Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 August 1896 — A “TEMPERATURE” CLOCK. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

A “TEMPERATURE” CLOCK.

Expansion and Contraction of Mercury Keeps It Perpetually Going. The “temperature” clock is a novel scientific contrivance that promises to solve the problem of how to construct s timepiece so that It will continually tun, and never need attention. It la clearly shown in accompanying diagram, and is described as follows: It is composed of two reservoirs—A A, located a short distance apart, each of which has centrally a tubular standard B, open at their upper ends, and connected by a cross bar C. Within those tubularstandards are placed pistons D , having packed piston heads K, and a suitable quantity of mercury is placed within the reservoirs so that the tubes B will be partially filled. The piston rods D pass through keepers F at the upper ends of the standards, and the uper ends of the rods are held in proper location to each other by means of a cross bar G. A colled spring H Is placed on each rod D, between the* bar G and keeper F, in order to keep ihe plunger E firmly seated on the mercury, and to lower the cross bar G when the mercury contracts. Below the connecting cross bar C Is a bracket I in which is mounted a ratchet wheel J and a< toothed wheel K ou a' horizontal shaft. Centrally ofi cross bat G two’ vertically depending rack bars L ,are lilriged, (he having downwardly projecting ftpth,,fio that when thq pistons move the bar G upwardly the toothed bar M engages with the ratchet wheel, and when the pistons

move downwardly the toothed bar "L engages with the same wheel and continues to rotate It In'the direction of the arrow. As the ratchet feMV J la on the sajne ghgf I. witt} the large gear wlieelK, and *ne latter being geared with a smaller gear N which turns the winding mechanism of the clock, It Is obvious that whether the pistons move up or down, ♦be clock spring, or the weights, If the latter should be moved, are constantly being wound up, and the clock thereby kept constantly In motion. The mechanism Is so arranged that a change In temperature of one degree will wind up the clock for a six hours’ run, and It Indeed would be a stable temperature !f It rgpflined absolutely for a period o' six or twelve hours.;

THE “TEMPERATURE" CLOCK.