In- PROVEMENTS IN TURRET AND OTHER LARGE CLOCKS."
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Harry Whiteside Cook, of Ovington Square, in
the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "In-
PROVEMENTS IN TURRET AND OTHER LARGE CLOCKS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Harry Whiteside Cook
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 18th August 1869.
I, HARRY WHITESIDE COOK, of Ovington Square, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TURRET AND OTHER LARGE CLOCKS," to be as
follows:-
The object of the present Invention of improvements in turret and
other large clocks is to do away with a large portion of the clockwork
gearing with its attendant expence, and in-fact to eliminate from the clock
all the wheels which come before that which actually drives the hands.

page_text: This in a clock of the ordinary construction will have three wheels,
namely, 1st, one which goes round once an hour; 2nd, the escapement
wheel; and, 3rd, a wheel connecting the other two. To this end I apply
to the axle of one of these wheels a small water wheel to be driven by a
flow of water from a suitable reservoir. The form of water wheel I find
most suitable for this purpose consists of four or more pipes radiating
from a centre, and furnished with small buckets at their extremities;
these pipes are likewise provided with taps so arranged that as the wheel
revolves pins properly placed will turn the taps on and off at certain
points as the wheel goes round. These pins are so placed that the water
entering at the centre flows into the bucket which is at the top, and the
flow is stopped as soon as the bucket in question is full. By this
arrangement the splashing of an ordinary wheel is avoided, and a very
regular pressure is obtained.
In applying my principle to the striking movement the advantages
are still more evident, first, because the weight here employed is even
greater than that required to drive the clock itself, and, secondly, because
in this case I eliminate two trains of wheels. I apply the power to the
cammed wheel, which actually lifts the hammer. As the water wheel
will only revolve at a certain pace the regulating fans usually employed
may be dispensed with. The only wheel required in this arrangement,
with the exception of the cam wheel for lifting the hammer, is a ratchet
wheel to drive the locking plate. The clock discharges the striking
movement by turning on the tap, and the locking plate turns off the tap
as soon as the required number of strokes has been made. A simple
pallet will move the ratchet wheel and plate one tooth forward at every
stroke.
When there is any difficulty about introducing a water wheel large
enough to act in the manner above described, or where complicated
inovements, such as chimes are required, the main advantages of my
system can be obtained by making the weight and drum of an ordinary
clock of power sufficient to strike twelve o'clock and its chimes, if any,
and then arranging a small water wheel to wind up the striking move-
ment after every time that it has acted. Thus, for instance, in a non-
chiming clock, where you have at present to store up power sufficient to
strike 720 times, you would under my plan require only power sufficient
to strike 12, thus diminishing the strength and solidity requisite in

page_text: constructing the clock 60 times. Wherever it is inconvenient to have
the water wheels in the clock room they can of course be connected
with the works by a chain or other gearing.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Harry Whiteside Cook in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 18th February 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HARRY
WHITESIDE COOK, of Ovington Square, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Harry Whiteside Cook, Her special
licence that I, the said Harry Whiteside Cook, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Harry Whiteside Cook,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN TURRET AND OTHER LARGE CLOCKS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Harry Whiteside Cook, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
66
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Harry Whiteside Cook, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing here-

page_text: unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say) -
The object of my Invention of "Improvements in Turret and other
Large Clocks," is to dispense with a large portion of the ordinary clock-
work gearing, with its attendant expense, and in fact to eliminate from
the clock all the wheels which come before that which actually drives
the hands. This gearing in a clock of the ordinary construction, but
actuated according to my Invention, will consist of three wheels,
namely, first, one which goes round once an bour; second, the escape-
ment wheel; and, tlrird, a wheel connecting the other two.
In carrying out my Invention I arrange the wheels and driving gear
in the manner shewn in the accompanying Drawing, in which Fig. 1
represents an elevation of a turret clock constructed according to my
improvements, and provided with striking gear; Fig. 2 is a side view of
the same.
It will be seen that I apply to the axles of the central wheel a (on the
axle of which the hour hand is mounted) a water wheel, which is driven
by a flow of water from a suitable reservoir above. This water wheel
may be of any convenient construction, but the form I find most
suitable for this purpose, and which I have shewn in the Drawings,
consists of four or more pipes b, b, radiating from a centre b³, and
furnished with small buckets 6, 62, at their extremities. These pipes
arc each provided with a tap or cock, on the spindle of which is mounted
a tappet wheel c, c, so arranged that as the arms of the wheel revolve in
the direction of the arrows 1, 1, one of the arms of the tappet wheel.c
is brought against a pin d, so placed that it will turn on the taps c at a
certain point as the wheel goes round in the direction of the arrows 1, 1.
Water will then pass down the pipe e from the reservoir above to the
centre 6', and from thence up the arm 6 into the bucket 6.
the water down the pipe e into the bucket is stopped as
bucket in question is full by the tappet wheel c of the tap coming
against another pin d', which will turn off the tap and stop the water
from flowing into the bucket. By this arrangement the splashing of an
ordinary water wheel is avoided, and a very regular pressure is obtained.
The hour wheel a gears into a pinion on the axle of the wheel f. The
wheel gears into a pinion on the axle of the escapement wheel h. A
pinion on the axle 6' gears into and drives the wheel i, on the face of
The flow of
soon as the

page_text: which are pins 2, 2, which as the wheel i rotates lift up the tail of a
lever j, the other end of which is connected by a wire to one end of a
lever k, which is connected at its opposite end by a wire to a lever /
below, having its fulcrum at 3. As the tail of the lever is raised it
will draw the catch t into the position shewn by dots, and will (by
releasing the pin 4 on the lever u) allow the other pin 5 to drop on the
back of the catch t. Now when the pin 2 on the wheel i passes the tail
of the lever the latter will fall back into the position shewn, and the
pin 5 being released from the catch will allow the lever u to drop down
until stopped by a pin 6 at the end
it will rest in the position shewn by dots and by means of the wire u';
this lever u will turn on the tap s, and allow water to pass down the
pipe & into the arms o and buckets o¹ of a second water wheel for
actuating the striking part of the mechanism.
of the double lever v, v', on which
In applying my Invention to the striking movement, the advantages
of my principle of working are very great, first, because the weight here
employed is even greater than that required to actuate the clock itself;
and, secondly, because in this case I eliminate two trains of wheels. I
apply the power of a water wheel to the cammed wheel n, which consists
of three cams, as shewn by dots in Fig. 1. These cams as they are
rotated by the action of the tubular arms o and buckets o' act on the
tail of the lever p, which by the intervention of the wire p¹ lifts the
hammer of the bell in the turret above. As the water wheel o will only
revolve at a steady pace the regulating fans usually employed in the
striking gear of ordinary turret clocks may be dispensed with. The only
wheel required in this arrangement, with the exception of the cam
wheel for lifting the hammer through the lever p and wire p' is a
ratchet wheel q to drive the locking plate 1. The ratchet wheel has
three teeth, and is mounted on the same shaft as the cam wheel n, and
therefore at every third of a revolution moves the locking plate r one
tooth. It will be evident that so long as the arms o of the large water
wheel continue to move round they will carry round with them the cain
wheel n, and will consequently act on the hammer lever p, as already
explained, and also on the ratchet wheel q, which will drive the locking
plate one tooth for every stroke of the hammer on the bell. The
striking will therefore continue until one of the twelve pins 7, 7, on the
face of the locking plater comes against the tail e¹ of the lever v, on

page_text: which the lever u rests. The pin 7 as it moves forward will push back
the tail of the lever, and thus cause the pin 6 to raise the lever u into
the position shewn in the Drawing, and thus allow the counterbalance
lever on the cocks to turn off the water from the arm o and buckets o',
and thereby stop the cams n and ratchet q, until one of the pins 2 of the
wheel comes round again at the end of the hour and turns on the
water again in the pipe s'.
When there is any difficulty about introducing a water wheel large
enough to act in the manner above described, or where complicated
movements, such as chimes are required, the main advantages of my
system can be obtained by making the weight and drum of any ordinary
clock of power sufficient to strike twelve o'clock with its chimes, if any,
and then arranging a small water wheel to wind up the striking move-
ment after every time that it has acted. Thus, for instance, in a non-
chiming clock, where you have at present to store up power sufficient to
strike seven hundred and twenty times you would under my plan require
only power sufficient to strike twelve, thus diminishing the strength and
solidity requisite in constructing the clock.
Having now described my Invention of "Improvements in Turret
and other Largo Clocks," and having explained the manner of carrying
the same into effect, I would observe that although I have described the
mode which I prefer for adapting or applying the power to drive the
works of the clock, I do not intend to confine myself thereto, as
the arrangement and construction of the parts may be considerably
varied without departing from the nature and object of my Invention.
For instance, wherever it is inconvenient to have the water wheels in the
clock room they can be connected with the works by a chain or other
gearing. And instead of applying the water power to act direct on the
works, the centre shafts on which the water wheels are mounted may be
actuated by a weighted cord or chain, which may be allowed to run
down at short intervals, and in so doing turn on a tap which will allow
water to act on a water wheel (such as those shewn and described) which
will wind up the weighted cord or chain again, and when this has been
done the weight by coming in contact with a stop arranged for the
purpose will turn off the tap and stop the flow of water, the whole being
arranged to work automatically at the proper time. I therefore claim as
-the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid,―

page_text: First. Adapting to any suitable part of the movement of turret or
other clocks a water wheel, by the power of which the clockwork may
be actuated, as herein set forth.
Second. I claim adapting water power to act automatically on the
working parts of clocks, either by the intervention of chain or other
gearing, or by causing it to wind up the weight or other power which
drives or actuates the working parts.
In witness whereof, I, the said Harry Whiteside Cook, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Seventeenth day of February,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
H. WHITESIDE COOK. (L.S.)