Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1901-02-04
THE CLOCK BY WHICH WE SET
OUR WATCHES.

day in the year except Sunday, by one
pendulum stroke it speaks directly
and instantaneously to every city and
considerable town between the peaks
of the Rockies and the pines of Maine,
saying to them that on the seventy
fifth meridian it is now high noon to
the fraction of a second. A duplicate
mechanism, stationed at the Branch
Naval Observatory on Mare Island,
performs a similar service for the
people of the Pacific slope. And by
this one clock at the national capital
together with it's duplicate on the
Pacifc) is set nearly every timepiece
in the United States and Cuba, most
of those in Mexico, and many on the
border of Canada.
Five minutes before twelve a thirty
six-inch black globe over the State
War and Navy building at Washing
ton is raised by small rope and
windlass to the top of the flagstaff.
Here it remains until the observatory
clock pendulum reaches the sixtieth
stroke after 1859 a. N. which stroke
closes an electric circuit and instantly
drops the ball twenty five feet to the
base Of the pole. Tine balls are To-
Gated at the chief water ports, prima-
rily for the benefit of navigators.
But there are other ways in which
this vice regent OF Father Time makes
known his DEGREES to men. A number
of clocks-from three to three thou
sand-in nearly every city and large
town are wired together into local
family, and by means Of a switch key
at the telegraph office. are put into
direct contact with tue parent clock
at the national capital. So that the
instant the electric touch is given
from Washington every clock in the
Orleans or pols-begins a new
day il perfect accord with its me-
chanical deity.
One clock in each group is of extra
fine construction, and acts as the ma
jor clock OF the company. In addition
to the daily orders from the COM
mander III chief this major clock sets
all under its command once every
hour. Moreover, the time balls in
Central time, where it is desired that
they fall at noon, must be dropped by
their local major clock, since if oper
ated directly from Washington they
must fall at eleven O'Clock in that
time belt.
Just underneath the dial of the
clock, on the same shaft
with the second hand is an extra
wheel having sixty teeth, one for
every second-that is, it would have
twenty ninth and the five preceding
the siXtieth, Tangent to this wheel
is metallic spring through which is
passed an electric current: One end
Of the spring is not fastened. and at
the point nearest the wheel there is a
projecting nib. At each beat of the
pendulum the wheel jumps forward
one tooth, which tooth strikes the
projecting point and must pushit aside
in order to pass. Thus the spring is
disconnected at its free end ana the
electric circuit is broken.
Now on an adjacent table an arma-
5ure that was being held down upon
it's electro magnet by this current is
instantly released each time the cir
cult is broken; it rebounds against
metal post, and thus closes another
circuit which sends a tick through
every telegraph instrument with
which it has been put in connection.
These preliminary ticks prepare the
way for the final noon signal.
To drop the time balls and set the
clocks requires surer action of the
electro magnets than is guaranteed
Oy the touches Of the tOothed wheel
against the spring. Out of the rim or
,elloe of the wheel, therefore, and ex-
lending backward parallel to its axis,
projects a post about an inch high and
ust about twice the diameter of an
ordinary dress pin. At the sixtieth
beat of the last minute this
post presses against another similar
'pring in an electric circuit, and re-
mains in firm contact Herewith for
more than half a second. It is this
title pin that drops the ball and sets
he clocks.
At three minutes and quarter be-
ore twelve the turning of a switch |
Key sends an electric current through /
he spring lying tangent to the wheel /
described above If the necessary
have been made the /!
Observatory clock is now ticking its
seconds into every telegraph office in
he United States and Cuba-nOt in I