The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-04-30
William Blanford Produces Remark
able Scientific Triumph After
Forty Years Of
Labor.
WIND EVERY s8 YEARS
The First Thousand Years II is Ex-
pectcd to Run Without Any
Trouble What
ever.

Claims of astronomers that the
equauon OF the years could not be
accomplished by machinery are dis
proved by the clock completed by
Wil1lhm Blanford of Aurora, Ill, who
has recently died at the age of -
years. His clock was the labor of
forty years. The calendar is arranged
for ten thousand years, even the
double leap years being provided for.
The equation of time, operating auto
matically, has been accomplished.
The astronomical dial is wound
once in every sixty-eight years, or
fourteen times in about thousand
years. During the first thousand
years, the clock is expected to oper-
ate without impairment or attention.
The calendar registers the number
and name of each day, each month
and each year. There is dial or
plate below the astronomical dial,
which gives the longitude east and
west at 127 of the principal cities of
the world, showing the time at any
hour of the day or night in each.
An improved compensation pendulum
"a device conceived by the inventor
us responsible to large degree for
the accuracy of the clock The PEN
dulum is adjusted to normal temper
allure, and is automatically controlled
by expansion and contraction as the
result Of changes in heat and cold
The entire structure, cabinet and
mechanism, was made by the inVen-
tor in his little workshop adjacent
to his home. The cabinet, beauu-
fully carved, stands 8 feet in height,
g feet in width and 2 feet in depth.
Series OF DiaIa
The upper dial marks the time with
absolute accuracy and is governed
/ by an eight-day movement. Above
the time dial is the moon frame,
showing precisely the phases OF the
moon, changing automatically at each
quarter. The astronomical dial. be-
low the time dial, shows the earth
and its revolutions around the sun,
the time it enters the consultations
or signs of the zodiac. paranelism OF
1.-THE earth's axis, variations Of the
seasons, the months and days OF the
| month, giving February twenty-elgnt
| DAYS for three successive years and
itwenty-nine in leap year.
The main dial is four feet in diam
eter. Twenty-four smaller dials show
the time in the principal cities of the
globe, there being variation OF one
hour in each The clock is operated
by two weights or fifty pounds each,
capable of driving the mechanism for
two months. At the end of this
period the weights are automatically
rewound by an electric motor. The
total rewinding process occupies
about five minutes of each year.
The clock also has thermometer
and micrometer attachment which
shows the exact temperature within
one-fftieth degree Fahrenheit, and
the amount OF contraction and ex-
pansion up to one ten-thousandth OF
an inch. Each night, the dlals are
ALI automatically illuminated
Family Of CIockmakers.
William Blanford was born in Lon
don, England, in 1888 and came OF
a long line of expert clock and watch
makers. A profound impression was
made upon him in youth when his
father was called upon to repair an
orrery. or planetary, for the Green
witch observatory. The boy was in
spired to make study of the laws
and motions Of the planets. He took
nm the study of astronomy and made
an orrery showing the sun and the
planets revolving by clock work and
crank handle. He recalls repairing
a rare French repeating watch for
patron after, his father had declined
the lob because the overhauling ap-
peared to be hopeless The boy sue
ceeded The customer was George
Cruikshank, the caricatur1st, VINO
illustrated the works OF Cnarles
Dickens.