Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-01-05
PHllADELpHlA'S MONSTER CLOCK.
The Largest in This ton, icy and the Hishest
in the world-Now Iiusips Away In the
-, l,- ra,,ta

- Il
The Largest in Th,s tou, icy and the Highest
in the worid-Sow 1iuxips Away In the
Tower of tho City Hat.
Philadelphia, Pa. Jan. The largest
clock in this country and the highest
clock in the world was started In tho
City Hall tower at midnight last night.
All things considered, it is the greatest
clock in size and in Importance in
the world, although there are two
clocks with greater dials.
One of these great clocks adorns the
steeple of Meohlin Cathedral, one OF
the finest old Gothic ediflces in Bel
GUM. The dials arc 40 feet in dia-
meter, and tho movement is much sim
plitied by the omission OF minute
hand.
1t is likely that the big dials that
loom up over Westminster bridge,
London, in the tall tower of the Houses
of Parliament, are better known than
the greater timepieoe in Mechlin.
These dials are six inches more in
diameter than those of the City Hall
clock, but the clock is operated in a
manner now nearly obsolete, although
the timepiece was installed rs recently
as 1859. The London clock has dials
221s feet in diameter and is operated
by means of weights, to wind which
requires the services of two men four
days week..
The City Hall clock stands $40 feet
above the pavement, that in the Meohlin
Cathedral nearly 800 feet. and the one
in Westminster Palace 40 feet above
the street level
Up to the present the City Hall clock
has cost about s2l, 900. The motive
power is compressed air, and the visitor
to the clock story in the tall tower
is astonishcd to find there are no
works to be seen. The ponderous
hands on the four dials arc operated by
means of air under great pressure
forced through tubes, and all four
pairs of hands are controlled by one
little master clock that could easily be
set on library mantlepioce.
This little clock, rs it ticks the
minutes, received by telegraph from
Washington Observatory, in turn re-
leases tho compressed air, and over
each dial 400 pounds of hands are
pushed forward. The hands are moved
every half minute and the jump Of the
minute hand from half minute to half
minute is 61s inches. The pressure
exerted is 100 pounds sufficient, it is
said, to drive the hands under any
weather condition.
However, electricity is really the
power which governs the workings OF
the clock, and by ingenious automatic
appliances 1t is believed that any lapse
by electricity will be Immediately taken
up by the relief motors.
Another popularity of the clock is
the absence Of figures on the dials,
broad strips Of bronze taking their
place, These are of uniform width,
excepting those taking the place OF
Ill, vi, TX and XII, which are an
inch wider for sake Of convenience.
These strips arc feet inches long
and l3 inches broad. Each hour hand
is 8 feet long and 9 feet inches
broad, and weighs IT'S pounds. The
minute hands weigh 225 pounds each,
and each has an extreme length Of
Is feet, for each is counterbalanced.
Each dial complete, fitted with its 90
pieces of glass, weighs five tons. One
hve-minute section. for so tho dlals
are constructed, weighs 525 pounds.
The problem of illumination was one
of considerable difficulty, hut it is
believed it has been solved success
fully. The central part of each dial is
divided into four circles, 8 feet 7
inches in diameter, into each of which
is lifted single piece Of glass.