Daily Arizona silver belt., 1907-06-30
GREAT CLOCKS OF EUROPE
Big Timepieoe in London's Westminster
 Tower Is Being Repaired

When Big Ben falls dumb in his open garret of the Westminster clock tower the members of the house and a mum berless population feel that something is missing from their daily life. Last month the works ran down and the clock stopped, too. Big Ben took its first holiday in five years. Big Ben was disgracefully dirty and stood in need Of rubbing, or something more rigorous and efficacious.
 The task of cleaning Big Ben is not one to be lightly undertaken, for 1t m wolves the disintegration of three dis tinct series of mechanism and engages four workmen for more than fort night. The quarter-striking works are the most elaborate, because of the many wheels, cams and levers controlling the four bells that make up the chime. The hour strike itself is simplicity itself m comparison, but the weight of the great drum around which is wound the wire cable sustaining the weight of one and A half tons had to be lifted by means of ropes and double pulleys. Even then if was raised barely six inches from its permanent resting place. The working parts, which correspond to the ordinary works of clock, look the most simple of the mechanism, but here is the nicety which gives to Big Ben the reputation for reliability that London s workaday people so largely depend upon. Yet even upon this there is check, for a telegraphie needle connected With the Royal observatory at Greenwich hutters at every hour, or is expected to.
 The pendulum, swinging on great shaft with a full stroke of two seconds, is over thirteen feet long, with bob of four hundred.weight at the end. It is suspended from a piece of spring steel one thirty-seeond of an inch m thickness. In taking apart the quarter strike a full week was consumed; mean while the chiming quarters, which every body knows are tuned to the hrst Tour notes of the fifth bar of Handel Know That My Redeemer Liveth, sid not announce the quarters. Work upon the hour-striking parts was then begun and when the clock was stopped there was still the labor of days remaining on this section of the task. Barriers had to be placed across the we'll to catch the half.ton weight that drives the working part, otherwise it wonld have dropped to the bottom of the well shaft a fall of l75 feet.
 Every component part was cleaned inspected and returned to its place, but the closest scrutiny failed to bring to light a single case for repair. One shaft (that upon which the great drum turns) which sustains the weight of one and one-half tons, and drives the striking mechanism of Big Ben, shows no mark ed wear, and the gun metal bearings on which it works appear unworn. Yet the axle has made in the last fifty years 300. 900 revolutions in the striking, and as many more in the winding Evi' dently they used good metal in 1854.
 All the parts of the mechanism of Bie Ben are made of east iron. Nowadays steel would be used. It is the largest most powerful and most accurate clock in the world. It takes two men live hours three times each week to wind II up. and there are 374 steps wtieh they have to mount to reach the clock room The great hour bell weighs thirteen and a half tons and the hammer which strikes it weighs four hundredweight The aggregate weights of the four guar ter bells is nearly eight tons and they weigh, respectively, in ascending scale 8 tons IS cwt., l ton l3 ewt., l ton cwt., and l ton l cwt. Twice a day its time is telegraphed automatically tc Greenwich, and it is in the Royal ob servatory there that it is checked Boston Transcript.