great curiosity. 1t is In the bedroom Of Will
liam III, The guard that shows the clock
always gravely remarks that surely It is a very
great improvement on the old Westminster
clock, whose keeper spends two hours arduous
labor every week in winding IL up.
The atmospheric clock. which Is a sort Of per-
petual hour glass. is one Of the inventions that
goes OF itself. In appearance It is like a long
Thermometer with the bulb of mercury at the
bottom. The glass tube is about three -eighthS
Of an inch in diameter and secured to the frame
by two bands through which 1t passes easily.
The divisions Of time are marked on each
side of the tube. Inside the glass tube is a
smaller tube shaped very much as an hour
tsii nss pa sSPS Tor n she parp Sgd q 8 ssEi6Re Of ap b sny
m Sns tnat might Esther In the tube are
S end 81 t fs s saSe Is s1 pIace Th ep %sTIsSr 9bd in m ths TOP %
t t1sdP proper time = : an. and It. falls to the bSttom q the
: run out SttfiG from Il Tie etc tor tine the fF Pnssss can m be t NJ hes
and the mercury set to the time on the other
side: 30 1t registers the seconds and hours
there is the turning OF the frame to be thought
Of, a task as irksome as that of winding a clock.
mated in Germany. illustrates a unique way OF
winding without hand labor. In some spacious
cf air a Windmill M@fdi fV Whee 7 IS si placed a 9BSo aid G9 IF the
cogwheels the circular movement is then
the ma6teiH Shelf. This h L Is known mas as one SSe1 Of t e
weather cock by the wind has also been util.
lied for the same purpose.
esting piece OF mechanism for the purpose Of
measuring the height OF the, tide. It looks
ioneddp weigh and pulley Clock. nv Twice fa o in every
tWenty-four hours 1t is wound. and by the tide.
r rhs TsiEhtf tS S5s P resss ON IN a 4 sS8S SsF oh 6q he : kst ar
lowered and the process Of winding taxes place:
wins ! Si 70 damages ma e Z that st' t had T saf is1sty f hsRni the
action OF the weather. With that exception ~
that e5tended to it b ne tide. IN museum
Motion" Il did not rely on any q the
It in this way; From this IS piece t%ssfpS By a union Of 81
Is Obtained w which viii %continue %{orever. m2 stesi
and brass must In time decay; still the primary
f f%aess Fl ins sis m lSea9t. i Re VIII cSntinns is an set fns
has yet been made to do, In, appearance IL
the dial at tho top. The sides were of glass,
through which could be seen some cumber-
a Diam e %ns weTS Used r to resist TstSod friction i; y %hert
In motion was never disclosed.
clocks was displayed in q window on Broadway
and modelled, like a small Newfoundland dog
was in the side of the dog. The stroke Of gem
LUIS was Ia the pendulum. which with every
his tongue to go in and out. But this was not
all at the even hours the little dog instead of
s sttFiki9 pSo simply imply b III ! ed his eyes; very muGIh.
was found that in place Of the regular appa-
ratus for striking there was a lever similarly
down deYshnt The W dos's' e sS sh' T sefn f aRHP; o Teisbt
In turn gripped and pulled around the winding
30. delicate that a breath exhaled upon the dogs
tail or tongue would cause IL to stop moving.
A Ieweller downtown told recently about a
watch that was brought to him for repairs and
surpassed in interest all others, that he had
was self;windinR. The case was that OF the
regular bunting watch. and every time it was
f GRs9 of The ht f I'D, w TSaed thu the id T9 ioiRe5 y IN the w glGs,
there was a little lever to the free end of which
was Joined q scythe-shaped rack. which worked
stead Of the. ordinary fly spring there was q
spring fixed TO- the plate and attached by means
OF a short chain to the Lever. As this spring
slipped overthe teeth Of the winding wheel. and
by~closing the cover the wheel was partly pulled
to be opened and closed eight or nine times q
day. There are very few OF these watches In
ONE BOY PUsTHELLTNG 1NoTUun