IMPROVEMENTS IN TIME- KEEPERS OR CLOCKWORK, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS WORKED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Millar, of Dundee, in the County of
Forfar, Brewer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TIME-
KEEPERS OR CLOCKWORK, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS WORKED
IN CONNECTION THEREWITH."
Scaled the 22nd January 1853, and dated the 2nd December 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Millar at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 2nd December 1852.
I, CHARLES MILLAR, of Dundee, in the County of Forfar, Brewer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN TIME-KEEPERS OR CLOCKWORK AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
WORKED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the employment of a jet or minute stream
of water for the actuation of clock work, chimes of bells, and similar
mechanism. The water is conducted by a small pipe so as to flow
at a slow rate upon the buckets of a small water wheel, the shaft of
which is suitably geared with the hour and minute hands, or con-
nections of the turret or other clock, so as to drive the works with a

page_text: steady uniform motion, instead of using weights and pulley arrange-
ments. After leaving this first small bucket wheel, the water flows
over a second, but larger wheel of a similar kind, connected so as to
drive the quarter department of the clock for ringing the quarters.
From this wheel the water flows over a still larger bucket water
wheel connected with the hour ringing action, and the water finally
flows into a receiver or cistern for use in ringing the alarm bell or
bells, as may be necessary. The bell is fixed with its mouth upper-
most, and is contrived so that two distinct tones are obtained from
it; one by striking the bell on the lip, the other by striking the bell
about two thirds down its side. The arrangement for ringing the
bell or bells at any given time is this: There is a disc in con-
nection with the hour or minute spindle so reduced in motion as to
revolve once in 24 hours, and on the edge of this disc are wedged
shaped recesses arranged to suit the time for ringing. Into these
recesses the point of a lever falls when the disc revolves to the time
required; and this lever is connected with the discharge of the
cistern already referred to, so that at the period intended, the
valve is opened, and water allowed to flow from the cistern over a
water wheel, connected in turn with the tilt hainmers of the bells.
The plug or cistern valve is acted on from below, and on the lip of
the plug inside the cistern is a syphon, whose shorter leg is made
to suit the intended time of bell ringing; thus furnishing a definite
time to start, and also to stop, such time being variable at pleasure.
When a certain regular supply of water is not attainable at all
times as in towns, a small cistern is necessary above the highest
bucket wheel; about 10 or 12 feet above the waste water pipe is
sufficient. It is to be remarked that this arrangement is a perpetual
mover so long as it is supplied with water.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
J'atent, filed by the said Charles Millar in the Great Scal Patent
Office on the 1st June 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
CHARLES MILLAR, of Dundee, in the County of Forfar, Brewer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Iler
Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the six-
teenth year of Iler reign, did, for Herself, Iler heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Charles Millar, Her special license
that I, the said Charles Millar, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles Millar, my executors,
administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the terin
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 TIME KEEPERS OR CLOCK WORK, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
WORKED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Charles Millar, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and scal, should particularly describe and as-
certain 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Millar, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say):
My said Invention relates to the employment of a jet or minute

page_text: stream of water for the actuation of clock work, chimes of bells, and
similar mechanism. The water is conducted by a small pipe so as
to flow at a slow rate upon the buckets of a small water wheel, the
shaft of which is suitably geared with the hour and minute hands,
or connections of the turret or other clock, so as to drive the works
with a steady uniform motion, instead of using weights and pulley
arrangements. After leaving this first small bucket wheel, the
water flows over a second, but larger wheel of a similar kind con-
nected so as to drive the quarter department of the clock for
ringing the quarters. From this wheel the water flows over a still
larger bucket water wheel connected with the hour ringing action,
and the water finally flows into a receiver or cistern for use in
ringing the alarm bell or bells, as may be necessary. The bell is
fixed with its mouth uppermost, and is contrived so that two
distinct tones are obtained from it; one by striking the bell on the lip,
the other by striking the bell about two thirds down its side. The
arrangement for ringing the bell or bells at any time given is this:
There is a disc in connection with the hour or minute spindle so
reduced in motion as to revolve once in twenty-four hours; and on
the edge of this disc are wedge-shaped recesses arranged to suit the
time for ringing. Into these recesses the point of a lever falls when
the disc revolves to the time required, and this lever is connected
with the discharge of the cistern already referred to; so that at the
period intended the valve is opened, and water allowed to flow
from the cistern over a water wheel connected in turn with the tilt
hammers of the bells. The plug or cistern valve is acted on from
below, and on the lip of the plug inside the cistern is a syphon,
whose shorter leg is made to suit the intended time of bell ringing;
thus furnishing a definite time to start, and also to stop, such time
being variable at pleasure. When a certain regular supply of water
is not attainable at all times, as in towns, a sinall cistern is necessary
above the highest bucket wheel, about ten or twelve feet above the waste
water pipe, is sufficient. It is to be remarked that this arrangement
is a perpetual mover so long as it is supplied with water. And it
is not necessary that the works should be as high as the dials, but

page_text: they should never be lower than ten or twelve feet above the waste
water or discharge pipe of the building.
Figure 1, on Sheet 1, of my Drawings, is a side elevation of
the works of a turret clock as constructed according to my
Invention; and Figure 2, is an edge view of the same, at right
angles to Figure 1; Figures 1, and 2, on Sheet 2, of iny Draw-
ings, are a side elevation and plan of the portion of the wheel
work which regulates the tolling movement; Figure 3, is a sec-
tional view of the cistern and valve arrangement for working
the same movement; Figures 4, and 5, are a side elevation and plan
of the water wheel and works of the tolling movement; and Figures
6, and 7, are elevation and plan of a bell and hammers, arranged
according to iny Invention. The works are chiefly contained
between two cast iron frame pieces A, and B, connected together
by stays; whilst the actuating water wheels are between the inner
frame piece B, and a third C, behind, connected by stays to the
frame piece B. The water is brought to the apparatus by the pipe
D, from the spout of which it falls into the buckets of the upper-
most water wheel E. On the shaft of this wheel is a spur wheel F
(indicated in dotted lines only in Figure 1), gearing with the pinion
on the shaft G, which is calculated to make one revolution in the
hour, and reaches to one of the clock faces, whilst it communicates
its motion, by means of nitre wheels to corresponding shafts H, H,
to the two clock faces on either side of, and at right angles to, the
first; and again another set of mitre wheels at I, give motion to the
shaft which passes to the face opposite to the first. The shaft G, is
connected by a series of wheels with a pendulum escapement in the
usual manner, as shewn on the Drawings. The water which actuates
the wheel E, is caught in the cistern E', supported on the stays con-
necting the frames B, and C, together. From this cistern the
water descends by a suitable spout to the second water wheel J,
which actuates the movement for striking the "quarters." With
the exception of the motive power and method of applying it, the
arrangements here are similar to those usually adopted. A wheel
G', on the shaft G, which makes one revolution per hour, has four

page_text: equidistant pins upon it, which in succession acting upon the lever
K, by means of it release the wheels below. Then the water which
during the previous quarter of an hour has been accumulating from
the cistern E', above, in the buckets of the second water wheel J,
turns it, and also the spur wheel M, by means of the spur wheel L,
on the shaft of the former, and a pinion on the shaft of the latter.
The spur wheel M, has pins on each side to actuate the levers N,
these last communicating by means of wires or cords with the two
bell hammers, which give the well known double stroke, indicating
the "quarters." The shaft of the spur wheel M, carries the usual
notched disc M', for regulating the number of strokes, whilst the
spur wheel M, also actuates the usual fan wheel O, for making the
motion uniform by means of an intermediate pinion and spur wheel.
The notched disc M', carries a single pin m, which at every fourth
quarter acting on the lever P, thereby releases the lowest set of
wheels comprising the hour-striking movement. The water from
the wheel J, is collected in the cistern J', supported on the stays of
the frames B, and C, in the same manner as the one E¹, above. It
descends from this by a spout and falls upon the lowest water wheel
Q, accumulating in the buckets during the intervals between
striking, until the lever P, releases the wheels, which are set in
notion by the large spur wheel R, on the shaft of the water wheel
Q, driving a pinion on the shaft of the spur wheel S, which carries
pins for actuating the lever T, communicating with the hamner
which strikes the hours. By means of an intermediate pinion and
spur wheel, the spur wheel S, drives the fan wheel U, and also ac-
tuates in the usual manner the notched disc V, for regulating the
number of strokes for each hour. The water from the wheel Q, is
collected in the cistern Q¹, and passes thence by a spout to the
cistern for supplying the water to the tolling movement, and repre-
sented at Figure 3, on Sheet 2, of my Drawings. This movement
is more especially intended for periodical tolling, as for example, at
half past five o'clock cach morning, and at ten o'clock each evening.
It is regulated in the following manner:-The shaft A, Figure 1,
on Sheet 2, of my Drawings, which is one of the four shafts carrying

page_text: the hour hands, and corresponding, for example, to the shaft G, on
Sheet 1, is so geared with the shaft of the large disc B, as to cause
this to make one revolution in the twenty-four hours. The disc B,
has notches C, situated on its periphery to correspond with the times
at which the tolling is intended to take place. The frame which
contains this portion of the wheel work, as also that for deriving the
motion of the minute hand from that of the hour hand shaft A,
represented as inmediately behind the clock face, carries a vibrating
lever D, capable of a slight adjustinent by means of the thumb screw
E. The free end of this lever, which is forked, has a cross piece
which falls into the notch C, on the disc, when this coines under it,
and it also cominunicates by the cord or wire F, with the valve
lever G, of the cistern below, as represented in Figure 3. The lever
G, has a weight hung to the end, to which the wire is attached, so
that when by reason of the notch C, on the disc B, coming under
the end of the lever D, this descends, and the cord or wire is
slackened, the weight brings down the lever G, and raises the valve
G¹, which gives egress to the water in the cistern II. To the lip of
the valve G, is attached a siphon M, the object of which is to
equalize the flow of the water, and to make the tolling stop at once,
when the lever of the water gets below the mouth of the siphon, and
without the risk of any chance stroke taking place from the accum-
lation of small quantities of water from leakage, since the water
cannot again obtain egress from the cistern until its level has
reached the top of the siphon.
In Figures 1, and 2, is also represented a contrivance which
is employed for preventing the tolling from taking place on
Sundays. A small pinion on the shaft of the disc B, drives a
spur wheel on the stud centre I, calculated to make one revo-
lution per week. To the boss of this spur wheel is fixed a small
balanced lever, with a segmental end J, so set as to come under
a pin on the end of the lever D, on the Sundays, and keep the end
of the lever from falling into the notches C, of the disc B, and
thereby preventing the tolling of the bells, which would otherwise
take place at the same hours as on week days. An additional

page_text: arrangement is also provided for setting the tolling movement in
action when required, as before the Church Service for instance, and
on any extraordinary occasion. For this purpose the cistern II, is
provided with a second valve K, which can be opened by the lever
L, actuated by hand from below, by a cord or wire or by the clock
itself if required. The valves G¹, and K, open into the upper en-
larged part of the pipe N, which conveys the water to the wheel O,
for actuating the tolling movement represented in elevation and
plan in Figures 4, and 5. The arrangements here are similar to
those already described, the shaft of the water wheel O, has fixed on
it a double disc wheel P, carrying eight pins, four of which project
on each side to raise the ends of the levers Q, R, to the opposite ends
of which are attached wires or cords communicating with the
tolling hammers. The shaft of the water wheel O, also carries a
large spur wheel S, which actuates the fan wheel T, by means of an
intermediate pinion and spur wheel.
According to that part of my Invention which relates to the
bell and laminers, the bell U, Figures 6, and 7, is kept stationary
instead of being moveable, as is generally the case.
It is firmly
attached to a cross beam V, in the steeple, and has its mouth
uppermost. The object of the first of these arrangements is to
do away with the excessive vibration caused by the motion of
the heavy mass of metal in the ordinary system, as also to re-
duce the amount of power required, and the object of inverting
the bell is to enable the sound to be heard to a greater dis-
tance. The hammers to give the "quarter" strokes, are at W,
and X, and are actuated by the levers represented at N, in Figure
1, on Sheet 1, of my Drawings; the first haminer striking the bell
at the lip, and the second striking it considerably lower down, by
which means two very different sounds are obtained. The hammer
Y, is for striking the hours, and is actuated by the lever T, in
Figure 1, on Sheet 1, of my Drawings, and the hammers Z, Z, are
for tolling, and are actuated by the levers Q, R, in Figures 4, and 5,
on Sheet 2, of my Drawings. The first is situated at the lip, and
the second lower down, and necessarily much heavier than the other.

page_text: Each hammer is hung in suitable bearings so as to remain well
clear of the bell by its own weight, and in striking is first tilted up
away from the bell, and when the cord which does this is let go, the
hammer falls against the bell by its own weight, and then resumes
its original position. By these means much less power is required
to give the stroke even though the hammers are more than double
the weight of those commonly used; whilst the sound elicited is
much clearer and fuller than that produced by the ordinary ap-
pliances.
Ilaving now described and particularly ascertained the nature of
my said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be
used or carried into effect, I may observe, in conclusion, that I do
not confine or restrict myself to the precise details or arrangements
which I have had occasion to describe or refer to, as many variations
may be made therefrom without deviating from the principles or
main features of my Invention; but what I consider to be novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,.
First, the general arrangement and construction of machinery,
apparatus, or means for working time keepers in connection with
the hour and quarter striking, and periodical tolling movements, by
means of a constant minute stream of water, as herein-before
described.
Second, the system or mode of causing the same stream of water
to turn three or more wheels in succession, cach wheel actuating a
different portion of the works, as herein-before described.
Third, the system or mode of regulating the periodical tolling of
the bell as more particularly described in reference to Figures 1, and
2, on Sheet 2, of my Drawings.
Fourth, the system or mode of giving egress from the cistern to
the water for actuating the tolling movement by means of the valve
and syphon, as more particularly described in reference to Figure 3,
on Sheet 2, of my Drawings.
Fifth, the system or mode of fixing bells, and placing them with
the mouth uppermost, as herein-before described.

page_text: Sixth, the system or mode of hanging bell-hammers, so as to
remain clear of the bell by their own weight when not striking, as
herein-before described.
Seventh, the system or mode of causing bell-hammers to be tilted
up, and then give the stroke by swinging against the bell by their
own weight, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Millar, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.