The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-06-25
ORIGIN or TOWER CLOCKS.
How One OF First in Europe Was Named
After Great Swedish Chemist.

AT what time may tower clocks for the
use of the public at large have been intro
duced?'
This is question which has often been
asked by many horologists, among them
Hainaut of Rouen, in France. but has never
been satisfactorily answered. says the
Rerue Internationdle d'Horloaerie.
This much, however. seems to be adj
mitted, that public clocks were first intro
duced by the Arabs in Germany. And the
first clock of this kind was set up in
Paris, in the Town Hall. or Court of JUS
tice, 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
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 century after the
one made by Henri de Vic had disap-
reared. Still we have an accurate and
detailed description Of the latter furnished
10y Monet in the first chapter of his horo-
logical treatise as stated by Julien Leroy
in his memoranda.
From this description we learn that from
the earliest ime this style OF clock has
hardly undergone any radical change IN Its
elementary construction, except in so FAR
as the trains. both going and striking, were
placed in their frames vertically, ]. e., one
wheel above the other while at the present
time the placing of the trains is done on
horizontal frame, which means side by
side. The escapement, which was placed
above the frame, Is SAID TO nave been a
foliot; hence one may infer that 1t was
the former verge escapement which was
LATER superseded by the pin escapement,
which was more simple and handy and more
adapted to good timekeeper. 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 employed with advantage:
From the standpoint Of the employment OF
general mechanical principles very few in
novatons are noticed
The question has often been mooted
whether this specimen of the neurological
art il the original clock of Sorbonne OF
Richelieu's time, or, as has been claimed
l,v many the one put in its place by Lepante,
Who might have been the maker of
more modern substitute. The o clock Fl frame me
Polytechnic School, obsolete, was chris
tened Berzelius, This, great Swedish
chemist, who taught at the school, had the
habit of repeating each year the classic
demonstration of asphyxiating some live
bird under the globe of the pneumatic
During the appointed day a spa rrow
condemned to show the effects OF an air
vacuum had been placed on the fatal disk
of the instrument when cry of pity was
raised by the scholars in the birds favor
At their solicitations Berzeius suspended the
experiment and restored the bird to lib
erty. and it soon revived and took flight.
The next day after this memorable one the
sparrow, or more likely one of its kind,
perched upon one Of the hands OF the clock
and remained there. This occurrence hap.
nened during recess, which was prolonged
until some one noticed the stoppage OF the
clock.
II was universally asserted by, credulous
persons that this extraordinary phenomenon
was positive manifestation 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 1t was in this manner that
the ilmstrious Swede was compelled, without
knowing it, to lend his name for commemo-
rating tower ciook' -