Fig. 23—Use of “Yeng Number” and Animal Names of Hours
On the right-hand side of [Fig. 23] are given the animal names of the hours, so the day and night hours could not be mistaken. In selecting the rat for night and the horse for day they showed good taste. Their forenoon was “before horse” and their afternoon “after horse.” Japanese clocks are remarkable for variety. It looks as if they were always made to order and that the makers, probably urged by their patrons, made extreme efforts to get in wonderful motions and symbols relating to astronomy and astrology. Anyone examining about fifty of them would be likely to conclude that it was almost hopeless to understand them all. Remember, this is the old Japanese method. Nearly all the clocks and watches I saw in Japan were American. It will now be necessary to close this chapter with a few points on the curious striking of Japanese clocks.
In those like [Figs. 14], [15], [19], the bell and hammer can be seen. In the type of [Fig. 16], the whole striking mechanism is in the weight. In fact, the striking part of the clock is the weight. On each of the plates, having the hour numerals, [Fig. 16], a pin projects inwards and as the weight containing the striking mechanism, descends, a little lever touches these and lets off the striking just when the pointer is on the hour numeral. Keeping this in mind, it is easy to see that the clock will strike correctly when the hour is indicated by the pointer, no matter how the hour plates are set for long or short days. Similar pins project inwards from movable plates on [Figs. 12], [13], [14], [15], so they strike correctly as each hour plate comes to the top just under the point of the fixed hand. In [Fig. 19], the striking is let off by a star wheel just as in old Dutch clocks. Clocks like Figs. [18]-[22] do not strike. In all cases the hours are struck backwards, but the half-hours add another strange feature. The odd numbered hours, 9, 7, 5, are followed by one blow at the half hour; and the even hours, 8, 6, 4 by two blows, or stated altogether—
91 82 71 62 51 42.
Here the large figures are the hours and the small ones the half-hours. Only one bell is used, because there being no one and two among the hours, the half-hours cannot be mistaken. This is not all, for you can tell what half hour it is within two hours. For example, suppose you know approximately that it is somewhere between 9 and 7 and you hear the clock strike 2, then you know it is half past 8. See the large and small figures above. This is far superior to our method of one at each half-hour.
By our method the clock strikes one three times consecutively, between 12 and 2 o'clock and thus mixes up the half hours with one o'clock. Some interesting methods of striking will be explained in the third chapter when we deal with modern time keeping.
CHAPTER III
MODERN CLOCKS
DeVick's clock of 1364. — Original “verge” escapement. — “Anchor” and “dead beat” escapements. — “Remontoir” clock. — The pendulum. — Jeweling pallets. — Antique clock with earliest application of pendulum. — Turkish watches. — Correct designs for public clock faces. — Art work on old watches. — Twenty-four hour watch. — Syrian and Hebrew hour numerals. — Correct method of striking hours and quarters. — Design for twenty-four hour dial and hands. — Curious clocks. — Inventions of the old clockmakers.