Rensselaer Journal, Volume 11, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 September 1901 — Most Dellcate of Machines. [ARTICLE]

Most Dellcate of Machines.

No instrument needs more careful handling thun a ship's chronometer. Every chronometer Is tested for three years before it Is placed on sale. Every extreme of temperature Is tried on It. The safely of every great ocean steamship depends upon the accuracy of these time-keepers. Au error of four seconds may put a captain four miles out of his course, and a tiny speck of rust on the buluuce spring may be the cause of the error. On all large ships there ure three chronometers to guard against accidents. These are sent ashore for inspection the moment the vessel reaches port and kept until Its departure. / A stall of skilled men are kept by every chronometer manufacturer, their work being to carry the delicate Instruments back and forth between the ship and the workship. When ou shipboard the chronometer is stowed in a dry plnce amidships, where there Is least motion and variation of temperature. The ease in which It Is kept Is lined with soft curled 'liair, and it is snugly tucked into the centre of a heavy woolen blanket. It is not surprising, therefore, that a first-class chronometer costs as much as S2SC.