"Jove!" murmured Christopher.
"Some pendulum, eh? What wouldn't the old clockmakers—Tompion, Quare, Fromanteel, Graham and the rest have given to see it! They probably never even imagined a clock of such proportions."
"Neither did I!" his companion announced. "How often did this giant have to be wound up?"
"The clock part was wound once a week; the striking part twice. And speaking of the striking part, you may like to know that the hour bell weighed thirteen tons and the four quarter-hour bells eight tons."
"Isn't it the biggest clock ever made?"
"It is probably one of the most powerful and most accurate of the large ones," nodded McPhearson, "although others are to be found with bigger dials. But it is no longer the largest clock in the world because since it was constructed several American rivals for that honor have arisen. One of them is right here in your own little old city of New York and the other is located on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River."
But Christopher's mind was still intent on the London masterpiece.
"How much do you suppose the English clock cost?" speculated he. "A fortune, I'll bet."
"I can tell you, for I happen to recall the figures," replied McPhearson. "Its price was $110,000."
"And cheap at that," grinned Christopher. "At least, I wouldn't undertake to produce it for that money."