The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-04-14
Astonishing Feature Prom
ised for the st. Louis Ex-
position = Dial of the
Floral Clock 100 Feet in
Characterization Day
Programme.
Special to The Globe.


mechanical frame quite concealed be-
meath beautiful flowers and vari-col-
| ored foliage plants, the mammoth
| floral clock that may be seen at St.
Louis by visitors to the Louisiana Pur-
chase exposition in 1904, will be by far
the largest timepiece ever constructed.
The floral clock is Immediately north
OF the Agriculture building, and to the
visitor appears to be made entirely
from contributions from the floral
world. The mechanism of the clock is
buried and the huge dial, 100 feet in
diameter shows its face six inches
above the ground. The dial, the hands,
the minute hand being fifty feet long
and moving five feet at each move, and
all of the frame is SO covered with
Mowers as to quite conceal any me-
chanical contriVanceS.
The numerals marking the hour are
fifteen feet in length and are made Of
bright colored coIeus, a foliage plant
that grows dense and may be pruned
with the gardeners shears and kept
symmetrical without fear of impairing
the growth of the plant.
In a circle surrounding the numerals
are collections of twelve distinct plants,
each collection being twenty five feet
long and twelve feet wide. Nature has
ordained that each of these plants
should open it's blossom at a certain
hour of the day, and the great floral
clock shows how the laws of nature are
as exact as the mechanical laws dis
covered by man. AS the hands of the
giant floral clock reach the numeral.
naming a certain hour, the flowers in
the great bed at the back of the hour so
designated begin to open their buds
and to exhale the perfume peculiar to
the plant.
Mammoth Hour Glass.
Still another mode of computing time
will be shown by this immense recorder
of times flight. and this is by the prim-
| tive hour glass. On the south side Of
the dial. behind the numeral that de-
notes midday or midnight. is built a
tower, twelve feet square and eighteen
feet high The tower is of wood, and
like most of the beautiful structures
within the City of knowledge, is COW
cred with staff. The architecture is
graceful and ornate. The top of this
tower is Surmounted with a mammoth
hour glass, made of the heaviest and
clearest crystal, with the eceptacles
for holding the sand, each six feet in
length and four feet in diameter at the
base. The hour glass is so suspended
that when the sand is spent the glass
automatically reverses itself and an
other hour is being told off.
Concealed in the tower is the pic
turesque massive machinery, weighing
tons. and controlling the powerful steel
shaft that extends under the center of
the floral dial more than fifty feet dis
tant. The powerful machinery is so
delicately adjus ted that it measures off
each second of time with as much GER
tainty' as does the most accurate ships
|. chron0meter.
Above the hour glass is suspended a
sweet toned bell,weighing 5000 pounds,
on which the hour is announced. The
sound waves thus created penetrate to
the extreme ends of the exposition
grounds.
With the first sound of the bell the
massive and beautifully decorated
doors to the tower swing open. and the
machinery that prOpels the great clock
tlmepiece is exposed to the view of the
public. In one minute the doors are
again closed, and the vine covered
hands continue their never-ending
journey, propelled by a power as in
capable Of detention as the power that
causes the flower to unfold its blossom
at the hour appointed by nature, or the
force of gravity that causes the hour
glass to deplete itself in a given space
of time.
The entire center of the face of the
mammoth floral clock, a space inside
the circle created by the numerals. and
seventy feet in diameter, is COMPOSED
OF alternanthere, a foliage plant which
is commonly known as "Joseph's Coat"
because of its many colors. This plant
grows low and exceedingly dense, and
the notified and brightly colored foliage
completely covers the ground. but will
never grow tall enough to be touched
by the hands as they pursue their new
er-ending course.
The DUSTY Miller"
Encircling this immense bed of AL
ternanthere. and separating it from the
!5-toot floral numerals that mark the
hour, is narrow band of centaurea.
another foliage plant popularity known
as the Dusty Miller" This species of
plant, beautiful silver in appearance.
grows trif1e higher than the alter
nanthere. The band of Dusty Miller"
only eight inches wide, separates the
SeVenty-foOt circular bed of alternan-
tnefe tfom the twelve beds of the same
plant that surround the space on the
dial allotted to the large numerals.
The hands of the clock are made OF
a frame work of steel, but wooden
lroughs filled with soil are provided
and In these troughs myrtle ivy and
other creeping green plants grow lux
uilahtly and completely conceal from
view everything but themselves.
The crowning glory of the floral
clock is the group of twelve distinct
plants that begin unfolding their petals
with the morning glory at the peep O.,
day, and as each hour is registered a
new plant begins displaying It's charms
While the bloom of the plant of the
hour before falls and dies, to be rein
carnated twenty-four hours later. The
circle surrounding the numerals is 300
1eet IN circumference, and the sections
OF hour-fowers each occupy a space
twenty-five feet long and eighteen feet
deep. The sections are divided by mar
row strips of foliage plants and each
section thus retains its individuality.
surrounding the twelve groups of
flowers that open their blossoms on
the approach of the hour hand of the
beautiful floral time register, and COM
plotting the picture, is circle of grass
six feet wide and as smooth as vel
vet The visitor may walk around the
| clock on spacious granitoid prone
foot Sward. and the dreaded sign, Keen
/ Off the Grass" is not in evidence.
The floral clock will be as attractive
an exhibit at night as it is in day.
Among the foliage of the hour numer-
/ ais are 1000 incandeScent electric
lamps, not visible during the day, but
| after nightfall, when the electric cur
rent is turned on, the myriads of lamps
| illuminate the entire exhibit and make
| 1t as light as day, and more beautif.{I.
The floral clock is the exhibit of the
johnson Service company, of Milwau-
| kee.
| The Dedication.
The dedication of the fair buildings
viii take place April so. Mai. Gen.
l Henry @ CnPhip A mill J,o e--, =, n