Clock Front Cover September 1998-V19N09-Puddledock Press
Clock Front Cover September 1998-V19N09-Puddledock Press <br /><br /><em>Photo by George Meyer _</em><br /><br /><em>— The Farmington News, 1882 -</em><br /><br /><em>The clock was manufactured and placed in position by E. Howard & CO, of</em><br /><em>Boston, whose productions are considered to stand foremost in this country.</em><br /><em>The following dimensions, while some of them may not be exact, are sufficiently</em><br /><em>correct for the purpose: Height of clock frame- 6 feet; length of clock frame-5 feet;</em><br /><em>width-22 inches; Diameter of main wheel-16 inches; Length of striking line-140 feet;</em><br /><em>length of pendulum- 8 1/2 feet; weight of pendulum ball-75 lbs; and weight of</em><br /><em>striking hammer-60 lbs.</em><br /><em>continued on page 2</em><br /><br /><em>The striking weight weighs 1200 pounds. The hands are moved by four horizontal</em><br /><em>shafts connected by bevel gearing to the main shaft, which extends perpendicularly</em><br /><em>to the clock below, a distance of some thirty five feet. "What is the matter with the</em><br /><em>clock?" is a question for which there has been an occasional reason for asking, more</em><br /><em>particularly of late. One cause during the winter is the lodgment of snow and ice on</em><br /><em>the dial and hands, but the chief trouble is, and always has been, from the moisture</em><br /><em>contained in the warm air which rises from the church below; this condenses and</em><br /><em>forms frost and ice on the walls of the tower, and in the shaft box; during warm</em><br /><em>days it melts and not withstanding all the means taken to prevent it, will sometimes</em><br /><em>find its way to the hangings and gearings connected to the shaft; this afterward</em><br /><em>becoming again frozen, stops the clock.</em><br /><br /><em>An occasional stoppage from the above caused during the winter season is</em><br /><em>unavoidable. The only exception to this was that last autumn, some of the numerous</em><br /><em>sets of gearing connected with the shafting in the steeple, became bound in</em><br /><em>consequence of the springing of a timber. Being absent from town, the clock</em><br /><em>remained at a standstill.</em><br /><br /><em>It has also failed to strike a few times, by reason of the breaking of the wire rope</em><br /><em>which draws back the striking hammer.</em><br /><br /><em>There are three main areas to the tower. There is the clock itself, which is</em><br /><em>uppermost. Below it is the bellhousing and below that is the gear room, which</em><br /><em>houses the 4*X2! gear assemt%—fhe bell housing contains the giant bell itself,</em><br /><em>approximately five feet across at its base. There are three separate clapper motions</em><br /><em>to the bell.</em><br /><br /><em>A clapper on the outside, driven by the gears, automatically hits the bell to chime</em><br /><em>the hours. The inside clapper is attached to two ropes. One moves only the clapper</em><br /><em>and arouses a series of short intonations. The second moves the whole bell, and</em><br /><em>continuous pulling on this rope causes the tolling sound.</em><br /><br /><em>It is not an easy climb into the tower, but</em> a fascinating one. Names of those who<br /><em>made it to the top are etched on the walls.</em><br /><br /><em>In the mid 1940*s Farmington almost lost it's Town Clock, when lightening struck</em><br /><em>the bell tower.</em><br /><br /><em>continued on page 3<br /><br /><br /><br />August 6, 1943's Farmington News reported: Farmington and vicinity was the<br />chief target for the bombardment in the midafternoon last Saturday, when almost<br />from a clear sky, the lightening, accompanied by deafening thunder, flashed out and<br />caused considerable damage over a wide area. Damage of major importance was<br />inflicted on the Farmington Congregational Church when a bolt of lightning struck<br />the tip of the weathervane and ripped open the tall spire for a distance of over<br />twenty feet downward, then crossed the space and crashed out through the rear side<br />of the steeple. Fortunately, it passed out before reaching the clock, so that the<br />timepiece was not disturbed. No fire resulted, but the damage is not yet estimated.<br />However, the building was well covered by insurance.<br /><br />August 20, 1943 Farmington News went on to say: Work is underway in the<br />repair of the spire on the Congregational Church which was damaged to the amount<br />of $1350 by lightning which struck during a storm on the afternoon of August 1.<br />Examination by contractors and adjusters disclosed that the bolt destroyed some of<br />the supporting timbers for a distance of about sixty feet and had torn open the<br />steeple to considerable extent. The full amount of the estimated cost of replacement<br />was granted by the insurance and no time was lost in preparing to restore the spire.<br />The Hall Brothers of Berwick, experienced steeple workers, are the contractors in<br />charge of the repairs, and the men working on their lofty rigging have fascinated all<br />who had the opportunity to observe them.<br /><br />Operations are progressing rapidly and soon this portion of the church will be<br />restored to its former appearance.<br /><br />The Farmington News, Sept. 3, 1943: Everyone within hearing distance of the<br />Town Clock, welcomed the sound of its striking the hour on Wednesday evening<br />after a silence since operations started to repair the steeple of the brick church<br />which was damaged by lightning. The large dials of the clock were removed to the<br />repair shop of Andrew Foss, chief engineer of the precinct, where they were newly<br />painted black with gold letters. This completed the restoration work on the spire<br />which has been in progress for several weeks.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></em><br /><br /><br /><br />This is a digital file and also resides in the physical collection. <br /><br /><br />FHS-Kyle Leach
Puddledock Press
Puddledock Press
1998
Color Photos Farmington NH First Congregational Church Clock Being Repaired
Photographs of the Farmington NH First Congregational Church clock being repaired. The color photos appear to be taken from a vantage point on Main Street. two workers can be seen doing work on the clock.
FHS- Kyle leach
Joann Doke
Puddledock Press
Joann Doke
Puddledock Press
Joann Doke
Puddledock Press