Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-04-10
FLOWERS TELL TIME.

signed EuSIrety IN rtOWcFos
st. Louis April 10.-With its me-
chanical frame quite concealed beneath
beautiful flowers and vari-colored foil
age plants the mammoth clock that may
be seen at st. Louis by visitors 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 Agricultural 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 "a
bove the ground. The dial, the hands,
the minute hand being 80 feet long and
moving feet at each move, and all of
the frame are so covered with flowers
as to quite conceal any mechanical con-
trivances.
The numerals marking the hour are
Is feet in length and are made of
bright cclored coleus, a foliage plant
that grows dense and may be prun ed
with the gardeners shears and kept
symetrical without fear of impairing
the growth of the plant.
In circle surrounding the numerals
are collection 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 certain hour of the day,
and the great floral clock shows how
the laws of nature are as exact as the
mechanical laws discovered by man.
AS the hands of the giant floral clock
reach the mineral 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 axhaie the
perfume peculiar to the plant.
Still another mode of computing time
will be shown by this immense recorder
of time'spfiight, and this by the primi
tive hour glass. On the south side of
the dial, behind the numeral that de-
notes midday for midnight, is built
tower. IL feet square and Is feet high.
The tower is of wood, and like most of
the beautiful structures within the city
OF knowledge, is covered with staff.
The architecture is graceful and ornate.
The top of the tower is surmounteds
with a mammoth hour glass, made of
the heaviest and clearest crystal, with
the receptacles 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 another hour is be-
ing told off.
Concealed in the towers is the pictur-
esque massive machinery, weighing
tons and controlling the powerful steel
shaft that extends under the center
OF the floral dial more than fifty feet
distant The powerful machinery is so
delicately adjusted that it measures off
each second of time with as much GER
tainty as does the most accurate ships
chronometer.
Above the hour glass is suspended
a sweet toned bell, weighing 5000
pounds, on which the hour is announce
ed. The sound waves thus created pen
citrate to the extreme ends of the
grounds.
With the first sound of the bell, the
and beautifully decorated doors
to the tower swing open, and the ma
chinery that propels the great time
tiece is exposed to the view Of the pub
lie. In one minute the doors are again
closed, and the vine covered hands
continue their never-ending journey,
propelled by power as incapable of
detention as the power that causes the
flower to unfold It's blossom at the
hour appointed by nature, or the force
of gravity that causes the hour glass
to deplete itself in 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
40 feet in diameter. is composed of al
ternanthere, 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 mottled and brightly colored foliage
completely covers the ground. but will
never grow tall enough to be touched
by the hands as they pursue their
never ending course.
The GROWING 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 new
plant begins displaying it's charms,
while the bloom of the pent of the hour
before falls and dies, to be reincar-
mated twenty-four hours later. The
circle surrounding the numerals is 800
feet in circumference and the sections
of hour flowers each occupy 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 thei, blossoms on
the approach of the hour hand of the
beautiful floral time register and
completing the picture. is a circle of
grass six feet wide and as smooth as
velvet. The visitor may walk around
the clock on a spacious granitoid
promenade, but chain encircles the
six-foot sward, and the dreaded sign
Keep Off the Grass" is not in evil
dence.
The floral clock will be as attractive
an exhibit at night as it is in the day.
Among the foliage of the hour numer-
ais are 1000 incandescent electric
lamps, not visible durins the day, but
after nightfall, when tire electric cur
rent is turned on, the mvriads of lamps
illuminate the entire exhibit and make
it as light as day, and more beautiful.
The floral clock Is the exhibit OF the
johnson Service Company, of Milwau-
kee.
Due Notice is Served.
Due notice is hereby served on the
public generally that DeWitt's Witch