Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 January 1893 — Wind Made to Wind a Clock. [ARTICLE]

Wind Made to Wind a Clock.

The Garre de Noi»l, Brussels, has recently been fitted with a mechanical wonder in the shape of a clock, which, although constantly exposed to all kinds of weather, never gets out of repair, nor does it need to be wound by the hand of man. It is ,a perpetual time keej>er of the most unique and original design, the running weight being kept in constant motion, either through the influence of gravitation, as when on the descending trip, or by the wind’s action on a fan attachment which causes the weight to rise to a level with the top of the framework. The winding attachment is not a windmill of the regulation type, as one might suppose by the headline, but is a fan placed in a common chimney, the paddles being acted upon by the natural “up cast” or “draught.” As soon as this fan has raised the ‘ Running weight” to its extreme height, the cord to wnich the weight is attached acts on a wheel which throws a brake into gear, and the more rounds of cotd that are added, so much more strongly does the brake act to .prevent the weight from rising any higher, the checking tendency being transmitted to the fan wheel with every revolution. A simple pawl arrangement .prevents the down draught from exerting any contrary influence on the fan wheel. There is not, one might suppose on farst thought, any necessity of having a fire in the stove or fireplace of the chimney to which this odd dock ■is attached. The natural tendency of air is to ascend through such vents, the draught thus created being always sufficient for weight-winding purposes. The clock might be placed at the top of a hollow tree with a bottom opening, or any other cylinder from fifteen to twenty-five feet in height. With its present attachments this clock runs but twenty-four hours after the winding fan stops; but, by the adaition of another wheel or two, might be made to run a month or two, even though the up draught were not sufficiently strong to turn the winding wheel in the meantime. The inventor is a native of Belgium. His original models were on exhibition at the two last Paris expositions, those of 1878 and 1889. [St. Louis Republic.

The first A. O. U. W. lodge was instituted at Meadville, Pa., Oct. 27, 1868, with J. J* the father of the order, as master workman. The lodge still exists, and is known as Jpffersea Nn. 1.