The Catholic bulletin., 1915-05-15
HOW The ANCIENTs
REC 0RDED TIM [
COLLECTION OF suN-DIALs,
HoUR-GLAssEs AND TIME CAN
DIES IN THE NATIONAL MU-
scum AT WASHINGTON.


scum AT WASHINGTON.
The indication of time has long been
one of the most important factors in
the history of the world. Even the
primitive peoples had crude methods
of telling time, usually by the sun,
and one of the first implements used
for the purpose was vertical pole
stuck in the ground to establish the
noon mark. Representative types of
early time-keeping apparatus and me-
chanisms from various countries are
to be seen in the United States Ma
tional museum of permanent and por-
table sun-dials, hour-glasses, time can
dies and lamps, large series of
watches and watch movements, and
clocks, including water clock of the
18th century
Among the sun-dials, which are per-
haps the best known of the early time
indicators, is model of one used by
the Montagnais Indians of Canada,
consisting of pole set vertically, the
shadow of which was marked in the
snow by each hunting party to indi-
cate the time of its arrival to the In
dians who followed, thus making the
passage of time calculable. Other in
teresting specimens are brass and
ivory pocket Sun-dials of the 18th and
10th centuries. There is also a ring
dial, which, when held vertically, per-
mits the sun to shine through a small
hole on one side of the rim and regis
ter the hour on scale on the opposite
side. Vertical and horizontal dials
from many countries and latitudes,
dating from the 18th to the goth CEN
turies, are represented.
One of the most primitive time re-
cording devices employed by the Chi
nese and Japanese, was knotted
wick about two feet in length, which
smouldered without breaking into
flame, and indicated the passage of an
hour by the time consumed in burn
ing between two knots. King Alfred
is credited with having established a
system whereby twelve-inch wax can
dies we're divided into equal distances; !;
relatively third of an hour being re-
quired to burn an inch. A candle of
this type, but only ten inches in
length, is exhibited in the museum
collection.
Philippe Ii of Spain is supposed to
have usd an oil lamp for indicating
time, the decrease in the amount of
oil being shown by graduations on the
glass reservoir. 1t was designed espe-
cially for night use; the graduations
started at the top, with the mark iii,
passed down to XII and then from | to
VIII, covering the period of winter
darkness. A similar lamp is in the
National museuMl exhibit, classified as
pewter time-indicating lamp, marked
for the hours nine to six, and was col
lected. in 1909 oin Nuranlburg by pr Pr
Samuel p. Langley, late secretary of
the Smithsonian Institution.
Sand glasses are represented by sew
en- specimens of various types indi-
eating three minutes, one-quarter hour,
one-half hour, and one hour, and one
German set of four-hour glasses prob
ably of the 14th century. The hour
glass is said to be invention of Luit-
prand, monk of Chartres, who, near
the end of the 8th century, revived the
art of glass blowing. These instru-
ments are still popular with many
clergymen, and it is understood that
one is in daily use in the British
House Of Commons.
Clocks operated by water power
date back as far as 300 B. C. in Egypt,
and although their history is some
what vague, it is believed that the
earliest ones indicated hours" of un-
even length, while those evolved dur
ing the 18th century and later were
simpler and showed even periods.
Clocks of this description and of this
period are known as Clepsydras; one
with an alarm attachment was col
lected for the museum by DR.. Langley
in Paris. 1t consists of a hollow drum,
partly filled with water, suspended
from an oblong frame by two cords,
the lower ends of which are wrapped
the cord is wound about the shaft, the
drum is at the top of the frame, and il
released would descend rapidly, un-
winding the cord as it goes, were its
speed not regulated by the action of
the water which flows slowly through
series of seven compartments with
in the drum, causing drag or coun-
terbalance to the action of gravity.
The ends of the shaft act as indexes
pointing to the hours marked on the
frame
The date of the introduction Of
clocks. worked by weights is not def
nitely known. Bot it is supposed that
they did not appear until the 18th or
14th century and that John Megestein
of Cologne invented the escapement.
The museum displays a number Of
these clocks, including a ships clock
which rings "beIlsf in sea-go;ng style.
Portable time pieces appeared short
ly after 1900 as the invention of Peter
Henlein of Nuremberg, who employed
a long ribbon steel prong to drive the
mechanism of his watches.
The museum collection of watches
and movements numbers several hun
dred, and illustrates the development
of the mechanical part Of the watch,
making it possible to compare the
work many early watchmakers of this