New-York tribune., 1903-01-19
DAYS OF WOODEN WHEEL CLOCKS.
Sun Dials Also Depended on Up to Near the
Middle of Last Century.

Wyoming Penn Jan II (SpeciaTl.-"CIocks have
changed the most in the last fifty years OF the
minor domestic things" said veteran Of the old
Dutch days Of the valley. He left the pleasant
banks OF the Susquehanua IN his early manhood
and became merchant and public leader IN a
Western New-York city. but ne has never forgotten
the scenes Of his younger days. He went on:
when we are surrounded every side by the
Evidences Of advancement in electricity. steam and
the tremendous factors in life. we lose sight OF
those smaller integers Of human comfort whose
absence would enforce itself upon in moment
Clocks form one of these classes. and never look
upon one OF the complicated eight-hCur timepieces.
with a calendar hand. an alarm and ali the numer-
Gus mechanical devices which have made them
perfect. but what in my minds eye the prtn1-
five sundial In the back yard at Forty Fort and
the square back clock. with its wooden wheels and
resonant tfck-tocK which followed that 1 wonder
how many Of tken are left. When I away
frcnl the valley. a few Of the more luxurious were
beginning to experiment with brass wheeled clocks
Now all this was only about sixty-fve years
ago Remember that. Not much half cent
uTy ago the inhabitants OF the great State OF Penn
syIyania hardly a days journey from Phli1-
delpha, trusting TO their sundiaIs Tor t0e
time of day. The first clocks which may be claSsed
as modern came from Connecticut or course. II
many farmhouses were standing the tail corner or
so-caIIed Colonial clocks. but the smaller and more
compact kind not introduced until about ISL"
They had wooden works. and were run By weights
AT first the German settlers were a little shy Os
chiefly.
Yankees We had heard about those Yankees and
the New-England conscience. and passed BY on tbs
other side. But after time one and then another
bought thenl and their use became common But
the question arose how to keep them right Ny
farther still trusted TO his sundial and Il was my
du+v at noon TO stand in the back yard and shout
out when the suns shadow stood upon the noon
mark
cone sad feature ularred the complete success OF
these clocks. Their wooden wheels would swell On
laT-S he ks e. lQ.
the clocks go slow: on dry days the wood shrank,
and the clocks would hustle along at ruinous clip
Consequently. about the only time we could trusS
them was in the dry. cold days OF hard winters
In wet and open winters they as bad as IN ths
earIv spring and late fall. One man, however.
achieved a reputation for having the most accurate
wooden clock in part Of the valley He prided
himself upon IT, too and this is how he worked IT,
nj niscs In the sitting room it would be j1sS
right in temperature. and In the summer ne st4oG
n in the creamery. under vanished box which
fitted into a groove. Getting the time OF day rom
1itT !s,Tt Inc wooden wheels destined TO pass
away before the harder brass ones s1Gn s, SS S t
wheeled clocks in the Saey and sho%SS y - , az
until the township had been satisfied II was wound
up with a key. and think that fatner won hlahy
many nla W. Of his friends 10 use the key.
The most picturesque timskesPe5Ss S os were eaS OK
orally they primitive; home-made devices. put
d fbsir r. purpose with satisfaction The rst
INV father used he made himself cut OF piece OF
sheet iron and a fiat whits board II was necessary
FOR the dial TO be set, OF course. and the way ie
was done was this: Father knew a neiShoor VINO
had a watch This neghbOr happened 70 go 70
PhiIadeIphfa lust about the time father had nniShe
fha dial and ne asked 10 set his watch with
great care in the city When he returned ne canls
over on the bright day. and IN the presence or
the entire family father drew the straight Hne
which marked the suns shadow when the neigh
hor's pointed at noon That lasted Us 1oF
a good many years. Some OF the dtals were made
20 order In Philadelphia with heavy Ornamentation
and set uD in the front yard. Ike tardtnISreS are
now But looked upon such things as Idle osten-
tatfon OF course these dials al registered direret
ly That Is. in those days every man VINO owned
a dial was the proud possessor OF his own time
Nowadays all subject 10 the click OF a teie-
graph instrument az Washington. Then there were
as many Moons there were people 10 enjoy them
Ii was my private opinion that our dial was noe
really right for our meridian. because the neigh
bors watch set in Philadelphia. and our line
adjusted IL without making calculations OF the
true difference between the two places, But once
set. the dials could never so wrong although on
dark days we had 10 depend on our stonachs TO
set US straight, unless we carried watches.
Clocks were great Improvement even II they
did come from Connecticut. but somehow always
had a deep affection for the weather-beaten old
sundiaL No. they didn't cost as much as some
clocks do now. those old wooden ones. but yoH
could buy two dozen excellent timekeepers with a
think the smallest and cheapest wooden elocks
cost about SO while the brass ones when aTst IN
troduced. brought as much as $50