EMPIRE CLOCK

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 May 1936, Page 12

EMPIRE CLOCK

AT WINCHESTER COLLEGE. : Visitors to the exhibition of books in Winchester College will be able to ■gee the newly-installed Empire clock 'on one of the flint walls of the old brewery of Wykeham’s Bui ding which is now the Library, nays The Times,” It stands some 15ft from the floor. Nearly all the works have been designed and made by Mr Henry Baker and Mr Robert Stewart working together; while Sir Herbert Baker has designed the symbols on the great dial and the surrounding staonework. The clock consists of an inner dial which is a 12-hour clock with a second hand in stainless steel in addition to a ®ilt hour and minute band. Round this is a dial which revolves once in twenty-four hotfrs, the \ twenty-four, numerals of the hours being carved on the stone and gilt. On this outer dial are the syriibols showing the time at Greenwich and the standard times or time-zones of the Dominions and some of the greater Dependencies. The fact that the Dominions and principal Dependencies are on different longitudes makes it possible to make a clock of this description. It would be impossible if, for instance, South Africa were on the same longitude as Greenwich or Australia on that of India. Thus there is no room on the dial to mark the time of Egypt and the East and West African Colonies, as they are on or too near the longitudes of South Africa and of England. Thus, too, the West Indies are on those of Canada.

SYMBOLS AND ZONES. The symbols and respective timezones are as follow: —The lion repre-. seijts Greenwich time. The. sun will; have reached South Africa two hours earlier, for, when it is noon-day at Greenwich, it is 2 o’clock in South Africa, which is symbolised by the winged springbok arid the floral emblem of the protea floiver. The Indian Ocean, symbolised by an early Arab ship, divides South Africa from India. India’s standard time is hours ahead of Greenwich time, and is represented by its symbol of the Great Star of India. Burma 'combs one hour' ahead of India, and is shown by a symbol of a peacock feather from the arms of Burma and the letter B. Seven hours ahead of Greenwich time comes Singapore, which is shown by an anchor, a symbol of a naval port, add the initial S. Then comes Australia, which has three standard time-zones, eight, 9J, arid 10 hours from Greenwich. This is represented by the stars of the Southern Cross over wattle leaves. Next is New Zealand, 111 hours ahead cf Greenuwich, represented by the Southern cross alone. Then comes the Antipodes, or the date-line in thePacific Ocean, where the day changes, twelve hoiiYs from Greenwich, that is, at midnight -when Greenwich is at. noon.

The Pacific Ocean is represented by a three-masted ship, there being no land ( on these three longitudes which ivinflcl’have a time of 1,2, and 3 hours in r the morning when it was midday ‘at 'Greenwich.

CANADA’S FIVE ZONES. Then we arrive at Canada, which has five time zones— 4, 5,6, 7, and 8 o’clock. These -are shown by maple leaves upon which, though they will hardly be seen, are symbols of the different ■rratiomilltte’s, /flfe Tebk /for’ Walds, the /shamrock for Ireland, 'thethistle for Scotland, ..the rose for land, and the fleur-de-lys for France. At 8J hours a fish symbolises New-. ■fouiidTand. "Finally, the time zones 9, 10, and 11 hours, where no land is •in the Atlrintic ’OCVan, Wje shown by Hie df h Two toasted ship of the early navigators. The initial letters of the different ton'ds -arid -seas are "ptoced’ "above "the symbols. In the.Jcentre above 12 o’clock ’is- shown Phoebus-Apollo with tli/e horses of'the sirn in his splendour; below at'24 hours-midnight is Selene asleefp In her crescent moon. . The -o-lock movement is driven 'by a; sriiall ‘electric motor, which T.u'iis at -a constant "speed tff 'I2Q Wvdliitions a •minute on We “titoe-controlled” fre-.. ■guendy of the supply mains. A train, Of/gears reduces file Sjieed of the motor to each of ‘the hands in turn, and,, finally, to the dial Which •revolves once in twenty-four-hours. To show the change io ‘English sum-; mer-time correctly bn the 12-liour ordinary clock the hotir hand can be. Tut forward br back lis hour by : moving a leVer. from brie position to the other without affecting the position of -the other hands of tlib 'large 24-hour dial.

All tile spindles are carried on ballbearing's, of Which there are thirteen in ’all, of a design to prevent the 100 or more tiny balls from falling oiit if the' movement is ever tajeen apart.' Almost the entire todvement, the' second hand, and the framework of the large dial, are made from Various qualities of stainless steel.