Hourly Winding Clocks.—There are probably more of these in America than of all other electric kinds put together (we believe the present figures are something like 135,000), so that it will not be unreasonable to give considerable space to this variety of clocks. Practically all of them are made by the Self Winding Clock Company and are connected with the Western Union wires, being wound by independent batteries in or near the clock cases.
Three patterns of these clocks have been made and we will describe all three. As they are all practically in the same system, it will probably be better to first make a simple statement of the wiring, which is rigidly adhered to by the clock company in putting out these goods. All wires running from the battery to the winding magnets of the movement are brown. All wires running from the synchronizing magnet to the synchronizing line are blue. Master clocks and sub-master clocks have white wires for receiving the Washington signal and the relay for closing the synchronizing line will, have wires of blue and white plaid.
Fig. 136.
By remembering this system it is comparatively easy for a man to know what he is doing with the wires, either inside or outside of the case. For calendar clocks there are, in addition, two white wires running from the calendar to the extra cell of battery. There is also one other peculiarity, in that these clocks are arranged to be wound by hand whenever run down (or when starting up) by closing a switch key, shown in [Fig. 136], screwed to the inside of the case. This is practically an open switch, held open by the spring in the brass plate, except when it is pressed down to the lower button.
The earliest movement of which any considerable number were sent out was that of the rotary winding from a three-pole motor, as shown in [Fig. 137]. Each of these magnet spools is of two ohms, with twelve ohms resistance, placed in parallel with the winding of each set of magnet spools, thus making a total of nine spools for the three-pole motor.
Fig. 137.