Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-02-09
A REMARKABLE CLOCK.
Result of Five Years Work Of Black
Forest Mechanic,

| Result of Five Years Work OF Black
Forest Mechanic.
A clock which Is in many respects
one Of the most notable In the world
has been constructed, says the Jewel
ers' Circular Weekly, after five years
of hard labor by August No!l. skilled
mechanic of Villingen, one Of the old
ard picturesque cities Of the Germa'
Schwarzwaldtand the former capital Of
the province Of Baar, which came into
the possession Of Baden II 1906. The
people Of this region are dilfgent and
talented, and the making Of clocks
has been for 200 years a native indus
try among them.
Those first made were wooden clocks
with a sort of balance, and were very
simple in construction. Gradually the
work grew in. perfection and the PEN
dulum took the place Of the balance; In
still later times came the metallic
clocks with ymainsprings; until now
the most elaborate and artistically d"
signed timepieces Of every kind are
sent all over the world, into the hum
BILE dwellings of the middle classes and
the palaces. Of the wealthy.
The astronomical clock finished by
August Noll almost surpasses In in
genuity of construction, variety of
mechanism and number Of figures not
only the famous clocks Of Prague and
Goslar but even the renowned master
piece of Isaac Habrecht, the wonder Of
the Strasburg Cathedral. 1t Is at pres
ent on exhibition in Munich, and 1t Is
unlikely that II will ever be permitted
to leave that, city.
The case, OF walnut wood, about IA
feet high, IL feet wide and feet deep,
is fashioned In the form Of q church
of the early Renaissance style, of har-
moaious design and pleasing to the
aesthetic sense. The calendar mechan-
ism, rollers. chimes, striking works,
are arranged to work for 100 years.
During a whole century the clock will
show not only the seconds, minutes,
quarter hours and hours. the days
weeks, but also the movable festivals
of the Christian year. The different
days and seasons are introduced by
professions of appropriate figures,
skillfully carved, accompanied by mu-
sic. with bugle solos and watchmen's
horns, or with cock crow and cuckoo
calls.
The centre is occupied by an artisti-
cally decorated and illuminated chapel.
whose doors open every morning at 3
o'clock and bring to view a congre-
CATION Of worshippers. in the Schwarz-
wald costume, who file past the altar
amid the strains Of a choral. Once
every hour the figure Of Death appears
at the left side wing, and figures rep
resenting the four ages Of man pass by
| him: at the same time the twelve
Apostles are seen passing before the
figure of Christ in an attitude Of bless
ing. At the right of the portal, above,
Is an idealized representation OF the
four seasons, and beneath, morning and
evening, six Capuchin monks march
slowly, to the accompaniment or
chimes and the chords of a choral,
from their picturesque forest hermitage
| to the church.
The time Is marked on the clock face
in the upper part Of the central space,
not by ordinary hands, but by figures
which spring out at the proper mo-
ment, and two angels strike the
changes on melodious bells. Below,
as II in the side aisles Of the church
the strong and carefully constructed
mechanism is visible in action; at the
foot is an astronomical tellurium, and
at the gables Of the side wings two
large faces show the time in Calcutta
and New York, as compared with the
central European time.
The whole structure weighs $500
pounds, and is valued at $4,000 marks.
Most interesting and original, 1t exhi-
bits the great intelligence and inven-
tive gifts and the wonderful perse-
verance Of its maker.