Norwich bulletin., 1910-12-31
After Sixty Years of Service it is Wornout,
 Feeble and Unreliable
THE CITY'S COMMITTEE OF FIFTEEN
Is Not Dead, but S1eepeth, New Londons "Dens of Iniquity" May Later Discover-The Gas and Elec- tric Company Boosting the City a Desirable Lo= cation for New Industries-Plans for Greater City.

The clock in the steeple of the First Church of Christ, which is located just aDove the bell that has been rung at noon and served as the curfew at 9 o'clock at night. and which has been in service for over sixty years, has outllVed it's uselessness, for now it is unreliable as to time and frequently stops short as if never to go again, but is urged on for a time longer by the deXterOuS work of the clock eX- pert. The clock is owned by the city of New London, coming to it when the town and city was consolidated, and has always been known as the town clock. The clock is worn out and an- other is needed, but there are no funds available for the purchase of a new one.
 Alderman O'Leary, chairman of the committee on public property, has call- ed this important matter to the atteu- tion of the court of common council, stating that the appropriation at his disposal is not ample to provide for a new clock and meet the other require- mentS of the public property commit tee. The alderman has suggested talk ing the money from the miscellaneous fund and aScertained that the appro- prIatlon was not sufficient to meet the demands that will be made upon it during the fiscal year. He explained that he considered it almost a waste of money to be continually patching L4J I4AC NO4 IICI 4IIltpl6CG, DGI uGtldICl that 1t would be a black eye to the city to have that clock in the steeple with the hands forever stationary.
 So, after rest of a couple of weeks, the old clock has been patched up again, and at this writing is reeling off the time just as it has been doing be- fore and since the birth of. the oldest member of the court of common coun- cil, and before the fathers of some of them were born. It was Alderman O'Learys plan to have an illuminated clock substituted for the present one, but it was learned that the First Con greSaLiOnal society would object to such change, not on account of the style of the clock, but because the change would bring with it changes in the steeple construction that might materially weaken that pointed pile of granite, which has strengthened in it's SiXty-three years Of service. So that project has been abandoned and when the new clock is installed it will be of about the same pattern as the time keeper that has worn itself out AL derman O'Leary says that to place a really first class clock in the steeple, one that would do fully as good ser vice as the original, would cost about $500, and he proposes to hammer away on this subject until an appropriation of that amount is made for the pur- chase of d new clock, unless some pub- lie spirited citizen steps to the front and center and donates a clock as a memorial to himself or to some dear one departed.
 Should there be a special city meet ing during the year to make any addi- tlOna1 appropriation for any specific purpose Alderman OLeary will insist that a recommendation of an appropri- atiOn of $500 for the purchase of a town clock will be included in the call and acted upon at the same meeting. IT this cannot be accomplished the clock appropriation will be in the an- nual budget which is made up at the September meeting Of the council. In the meantime the old clock will be nursed along under the care of an ex- pert and every effort made to keep the clock going until it stops short never to go again.