Year: 1879

For the last seventeen years gentle
man Of this city has been engaged in the
construction Of a curious clock, which he
expects to have completed by the first of
January next. A representative of the
Call accidentally come across it the other
day, and was kindly given the following
description of it by the inventor, who ex-
acted promise that his name should not
be given to the public at the present time:


1t consists of sixty five automatic fig
ures and workmen. The base represents
a hill of stone upon which is large
structure. To the left is beer garden
with beer on draught, which one figure
occasionally draws and passes to another
near by.


Two more figures, lady and gentle
man, are seated beneath a tree in the at
titudeo Of lovers. The lady is reading, and
at intervals turns her head toward her
companion as for his approval.


The next representation is of an old
| fashioned ,linseed oil mill. Here are
workmen engaged in the various parts of
the business. One carries large vessel
and empties it in the hoppers to be press
ed by the stampers. On the outside is
carpenter, hatchet in hand, who ascended
a ladder in a perfectly natura! manner,
stopping when halfway up, as ift look
over the mill to see that all is right.





( Adjoining this is blacksmith shop, in
the background of which are workmen
heating iron, who change the piece after
allowing it TO heat. A man is also en-,
gagged in shoeing a horse, and strikes his
rst.bows gently he gradually increases
them until the last is a strong one, ca!cu-
lated TO drive the nails home. Another
is at the anvil, and occasionally rests
when his wife brings him some refresh
ment.


A fountain plays near by in small
summer house, where professors is read
ing, and when he becomes excited over
some passage, he raises his hand and
brings it down upon the page in an en-
ptatic manner. Below is a workm en-
gagged IN splitting stone. He strikes re-
peated blows upon q wedge until the
stone cracks, fall away and then replaces
itself. Above the blacksmith shop is a
saw mill where log is being sawed -
When the end is reached the boards are
taken away and the flume replaced


Still above tnis is shoe factory, where
halt dozen men are engaged in the
different duties requisite for the manufac-
ture Of shoes. One is waxing, the other
is cutting out, another sewing, and still
another beveling.


Over the linseed mill is the grist mill.
In front is miller dressing stone
another comes out of the room and emp
ties large vessel into the hopper. AS the
flour is ground ana the bags accumulate
a man carries them away. A large ee-
vator bucket carries. up the wheat and
empties it into bin, making but one as
cent to the beforementiOned mans two.
To the left is dwelling house in the
kitchen a servant is at work. who passes
about inside and out to attend to her du-
ties. Upon the top is the residence Of the
owner of the respective mills. Visitors
occasionally call, with whom the mistress
shakes hands and talks about her neigh
bors. The clock proper crowns the whole
structure. 1t is in all about five feet in
lsngth and four feet high. Each figure
has different motion, and some have two
motions, requiring very complex machn-
cry to run the whole. Two buckets of
water furnish an unending supply ofpow
er, as it is used over and over again. The
saw and grist mill are run by water fall
ing on an over-shot wheel, which runs the
! linseed mill. The water and oil is kept in
motion by an eighty mine and a halfpound
weight. 1t is truly a work of art, and
ever seventeen years were occupied in its
construction altoona (Pu.) CdU.