A WONDERFUL CLOCK.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXV, Issue XXV, 9 August 1893, Page 4

A WONDERFUL CLOCK.

The clock which has been in the process of construction in the Waterbury Watch Works at Waterbury, Conn., for the past twelve years has just been finished. It is without doubt the most elaborate and intricate piece of mechanism in America. The base of the clock is 6ft square, and the timepiece is 16ft in height. It is of black walnut, polished and handsomely carved, the carving representing scenes in the history of the country from the landing of Columbus to the present day. At the lower part of the clock and on each side are allegorical scenes representing mechanical progress in the last century, every figure in each group being in motion. The largest scene is that in the lower centre of the clock. It represents the " train room " in the Waterbury Watch Factory, with all the shafting and machinery in operation and twentyfour operatives at work. Each figure is six inches in height and does its work completely. The other scenes are at the sides of the clock, four on each' side. The subjects are a cotton gin in full operation in a cotton field. Negroes are at work carrying the cotton in from the field and placing it in the gin, while Eli Whitney is explaining the workings of the machine to a planter. A second scene shows the old methods of manufacturing cloth. The operatives are at work beating the flax and preparing it for the looms and spinning wheels. A third represents a coal mine, with the cage working and the mmers getting out the coal. A fourth is a representation of the improvement in sewing machines. Elias Howe is watching the work of one of his first machines, while near by are the machines of the present day at work, and in auother group are women laboriously sewing by hand. The fifth shows the advance in the electrical world. Electrician Daft' is represented, and an electric dynamo is in operation. The sixth shows the interior of a telegraph and .telephone office, with the operators at work and message boys running in and out. The seventh is a contrast of the old and new methods of manufacturing -watches, showing the improved factories of the present day and a kitchen in Switzerland where watches were made by hand years ago. The last is an old-fashioned saw-mill, with the saw running, logs moving, and children playing close by. The figures are all operated by an electric motor, and are constantly in motion. The centre of the clock is occupied by a water-color painting of the building and grounds of the company, while just above is the dial. This is three feet in diameter, and indicates the days of the week, month, and year, the hour, minutes, and seconds of the day, the moon's phases, and the tides. The clock will be sent to the World's Fair, and will be the principal exhibit of its kind. The work has been done in secret, and none but employes have been allowed to see it.