Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1905-08-15
ORIGIN OF TOWER CLOCKS.

How One of the First in Europe Waa
Named After Great Swedish Chemist.
"At what time may toxer clocks
for the use of the public at large have
been introduced"
This is a question which has often
been asked by many horologists,
among them Hainaut of Rouen, in
France, but has never been satisfac
torily answered, says the Revue In
ternationale dHorlogerie.
This much, however, seems to be
admitted, that public clocks were FIRST
introduced by the Arabs in Germany.
And the first clock of this kind was
set up in Paris, in the Town Hall, or
Court of Justice, at the instance of
Charles V, who had ordered it to be
made by German artist named Henri
de Vic, who completed it in the year
1870.
But it was only few years later
when a Norman, Jehan de Felains,
made another clock Of this kind,
which was set up at Rouen, and this
one was remarkable, owing to the fact
that it struck quarters. 1t may be
mentioned in this connection that the
clock made by Jehan de Felains must
have been superior one, because it
continued to render service for a cen
fury after the one made by Henri de
Vic had disappeared. Still we have
an accurate and a detailed description
of the latter furnished by Monet in
the first chapter of his Theological
treatise, as stated by Julien Leroy in
his memoranda.
From this description we learn that
from the earliest time this style of
clock has hardly undergone any radi~
cal change in its elementary construc-
ton, except in so far as the trains,
both going and striking, were placed
in their frames vertically, j. e., one
wheel above the other, while at the
present time the placing of the trains
is done on a horizontal frame, which
means side by side. The escapement,
which was placed above the frame, is
said to have been a foliot; hence one
may infer that it was the former verge
escapement which was later suppressed
ed by the pin escapement, which was
more simple and handy and more
adapted to a good timekeper. All the
parts of these early clocks were made
of iron, instead of which modern
clockmakers use bronze, brass, steel
and castings, when such can be en-
ployed with advantage. From the
standpoint of the employment of gen
eral mechanical principles very few
innovations are noticed.
The question has often been mooted
whether this specimen of the horolog
icai art is the original clock of Sor-
bonnie of Richelieu's time, or, as has
been claimed by many, the one put in
its place by Lepante, who might have
been the maker of a more modern sub
stitute The clock frame and the p1.rts
composing the clock of the Polytech-
mic School, obsolete, was christened
Berzelius This great Swedish chem
list, who taught at the school, had the
habit Of repeating each year the cias-
sic demonstration of asphyXiating
some live bird under the globe of the
pneumatic machine.
During the appointed day a sparrow
condemned to show the effects OF an
air vacuum had been placed on the
fatal disk of the instrument, when a
cry of pity was raised by the scholars
in the birds favor. At their solicita-
tions Berzelius suspended the expert
ment and restored the bird to lib
erty, and it soon revived and took
flight. The next day after this mem
orable one the sparrow, or more likely
one of it's kind, perched upon one Of
the hands of the clock and renamed
there. This occurrence happened dur
ing recess, which was prolonged until
some one noticed the stoppage of the
clock
1t was universally asserted by cred
ulous persons that this extraordinary
phenomenon was a positive NANTES
tation of the gratitude of the little
sparrow But as he neither left his
card nor his name, it was decided that
the professor should lend his for the
occasion, and it was appropriated
without his consent. It was in this
manner that the illustrious Swede was
compelled, without knowing it, to lend
his name for commemorative a tower
clock