The farmer and mechanic., 1915-03-02
THE INDICATING AND
RECORDING OF TIMF,
PreSs Service Smithsonian Institu-
flon.)

tion)
Washington, L. G., Feb o1-The IN
dlCatIon Of time has long been one
OF the most important factors in the
history Of the world. Even the primi-
tive peoples had some crude methods
of telling time. usually by the sun. auG
one Of the first implements used for
The purpose was a vertical pole stuck
| III the ground To eSta hlish the noon
mark Representative types Of early
| tlme- keeping apparatus and mechan-
isms from various countries are to Re
| seen IN the L. s. National Museum at
| Washington, u. c. This collection con-
slsts Of permanent and portable sun
! dlals hourglasSes. time candles and
| lamps, j large series Of Watches and
watch movements. and clocks, inClud-
ing water clock Of the 18th century
/ Among the sundiais, which are per
haps the best known Of the early time
indicators, is model of one used bv
/ the Monta gnais Indians If Canada
| consisting of pole set vertically. the
| shadow OF which was marked in the
snow by each hunting party Il indi-
cate the time of its arrival To the In
dams who followed. thus making the
passage Of time calculable Other in
teresJing specimens are brass and
ivory pocket sundials Of the 10Th and
18th centuries. There is also ring
dial which, when held vertically, per-
nits the sun to shine through q small
hole on one side of the rim and regis
ter the hour on a scale on the oppo-
! site side. Vertical ard horizontal diala
from many countries and latitudes,
dating from the 18th % Goth certu-
ries, are represented
The knotted Wick Service
3 one of the most primitive tine re-
cordlng devices employed 10y the Chm
, ese and Japanese, was > lnotted wick
= ABOUT two feet III length, which
smouldered without breaking into
flame, and indicated the passa ge OF an
{ noun by the time consumer in burning
/ between TWO knots. King Alfred is
\ | credited with having established a 4vS-
! tenn Whereby twolVe-inch wax candles
+. were divided into equal distances;
: relatively 2 third OF an hour being re
Y Cured to burn an inch. \ candle Of
: this type, but only ten inches III
{ length, is exhibited IN the Museum col
n lection.
: Philippe II Of Spain is supposed &c
{. have used an oil lamp for indicating
t. time. the decrease III the amount OF
: Oil being shown by graduations on the
% glass reservoir II was designed espe-
cially for night use; the graduutions
g started 81 the cop, with the mark III
e passed downward to MI and the!
= from - VIII, covering the period 0j
e winter darkness 4 similar lamp IS il
q the National Museum exhibit classi
is fed as & pewter time Indicating lamp
is marked Tor the hours nine 20 six anC
e was collected in 1909 in Nuremberg By
Or. Samuel E. Langley, late secretary
II | OF the Smithsonian Institution.
t. Sand and Hour Glasses
y Sand glasses are represented by seV.
l. en- specimens Of various types indi"at
~ ing minutes. One-quarter hour. one
l. half hour, and one hour, and one Ge1
f. man set Of four hour glasses pr0babl,
al of the fourteenth century. The hour
a glass is said to be the invention o
j. Luitprand, q monk OF Chartres, who
t. near the end Of the eighth century. re
+ viVed the art of glass blowing. Thes
re instruments are still popular witt
st many clergymen, and it is understood,
le that one is in daily use in the British
is House OF Commons.
v Clocks operated by water pow g
n date back as far as 800 3. G. in Egypt
II and although their history is some
a. what vague, it is believed that tn
Is earliest ones indicated hours Of un
even length, while those evolved dur
1a ing the 17th century and later wer
All simpler and ShoWea even periods
IN Checks of this description and OF thi
ed period are known as Clepsydras; on
r | with an alarm attachment was col
n lected for the Museum by Or. Langle
nv in Paris. It consists Of 6 hollow drum
or partly filled with water, suspende
q, from All oploHS frame bJ Two cofd'
I'd the lower ends of which are WTappe
about the shaft Of the drum. Whe
the cord is wound about the shaft, tn
o. drum is at the top Of the frame. an
ds if released would descend rapidly, IN
is winding the cord as it goes, were il
n speed not regulated by the action c
Ia the water which flows slowly thToug
Se a series oi seven coitpaI -ehtS Withi
IT. the drum, causing q drag or counter
i'll balance to the action Of gravity. TIL
Y, ends Of the shaft act as indexes point
ing 10 the hours marked OH the franz
Clocks Appears.
The date OF the introduction
clocks worked by weights is not Dc
We finitely known, but it is supposed thu
ev they did not aDpear until The ! 9th c