The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1903-05-12
written for MEssENGER.)


and vari-colored foliage plants,
the mammoth floral clock that
may be seen at st. Louis by Wis
itors to the Louisiana Purchase
Exposition in 1904, will be by
far the largest time piece ever
constructed.
The floral clock is Immediately
north of the Agriculture build
ing, and to the visitor appears
to be made entirely of contribue
tions from the floral world. The
mechanism of the clock is buried
and the huge dial, 100 feet in
diameter shows its face six inch
es above the ground. The dial,
the hands, the minute hand being
so feet long and moving 5 feet at
each move, and all of the frame
are so covered with flowers as to
quite conceal any mechanical
contrivances.
The numerals marking the
hour are Is feet in length and
are made of bright colored col
Gus, foliage plant that grows
dense and may be pruned with
the gardeners shears and kept
symmetrical without fear of i'm
pairing the growth of the plant.
In a circle surrounding tho
numerals are collections of IL
distinct plants, each collection
being 25 feet long and IL feet
wide. Nature has ordained that
each of these plants should open
its blossom at a certain hour of
the day, and the great floral
clock shows how the laws of ma
ture are as exact as the mechan-
ical laws discovered by man. AS
the hands of the giant floral
clock reach the mineral naming
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.
Still another mode of comput-
ing time will be shown by this
immense recorder of times fight,
and this is by the primitive hour
glass. On the south side of the
dial, behind the mineral that de-
notes midday or midnight, is
built a tower, IL feet square and
Is feet high. The tower is of
wood, and like most of the beauti.
full structures within the City of
knowledge, is covered with
staff. The architecture is grace
full and ornate. The top of this
tower is surmounted with NAM
moth hour-glass, made of the
heaviest and clearest crystal,
with the receptacles for holding
the sand, each 6 feet in length
and 4 feet in diameter, at the
base. The hour glass is so sus-
pended that when the sand is
spent the glass automatically re-
verses itself and another hour is
being told off.
Concealed in the tower is the
picturesque massive machinery,
weighing tons and controlling
the powerful steel shaft that ex.
tends under the center of the
floral dial more than so feet dis
tant. The powerful machinery
is so delicately adjusted that it
measures off each second of time
with as much certainty as does
the most accurate ships chronom-
eter.
Above the hour-glas is sus-
penped sweet toned bell, weigh
ing 5000 pounds, on which the
hour is announced. The sound
waves thus created penetrate to
the extreme ends of the EXPOSE
ton 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 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, pro-
PEELED by power as incapable
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 de-
plete itself in given space of
time.
The entire center of the face
of the mammoth floral clock, q
space inside the circle created
by the numerals, and 20 feet in
diameter, is composed of altern-
anthere, a foliage plant which is
commonly known as "Joseph's
Coat, (" because of its many col
ors. This plant grows low and
exceedingly dense aud the mot
tied and brightly colored foliage
oOmnlatnlV pOVnrG tho Ground