Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-11
WORLDS GREAT CLOCKS
MARvELs OF INVENTIVE INGE-
NUITY AND MECHANICAL SKILL.
Facts About the Famous Timepieces
That Tell the Hours for Mil
lions of Mankind.

Fritz Norris. In the Technical World Magazine.
There is something irresistible. some
thing fascinating in the charm of time
piece-be 1t watch. clock or sundial-for
all classes, and for all ages. The clocks
of today, marvels though they are of me-
chanical or electrical skill, are no more
ingenious than were those Of two or three
centuries ago.
The development of mechanical devices
to mark time makes an Interesting chapter
in human history. Probably the most
ancient method of measuring the subdivis-
ions of the day by means of the sun
dial. This was followed by the water
clock, which was in use in Egypt. Judea
Babylon Chaldea and Phoenicia. The first
water-clock of which history tells us con-
sisted of basin of water exposed in some
corner of a public place At the extreme
end of this vessel there was spout from
which the liquid flowed, drop by drop, into
receiver having graduations for tndicat-
Ing the hour of the day or night. The
water-clock was in until the seven
teenth century. In Japan and China to
this day is used primitive measuring APP
paratus consisting of wick. about two
feet In length, which takes a certain period
to consume. Knots tied at intervals,
which give an indication of the time. The
sandglass is also of antiquity; but to this
day Sandglass is used in the British
house of commons to measure certain in
tervals
Invention of the Watch.
About the year 1900, Peter Henlein
young member of the locksmiths' guild of
Nuremberg, Bavaria. was engaging him
self In improving the timepieces of that
period, and he was vexed at the fact that
the wheel clocks. the only ones then in
existence, which depended for their motive
power upon heavy weights. would perform
their duty only when stationary. but i'm
,tal,, foil AI fhnir
when carried about. At last an idea oc
CURED to him. and he argued that as the
spiral catCh-spring of door-lock moves
the bolt of the lock, 1t must also be capa-
BILE, with certain changes in mechanism. of
driving the wheelwork Of clock. This
led to the invention of the handspring,
which made possible the portable clock. or
watch.
Strassburg's Famous Clock.
Every visitor to Strassburg. the capital
of the conquered" provinces of Alsace and
Lorraine, makes pilgrimage at noon of
his first day to the great and famous
astronomical clock in the cathedral. This
large clock is in the south transept. and
was constructed in ISSS-42 by SChwilgue,
a clockmaker of Strassburg. 1t replaced
similar clock by DaSypodiuS, constructed
in 1874, which was in use down to 1883.
and which. in it's turn, formed substitute
for still older clock made in 1352-54.
Only few parts of the interior and some
Of the decorative paintings of the old
clock were used in making the present one
The interior attracts spectators at all
times but especially al noon. On the first
gallery an angel strikes the quarters on
bell in his hand while a genius at his side
reVerSeS his Sandg lass every hour. Higher
up around a skeleton which strikes the
hours. grouped figures representing
boyhood, youth, manhood and old age, as
the four quarters OF the hour tnder the
first gallery. the symbolic deity of each
day steps out of niche, Apollo on Sun
day, Diana on Monday, and so on In the
hi ghest niche. at noon, the Twelve Apos-
ties move round figure of the Savior. On
the highest pinnacle of the side tower,
which contains the weights, is perched a
cock. which flaps its wings, stretches its
neck, and crows, awakening echoes IN the
remoteSt hooks of the cathedral. The
mechanism also sets in motion complete
planetarium. behind which Is perpetual
calendar. The most wonderful feature or
this piece of mechanism is that 1t Is cal
culated to regulate itself and adapt its
motions to the revolutions of the seasons
for an almost unlimited number or years
1t was badly damaged by the besieging
troops under General Won Werder curing
the Franco Prussian war of lSIo-I For
q time it was thought that the injuries
which were a part of the unavoidable dis
asters of war-were irreparable; but, after
five years of the most expert Adpof' II was
completely restored
The bear is the heraldic emblem of Berne
the capital of Switzerland. and 1t figures
frequently in all sorts of ways ana all sorts
of places The Zeit glockenthurm, the
famous clock of the Swiss capital, which
caps the arch of a street passage, Is very
old piece. The curious clock on the west
side of the tower announces the approach
of each hour by the Growing of a COCK,
while Immediately before the hour Is indi-
Gated a troop of bears march In procession
before a sitting figure. Nearby. Bruin APP
pears with a shield, sword, banner and
helmet.