The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1907-10-08
FIRST PUBLIC CLOCK,
1t Was One OF the Wonders Of
the Fourteenth Century.
THE PEOPLE WERE PUZZLED
Parislans couldr't Understand No~
the Bells Wsrs Rune Without Being
Struck by the Watohman-Ths Era
Of Automaton Rinsers.

Parisians couIdr't Understand How
the Bells Wers Rune Without Being
Struck BY the Watohman-Ths Era
Of Automaton Ringers.
In primitive times a man was sta
tioned at the top Of the belfry 10 ring
the bells at the indicated hours, dsr
and night. This Waterman was called
the horoscopus- Is to say, the OBJ
server of the hour. He had recourse
himself In order to fulfill bis duty 10
the study of the astral system, 10 the
number OF prayers he was to rectts. to
the quantity Of wax a candle had con-
sumed. TO the clepsydra, os water
clock, and to the hourglass me trade
OF the horoscOpus was Inevitably one
OF the first which the progress OF
mechanism was to cause to disappear
The first clocks with bell known In
France date back to the fourteenth
century. Particular mention b made
of one which was established at Caen
In 1914 by Beaumont and that of ttie
Palais de Justice In Paris which King
Charles v had constructed Ia 1870 By
the German ciockmaker Henri de VIC
This machine seemed 80 marvellous
that the inhabitants of Parts-s goes
the legend-asked permission Of the
king to go on guard at the door of the
tower 10 assure themselves that II was
the clock and not the watchman that
rang the hours.
This establishment Of the people at
period when mechanism was but just
born may well be conceived In pres-
ence Of machine capable Of calculat-
ing and striking the hours without the
assistance OF any human being, with
the same precision that could be exer-
cised by the most vigilant horoscopus.
The custom was perpetuated until
the seventeenth century and SIN ex-
lists in certain cities of Europe Of piac-
ing alongside of the clocks various au-
donations which ring the hours It IL
due to nothing else than the thought Of
recalling to memory the recollection Of
the ancient watchman. And also the
clocks with automatons catered 10 the
popular taste of that epoch. The PEG
pie of that period preoccupfed them
>s3lirvTes hut little with the more or less
exact measufsplent Of time. Railroads
were not IN existence >ss.nd the exigen-
cies Of life were not SO great as sney
are now COCK which crowed and
tapped his wings, some apostles who
marched by, striking a blow for each
hour, filled them with admiration, and
In this respect no other clocks aroused
SO much enthusiasm as those Of Lyons
and Strassburg. II was clock of this
character that Henri Deux placed over
the superb portal Of the chateau Of
Anet
Nevertheless this tfmepiece was dis
tinguished from other clocks with ar-
donations by the originality Of the fig
ures that It set In movement. Here
no longer was woman or q man who
struck the hours with rusty arms. II
was a majestic stag. standing erect
surrounded by four bloodhounds Of
natural size, which appeared to be
holding It at bay, that one saw on the
summit of the portal One Of the
stays legs was movable. and as IT was
lifted II seemed to strike the hours
The four hounds opened their jaws at
each striking of the quarters. and their
voices were initiated by bells Of differ
ent notes whose ciappers were connect
ed by wires with their lower jaws,
causing them to open and shut as long
as the bell ringing mechanism con-
tinued
This cr1rfous clock exists no longer
It was sold at auction with its finest
diais for the sum Of 800 when the
chateau of Anet was confiscated as
national property and sold with its
furniture IN the year Q of the first re-
public.
This ancient clock was replaced IN
1866 by one entirely modern and made
by Wagner. The stag and the hounds
In bronze were also carried away.
Those seen today are in bronzed terra
Gotta and play no other part than to
recall to memory the ancient ones and
to add to the decorative portion of the
portal of the chateau whose architec-
ture. the work Of Philibert Deior1ne, Is
one Of the purest and most delicats
constructions Of the renaissance
Besides the functions that we have
the clock of the chateau
of Anet possessed ON the side of the
court Of honor a magnificent dial,
which indicated the position of the
signs of the zodiac, the months, the
days Of the month and the moons