Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-12-01

the Chaideans, was introduced into
ireece, probably by the Babylonians II
vas only a pillar or stan. and was not
sraduated so as to indicate the passage Of
my particular fraction Of a day. When Il
cast shadow six feet long, The hour for
bathing had arrived. and supper was eaten
when the shadow became twelve feet long,
Simple as 1t was. 1t seemed 10 satisfy the
needs of that primitive race. II could not,
of course. be used indoors nor was 1t of
any use on cloudy day. 1t was merely a
crude timekeeper. and could not even be
used for checking of certain brief periods.
To accomplish this the "Clepsydra." or
water clock, was invented, and Greace
seems to have been the land of its origin.
Fifty years before the Christian era
clepsydra was erected in the Tower of the
Winds" in the market place al Athens. A
running stream kept the water in an upper
vessel at constant level. The discharge
raised float in lower vessel On This
hoat was an indicator or hand which, as e
rose, travelled over an adjacent scale and
so gave a time indication, visible at a dis
tsnce This was the public tmepiece OF
Athens, and its indications could always be
compared with those Of the sun dial on the
frieze of the octagsnal build ng by which
1t was enclosed. AT the top of the roof
vas weather vane in the form OF a Triton.
who pointed with his trident toward the
prevailing wind Thus the double purpose
OF naval observatory and a weather bu-
reau was accomplished.
COcoanut Clocks.
A similar device has been found in use
among the Malay boatmen. where a perfo-
rated cocoanut shell floating in a bucket Of
water permite the fluid to enter gradually.
When the shell becomes full an hour is re-
corded. In northern India a copper bowl
is used. and at the moment it sinks the at
tendant strikes the hour upon the metal.
In China the same IDEA occurs, but with
this difference, the vessel is filled and drop
by drop the water is allowed to flow out.
Coming W al
is the sandg.ass which a few years ago
was in common N kitchens to show
the cook when the eggs were boiled? And
is not tie modern clock based on the same
principles? In the clepsydra the water Is
the motor: the perfCrat.on, the escape ment:
while the sinking of the shell bowl is
period.
Timing Speeches by Water.
curious use of the clepsydra IN Greece
was for limiting the length of speeches in
the courts. In very important cases an
additional amount of time was allowed and
each side was permitted as much as fifty
gallons or water, necessitating the OF
unusually large amphorae. Wien a speak
er was Interrupted, to save the time being
charged against him he would order the
ofhcial to stop the water" This practice
might be revive with profit.
The system of timekeeping in Rome d.
Vlded the day and night INTO four watches,
ng the courses Of the sun and stars. Nom
was publicly announced by an official who
from the senate watched for the appearance
OF the sun at certain point.
Among the Indians.
Among the Montagnais Indians a crude
form of sun dial is used in hunting to let
the squaws, who follow their lords and
masters, know whether they may take 1t
easy or hurry up for they might fare
hodl fhox,
bands were ready for supper. And the
men when hunting erect III tie snow a stick
at some weli-known pace and draw the ex-
act line of the stick 5 shadow n the snow
before gong on. When the women arrive
tnere with their pots anu other cooking
utensils they note the new line of the
shadow, ana by observing the angie which
It forms with tie line already drawn IN the
snow they can tell how tar anead their
husbands are.
With all Indian tribes the season of the
year is Indicated by observing natures own
processes and not by months. Thus the
chang ng of the moon, the budding of the
trees the falling of The leaves, the com ng
and going of the birds, al symboiicaI
of tie various seasons. Even among the
farmers in Virginia not so very long ago
the proper time for planting corn was
when the hickory leaves became large
as a squirrels ear The Ind have no
clocks or mechan cal devices for teiHng the
time but it is known that in Zuni and Moki
the Pueblo Indians tell the arrival Of
noon, by setting up stones and noticing
when the shadows are shortest. 1t is not
uncommon en- farms nowadays TO
have the hands" say that they
stand on their heads" it is time to go to
dinner.
A Cumbersome Method.
The old japanese method of timekeeping
was very cumbersome. The clock was in
charge of an attendant, whose duty 1t was
to change the hands so TO keep pace
with the constantly chang .ng length of the
days. 1t was all right SO long as the man
attended to his duties.
Reverttng once more to ancient times, II
is well to bear in mind that had ii not
been for julius Caesar, who established
certain regu.a tionS which wee formulated
the julian calendar, and Pope Gregory
XIII, who in the sixteenth century recog-
niZed several errors and defects in time
reckoning and succeeded in devils ng his
now weil-known methods for correcting
Them we might still be hedged about with
such confusing cond tons would make 1t
hard for man to know whether he should
get up go to bed.