The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1907-10-02
FIRST PUBLIC CLOCK,
1t Was One Of the Wonders Of
the Fourteenth Century.
THE PEOPLE WERE PUZZLED
Parisians Couldn't Understand How
the Bells We're Rung Without Being
Struck by the Watchman-The Era
of Automaton Ringers

Struck by the Watchman-The Era
of Automaton Ringers.
In primitive times Il man vas sta
TONED At the top Of the belfry to rig
the bells at the Indicated hours. day
and night. This WalehHaH WAS called
the heroseopns that is to say. the OBJ
server Of the hour He had recourse
himself III order 10 fulnll his duty IA
The study of the astral SYSTEM 10 the
number Of prayers he was 10 rceite, 10
the quantity of MAX II candle had con
sumed, to the elcpsydra. or water
clock. and to the hourglass The trade
of the horoscopus WIS 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 Ia the fourteenth
century. Particular mention Is made
of one which WIS established at caen
In 1911 by Beaumont and that Of the
PALMS lie Justice in Paris which King
Ghurles Y had constructed in $50 by
the German clockmakcr Henri de Vie
This machine seemed So marvellous
the legend asked permission of the
king to 90 on guard AT the door OF the
tower 10 assure themselves that II WAS
the clock and not the Waterman that
rang the hours.
This establishment of the people ut II
period when mechanism was but Just
born may we'll he conceived In pres
enee of Il machine capable of calculat
Ing and striking the hours without the
assistance of any human being, with
the same precision that could he exer
eised by the most veilani Horoscopes
The custom was pcrpetuatcd until
the seventeenth century and still ex=
lists In certain cities Of Europe of plnc
ing alongside of the clocks various au-
donations which ring the hours II Is
due to nothing else than the thought of
recalling to memory the recollection of
the ancient Waterman And also the
clocks with nutomatons catered to the
popular taste of that epoch The PEG
pie of that period prcocCupied them
selves hut little with the mere or less
cNnct measurement of time. Railroads
were not in existence, and the cxigcn-
ees of life were not 80 great rs they
are now \ cock which crowed and
Tapped his wings, some apostles who
marched hs. striking II blow for caeh
hour. filed them with admiration. and
in this respect ITO other clocks aroused
SO much enthusiasm ms those of Lyons
ani Strassbnrg. II was ii clock of this
character that Henri bcuX placed over
the superb portal Of the chateau Of
Anet
Nevertheless This timcpcce WIS dis
tingushed from other clocks with au-
tomatons by the originality of the fig
ures that II set in movement. Here
no longer Wis II woman or II MIN who
struck the hours with rusty arms. 1t
was Il ualestic stag, standing erect
surrounded 10y -four hloodhounds of
natural sizc. which appeared to be
holding ii nj bay, that one saw on the
summit Of the portal one of the
stays legs WAS movable, and as II was
lifted it seemed to strike the hours
The -four hounds opened their jaws at
cnch striking of the quarters, and their
voices We're initiated by bells of differ
cnt notes whose clnppcrs were connect
cd by wires with their lower Jaws.
causing them To open and shut rs long
rs the hell ringing mechanism con
tinucd
This curious clock exists no longer.
1t was sold nj auction with its finest
dlals for the sum of 500 when the
chateau of Anet WAS enniiscatcd ns
national property and sold with its
furniture In the year : OF the first re-
public
This ancient clock was replaced In
lS5G by one entirely modern and made
10y Wagner The stag aud the hounds
in bronze were also carried away
Those seen today are in hron2ed terra
Gotta and play ne either part than to
recall To memory the ancient ones and
to add to the decorative portion of the
portal Of the ehntSlu whose architec-
turc, the work Of rhilihcrt Dclorme. is
one of TIM purcst and most delicate
constructions II the renaissance.
BESIDES the functions that we have
enumerated the clock of the chateau
of Anet possessed on the side of the
court af honor Il magnificent dial,
which Indicated the position OF the
signs Of the iodine, The months, the
days of the month and the moons
age. .IIorloserr