Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-02-15
A REMARKABLE CLOCK.
Result Of Five Years Work Of a Black
Forest Mechanic.

A clock which is in many respects one
Of the most notable in the world has been
constructed. says the jewelers. Circular
Weekly. after five years of hard labor by
August Noll. a skilled mechanic OF Nlllin-
gen. one Of the old and picturesque cities
of the German Schwarzwald and the form
er capital of the province OF Baar, when
came into the possession of Baden in loOo:;
The people of this region are dillgent ana
talented and the making Of clocks has
been for 200 years native industry among
them.
Those first made were wooden clocks
with a sort Of kbalance, 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 metallic clocks Win
mainsprings. until now the most elaborate
and artstically designed time pieces OF
every kind are sent all over the world, INTO
the humble dwellings OF the middle classes
and the palaces of the wealthy.
The Astronomical clock finished by
August Noll almost surpasses in ingenuity
of construction. variety of mechanism ana
number of figures not only the famous
clocks of Prague and Goslar but even the
renowned masterpiece OF Isaac habrecht,
the wonder Of Strasburg Cathedral. IL
is at present on exhibition in Munich, and
it is unlikely that il will ever be per-
mitted to leave the city
The case. Of walnut wood, about IA ieet
high. y feet wide and feet deep, IS lash
ioned in the form Of a church Of the early
Renaissance style, of harmonious design
and pleasing to the aesthetic sense, The
coalendar mechanism, rollers, chimes,
striking works, &c., 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. months and years. but also
the movable feasts OF the Christian year.
The different days and seasons are intro
duced by professions of appropriate figures
skillfully carved, accompanied by music,
with bugle solos and watchmens horns,
or with cock crows and cuckoo calls.
The centre is occupied by an artistically
decorated and Illuminated chapel, whose
doors are open every morning at o'clock
and bring to view a congregation OF wor-
shippers in the Schwarzwald costume, who
| file past the altar amid the strains OF a
choral.
Once every hour the figure Of
Dcdtn appears AZ lit iclt nlAo Nhibf aAAe
figures representing the four ages OF man
pass by him; at the same time the Il
Apostles are seen passing before the figure
of Christ in an attitude OF blessing. Al
the right Of the portal, above, is an
idealized representation Of the four seasons
and beneath, morning and evening, sis
Capuchin monks march slowly, to the
accompaniment of chimes and the chordi
of "a choral, from their picturesque foresi
| hermitage to the church.
The time is marked on the clock face il
/ the upper part Of the central space, not by
ordinary hands, but by figures which
spring out at the proper moment, and two
angels strike the changes on melodiou'
bells Below, as if in the side aisles Of the
: church, the strong and carefully con
structed mechanism is visible in action; al
the foot is an astronomical tellunum, anC
at the gables Of the side wings two large
faces show the time in Calcutta and New
York, as compared with the central Euro
pean time.
The whole structure weighs 3, 200 pound
and is valued at $4,000 marks. Mos
interesting and original, it exhibits the
great intelligence and inventive gifts anC
the wonderful perseverance of its maker.