Evening star., 1898-02-10
BICYCLES.
UNDERTAKES
TRINITY's CLOCK STOPS AGAIN.
Vibra ton in High buildings Inter
feres With It's Working.

Vibration in High buildings Inter-
feres With It's Working.
From the New York Herald
Trinity Church's clock stopped at sixteen
minutes to five o'clock yesterday morning,
and the hands of the different faces of the
famous tlmepiece remained stationary all
day, the man who cares for it was out
of town.
The stopping of this clock is always an
event in Wall street circles and lawyers
and brokers ask friends what the cause
may be. The clock stopped as did that of
st. PauPs Church at the time President
McKinley's mother died. Knowing ones
then said that Trinity corporation stopped
all their clocks when prominent persons
died. The knowing ones were wrong. a
defect in the mechanism of each clock had
stopped the revolving of its wheels.
Trinity clock has stopped frequently of
late. 1t used to have the reputation of
being one of the most reliable public clocks
In the city. 1t had earned that reputation
by an accuracy extending over fifty-one
years
Its reputation Is gone now, and those
who used to depend upon it and who wish
to make excuses for it's eccentrieities say 1t
has been injured by the tall buildings
which surround it.
L found the belief that tall buildings have
DESTROYED the clocks reputation is almost
general. Bankers, brokers and lawyers,
who are ever ready with a theory when
this clock stops, now unite in saying that
the tall buildings do the damage.
How can tall buildings affect the clock?''
they are asked.
Vibration they reply.
some hold that the vibration of a tall
building more or less affects ehe ground be-
meath and around its foundations. and,
therefore, shakes all buildings near it.
Others point out that high winds have
more force while sweeping across Trinity
Church yard because the air is compressed
between high buildings The supporters
of both reasons for the vibration agree
upon the theory that vibration stops the
clock
looked for foundation for their theory,
and found it to lie In the fact that the old
fashioned pendulum clock, which has
weights for motive power, cannot be de-
pended upon to run in the upper stories
OF high buildings, and that they are stopped
by the vibration of the buildings.
The manager of the company that cares
for Trinitys clock told me that no such
vibration as is caused by high buildings
could affect a big church clock. THE PEN
dulum of Trinity Church clock he said.
weighs about $50 pounds, and the cog
wheels are heavy iron structures that
could not be affected by such vibration as
exists in the steeple. An ordinary weight
clock, such as is made for offices, cannot be
used in the upper parts OF high buildings.
Clocks which are made for L road sta
tions, and which have extra heavy PEN
dulums. work successfully the upper
floors of high buildings"
The manager of another clock company
said:
mo weight clock can be depended upon
in a hign building Even those which are
not affected by the vibration of L road
structures will stop when placed in high
building
The vibration of an L structure is a
succession of short quick jerks, and If one
jerk should stop a clock In station the
next one would start it. The easy, steady
sway of a tall building stops clocks and
does not start them when they STOP.
Weather Forecaster Dunn had much diff
Guilty in finding clock which would run
In his Office in the Manhattan Life build
ing. He tried eight of the best clocks
made, but each stopped frequently. He
then obtained an L station clock, which
has kept good time for three months with
out stopping. There is spring clock iy-
ing face up in each of several of his in
struments. They do not stop, but they are
not as accurate as the weight clock on the
wall Of his Office.
Il do not know anything about the clock
in Trinity Church tower" he said. but
do know that the tower must sway more
now that IT did before 1t was surrounded
by high buildings. A high wind forced IN
between two buildings has much more
power than when it is free on all sides.
While we were having trouble with our
clocks here one of my assistants put q
pendulum ON the wall and proved by l.s
action that this building swayed more than
one-eighth of an inch in gale.
Chased Up a Tree and Lived ON Pos
sum.
Frcm the Atlanta Constitution.
A negro. being hotly pursued by dogs
that were guarding farm house In the
owners absence. fled to swamp and
climbed tree for safety. In telling about
it afteTward he said:
"Yes. sub! I wuz in a tight place. tell
you! Up dat tree went. en- dar stayed
fer two days en- nights. wild dem dogs
keepin guard at de foot. When dey'd git
tired dey'd relieve each yuther. but d.y
alQQa a dorn duty all de