Chapter I      Chapter II            Chapter III     Chapter IV

 Chapter V:  The Clock, "Hortense the Beautiful" - Her Seth Thomas & McShane Bell Co. Records, Including Costs & Weights 

 

Seth Thomas Clock Company was one of the most prolific and long lived clock companies. The quality of their products was always maintained at an above average level. Seth Thomas must have sold many clocks in the Lafayette, Indiana area, for out of all the antique clocks we repair, about 40% are made by Seth Thomas.

Many American clock factories in the 19th century suffered factory fires but Seth Thomas was fortunate in this respect. Through conservative growth and taking advantage of the new ideas of others, Seth Thomas was able to enjoy financial stability, whereas many other companies faced financial difficulties.

Seth Thomas was born in Wolcott, Connecticut in 1785, went to work for clockmaker Eli Terry in 1807, bought out Terry's factory (together with Silas Hoadley) in 1810, and in December 1813 bought out Heman Clark's clock-making business in Plymouth Hollow.

Thomas continued Clark's wooden movement tall clock production, and about 1817 began making the wooden movement shelf clock. These were cased in pillar and scroll cases until 1830, when the bronze looking glass and other styles became popular. In 1842, brass movements were introduced, and first cased in the popular O.G. case (which was made until 1913). Wood movements were phased out in 1845. In 1853 Mr. Thomas incorporated the Seth Thomas Clock Company, so that the business would outlive him. Mr. Thomas died in 1859, and Plymouth Hollow was renamed Thomaston in his honor in 1865.

Many Seth Thomas clocks from 1881 to 1918 have a date code stamped in ink on the case back or bottom. Usually, the year is done in reverse, followed by a letter A—L representing the month. For example, April 1897 would appear as 7981 D.

In 1930 a holding company named General Time Instruments Corporation was formed to unite Seth Thomas Clock Company with Western Clock Company.

In 1955, a flood badly damaged the Seth Thomas factory. They phased out movement manufacturing and began importing many movements from Germany. Hermle, in the Black forest of Germany, has made many movements for Seth Thomas clocks.

 History from Antique Seth Thomas Clocks.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SETH THOMAS
Circa 1850
Appears in Henry Bronson, The History of Waterbury, Connecticut, 1858, at
Digital History 511: Theory & Practice

In 1968, General Time was bought by Talley Industries, and in 1979 the headquarters was moved to Norcross, GA.

In June 2001 General Time announced that it was closing its entire operation. The Colibri Group acquired Seth Thomas. The NAWCC (the National Association of Watch and Clock collectors) purchased from Seth Thomas their collection of historical records, drawings, photographs, advertisements and documents.

In January, 2009, The Colibri Group unexpectedly shut its doors, laying off its 280 employees and preparing to sell all remaining jewelry, gold and silver to pay creditors. I don't know yet what this means for Seth Thomas.

The following message appeared on the Colibri website:

February 16, 2009

The Colibri Group is currently in receivership and is not accepting any orders at this time. We are also unable to repair or replace any items returned to us for the time being. We will do our best to ensure that items that have been sent to us will be returned to the respective customer or owner. We will update this message as new information becomes available. We are sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you for your patience."

This history continues at
CLOCK HISTORY.COM

A more detailed timeline of Seth Thomas Clock Co. from the birth of Seth Thomas to 2009 can be found at Antique Seth Thomas Clocks.com

      

 

HORTENSE'S ACTUAL MEASUREMENTS & COSTS FROM THE SETH THOMAS CLOCK CO. AND McSHANE BELL CO.
 

Seth Thomas Clock Co. records show that Hortense was ordered for Tampa City Hall installation in June 1914 and assembly completed in May, 1915.  She was a Seth Thomas No. 16, hour-strike tower clock with Graham escapement.  Five other locations in Florida had same model 16; one was made for E. Neve & Co. in Jan. 1882. 

For tower clocks, the Seth Thomas serial number is their production number.

Hortense was production No. 1906, she is found in book M for clocks made from 11-Aug-1913 to 22-June-1915.

This explains why some newspaper articles claim she was made in 1906, it's on the plate fastened to the front of the clock.  She was made in 1915, NOT 1906.

Chart at right is courtesy "Seth Thomas Tower Clocks at
 TSC Chapter 134.org

Clock
Serial Number

Book

 Dates
1 to 360 Book A, from 12 July, 1872 to 24 April, 1877
361 to 502 Book B, from 28 April, 1877 to 30 January, 1885
503 to715 Book C, from 2 February, 1885 to 3 December, 1888
716 to 851 Book D, from 14 December, 1888 to 8 July, 1892
852 to 1013 Book E, from 9 July, 1892 to 13 May, 1895
1014 to 1100 Book F, from 13 May, 1895 to 19 May, 1899
1101 to 1248 Book G, from 19 May, 1899 to 28 May, 1901
1246 to 1408 Book H, from 28 May, 1901 to 20 February, 1904
1246 to 1407 Book I, from 26 February, 1904 to 4 January, 1906
1408 to 1594 Book J, from 3 January, 1906 to 17 December, 1909
1595 to 1738 Book K, from 11 January, 1910 to 21 December, 1911
1739 to 1840 Book L, from 3 January, 1912 to 19 August, 1913
1841 to 1951 Book M, from 11 August, 1913 to 22 June, 1915
1952 to 2051 Book N, from 26 June, 1915 to 20 October, 1917
2052 to 2145 Book O, from 7 December, 1917 to 18 March, 1920
2146 to 2266 Book P, from 13 April, 1920 to 9 August, 1922
2267 to 2400 Book Q, from 9 August, 1922 to 2 April, 1924
2401 to 2528 Book R, from 17 May, 1924 to 3 December, 1925
2529 to 2657 Book S, from 11 December, 1925 to 28 December, 1927
2658 to 2796 Book T, from 12 January, 1928 to 4 November, 1929
2797 to 2950 Book U, from 4 November, 1929 to 14 April, 1932
2951 to ? Book V, from 14 April, 1932 to 23 June, 1936 (Extrapolated)
? + 1 to ?? Book W, from 23 June, 1936 to ---- (Extrapolated)

 

 

 

HORTENSE'S PRODUCTION RECORDS

First page
Mouse-over the image to see it transcribed.

 

Second page
Mouse-over the image to see it transcribed.

Notice above Nov. 21, 1932 order of new pendulum and spring to replace the broken one described in the article below.  The pendulum did NOT weigh 500 lbs. 

THE PENDULUM AND SPRING

This screen shot from a Trevor Murphy video featured below shows him pointing to the spring that suspends the pendulum.  It appears to be two metal plates that are thin enough to flex from side to side as the pendulum swings.

 

According to this article,  the "monster clock"  arrived in SIXTEEN large cases.  This is A LOT of luggage, for a clock, however, figure it has four faces and each face is made up of 6 "pie wedges"  glass backing with its corresponding portion of the dial.  (The bell has increased 500 lbs. since the previous description and the dials increased another half-foot from the previous one.)

 

 

Trevor Murphy has some excellent YouTube videos which are very well shot and narrated.

 

HOOD COUNTY COURTHOUSE TOWER CLOCK, TEXAS

The Seth Thomas #16 Tower Clock seen at right was a restoration job done for the Hood Co. Texas courthouse.  It appears to be identical to Hortense except that the gear assembly at the top that connects to the clock face drive shafts aren't attached here. 

The object sticking up in the back can also be seen in the Seth Thomas diagram above.  It is one of two fan blades held by a wooden rod here.  The actual fan blade is seen on edge.  Extending downward would be another identical rod and blade and together the whole assembly rotates like a propeller.  The plates produce a wind resistance just like a fan.  This controls the speed at which the hammer strikes the bell.  In other words, it acts as a "governor" for the strike mechanism due to its air resistance.  Without this, the weights would freefall and spin the drum faster and faster, while the hammer would beat away at the bell like a jackhammer.  Until the weights bottomed out, snapping the strike cord, and continuing to plummet through a floor or two of City Hall.  (Not to mention  probably sending the drive chain flying through a wall.)

One of the videos below show this mechanism in action.

Seth Thomas Clocks info below is courtesy of
 Seth Thomas Tower Clocks (1911) from SurvivorLibrary.com

Hortense is a #16 Seth Thomas Hour Strike tower clock.  She had a Graham escapement and had a 1 second wood pendulum.

She had four sectional glass and iron dials 6 ft 6 in. in diameter.

According to a few newspaper articles published during construction of City Hall, and installation of the clock, the floor of the room where the clock mechanism is housed is 133.5 feet above ground.

Using Seth Thomas' guide for dial size, Hortense's dials should have been just over 13 feet in diameter for optimum visibility.


 

There were two weights that powered Hortense.  Ten-inch round weights totaling 300 lbs. ran the clock mechanism, which was suspended by 100 ft. of 5/16" dia. "Time Cord,"  and fourteen-inch round weights totaling 1,400 lbs., which powered the bell strike mechanism.  Those weights were suspended by 225 feet of .44" dia. "Strike Cord."  Much more weight is needed to lift and drop the heavy THIRTY-FIVE LB. bell hammer.  As you will see in one of the videos to follow, the "Time Cord" is wrapped around a cylinder in ONE LAYER only.  This is because a second layer would have a larger diameter winding and cause a different value torque to be exerted on the driving gears.

BELOW IS A TYPICAL INSTALL ARRANGEMENT FOR A #16 CLOCK
The strike cord can be seen on the left and the time cord on the right.  Both are fastened to the ceiling first and then to a block & tackle pulley system which makes rewinding of the the weights easier and the weights themselves to require less drop distance.

This is the configuration which was set up for Hortense.

HORTENSE'S PENDULUM

Two different pendulums were available for the #16 tower clock.  A four-foot long one weighing 135 lbs. or an eight-foot long one weighing 175 lbs.  The 8 ft. one would have required a hole cut in the floor for the pendulum to swing freely in the bell room below.  Being twice as long, its period would have been 2 seconds--1 second in each direction.  Hortense had a 1-second pendulum, so it was the 4 ft. one weighing 135 lbs.  With the clock itself being 54 inches tall, a 48-inch long pendulum wouldn't reach the floor if connected to the clock six inches or less from the top.

 

 

HOW MUCH DID HORTENSE WEIGH?

Assuming the weight given for the Seth Thomas tower clocks  diagram seen at left, they are describing the mechanism seen in the diagram.  They couldn't give the weight with all the attachments because that would be different for each order.  So it makes sense that the weight given here is for just what you see here.

The 4 ft. long pendulum with 135 lb. weight seems to be included in this "box" because it is shown along with the clock mechanism.  However, an 8 ft. pendulum might have to be shipped separately, unless it came apart in two 4-ft sections.

The line about the dials is only there to specify what a #16 tower clock can drive.  It was "FOR ONE dial up to 10 feet [in diam.] OR FOUR dials of 8.5 feet or less.  Obviously, glass dials wouldn't be shipped in the same box as a device such as seen at left.  They would require more protective framing. 

Same goes for the bell, it's giving a suggested size, not stating that the bell is in the same box with the clock. 

So Hortense weighed about 1,500 lbs. including the crate.  This would appear to have included the 135 lb pendulum but not her bell nor her 35 lb hammer, and definitely NOT the four sectional glass faces with iron dial rings (six pieces per face).  

There is no mention of the weights which drive the clock and the ones which power the strike hammer, so those must have been shipped separately as they alone totaled 1,700 lbs.  Then there is the weight of the bell (which McShane Bell Co. will provide below), which also couldn't possibly be part of the approx. 1,500 lb boxed weight they describe.

THE GRAHAM ESCAPEMENT

George Graham (1673-1751) of London was an English clockmaker and inventor and a member of the Royal Society. He was partner to the influential English clockmaker Thomas Tompion during the last few years of Tompion's life. Graham is credited with inventing several design improvements to the pendulum clock, inventing the mercury compensation pendulum and also the cylinder escapement for watches and the first chronograph. However, his greatest innovation was the invention of the Graham or dead beat escapement around 1715. Graham refused to patent these inventions because he felt that they should be used by other watchmakers.

George Graham is said to have modified the anchor escapement to eliminate recoil, creating the deadbeat escapement, also called the Graham escapement. This has been the escapement of choice in almost all finer pendulum clocks since then. Graham modified the arm of each steel pallet so that the lower portion of each limb was based on the arc of a circle with its center at the axis of rotation of the pallets (see Fig. 1). The tip of each limb had a surface, the angle of which, based on force directions, was designed to provide an impulse to the pallet as the escape tooth slid across the surface of each tip. The escape tooth strikes the pallet above the tip on the lower portion of the limb (see Fig. 2), where the escape wheel is rotating clockwise and is about to strike the entrance pallet on the left side, above the impulse face. The surface that the escape tooth strikes is the locking face, since it prevents the escape wheel from rotating farther.
Info and images below from Princeton.edu
 


Animated GIF courtesy of Wooster Physicists
"Deadbeat Escapement"


 


Photo is courtesy of the South West Museum of Clocks & Watches who beautifully restored this Seth Thomas tower clock in its original colors.

 

Another fascinating video from Trevor Murphy:  THE FOUR MAJOR PARTS OF A TOWER CLOCK

 

 

 

 

THIS IS AN OLDER SETH THOMAS BUT VERY SIMILAR IN DESIGN TO HORTENSE.
Just before it chimes at 11:00, you can see the mechanism that controls the chime count at the very edge of the rotating wheel., called a "snail."   The count mechanism method is called "rack & snail."

This is the critical part that releases the striking train at the proper time and counts out the proper number of strikes. It is the only part of the striking mechanism that is attached to the clock's timekeeping works. Virtually all modern clocks use the rack and snail. The snail (N) is usually mounted on the clock's center wheel shaft, which turns once every 12 hours. There is also a release lever (L) which on the hour releases the rack and allows the timing train to turn.

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Striking_clock

 

 

 

 

 

 

This video below shows the striking sequence in action at 2 min 25 sec.   At the rear of the clock can be seen the fan blades start spinning using the air resistance to govern the rate at which the hammer strikes the bell. 

This clock is equipped with electric motors to rewind the weights automatically.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a different type of escapement but it gives a good view of how the bell-strike mechanism works the hammer.

 

 


 

THE BILL
Mouse-over the image to see it transcribed.

BILLING DETAIL

The total cost for just Hortense the clock herself was $675.25 which consisted of the five amounts in red above the subtotal; the clock alone costing $204, trimmings $317, Dials $120 ($30 each), the 10" weights totaling 300 lbs. to drive the clock $6.75, and the 14" weights totaling 1,400 lbs. to drive the strike hammer $27.50.

The charges for her bell from McShane Bell Co. were $328.04 for the bell itself and $11.44 which may have been for parts, or adding the Seth Thomas mark to the bell, or the clapper (which wouldn't be used), or any combination of these items.  The "Holbrook" charge might be for the glass dials.   The $1080.41 represents the Seth Thomas charge of 675.25 and the three charges of McShane & Holbrook.  The total of 1266.72 represents the 1080.41 plus Wechler's charge.


For some reason, it appears that W. H. Beckwith was only charged $1,235.00, a discount of $31.72.  This was a 2.5% discount.
The City probably paid him the full $1,266.72 and the difference was his commission.

 


HORTENSE'S VOICE

The melodic voice of Hortense was crafted by skilled artisans at the McShane Bell Co. foundry in Baltimore, Md. in 1914.


"RING BEARERS"

America's longest running bell manufacturer

After 162 years in business, the longevity of McShane Bell Foundry takes on added resonance.  Photo: Co-owner William R. Parker III, left, with head service tech Joe Bennett.
Christopher Myers Photo courtesy of 2018 article in Baltimore Magazine

 

Henry McShane was a teenage lad from County Louth, Ireland, when he immigrated to Baltimore in 1847. He found employment in a brass factory and took a shine to the work. Nine years later, in 1856, he struck out on his own, opening the original McShane Bell Foundry at Holliday and Centre Streets.

 

Initially, the company made pipes and plumbing fixtures, in addition to bells. But soon its bells—with their graceful contours and clear ringing tones—overshadowed the company’s other output. In particular, the company became known for its peals (sets of seven or fewer bells) and its chimes (sets of eight or more bells).

By 1873, business was booming, so much so that McShane opened a second facility near where The Baltimore Sun building now sits on Guilford Avenue (then called North Street).

 

An illustration of the North Street complex from a company catalogue in 1900 gives some idea of the scale of the operation, which employed some 200 workers. The image shows several smoke-spewing chimneys puffing away while horse-drawn carriages, streetcars, and a train whiz by. Inside, the catalogue boasts that, “space will not permit of our giving full detail of all the chimes and peals we have made,” but does go on to list 15 pages worth of recently completed projects, including chimes in Key West, Chicago, Detroit, and Ontario, Canada, and peals in locations ranging from Boston to Buenos Aires and New Orleans to New York City.

 

Images below are from the above mentioned McShane Bell Foundry catalogue printed 1900 found at Internet Archive.

 


 

 

 

The McShane Bell Foundry factory complex located at 415-441 North Street (Guilford Avenue), Baltimore, MD. Cropped from page 53 in a 1900 McShane products trade catalogue. Digital image available through the Internet Archive.

 

 

 

       

 

 

Many of McShane's bells are at many Baltimore sites, too. Though not listed in the 1900 catalogue, the company’s most famous local bell is the “Lord Baltimore.” Cast in 1889, the 7,100-pound beauty still sits atop Baltimore’s City Hall and chimes on the hour. Other prominent McShane bells sound out from perches at Towson University, The Maryland State Boy choir, and The Johns Hopkins University’s Homewood campus.

 

After a fire damaged part of the North Street foundry in 1893, McShane decided to move at least part of the company’s operations to an undeveloped plot along the Patapsco east of Baltimore. When the railroad followed the foundry out that way two years later, officials asked McShane to provide a name for the new depot. McShane’s son William James, then the company’s vice president, chose to honor his father’s Irish hometown, nailing a sign to a tree near the train station that read "Dundalk.”

 

Because many records were destroyed in the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904, relatively little is known about the company in the early 20th century. The timeline becomes clear again in 1933, when a family by the name of McAleer sold the business to William R. Parker Sr.
 

“My grandfather, back in the 1930s, had a tool and die machine shop next to the bell foundry,” explains Parker III. “He was just fascinated by the bell business. . . . When [the McAleers] took ill, my grandfather stepped in and bought the business. It has been in my family ever since.”

In 1946, after yet another fire, Parker Sr. and his wife, Edith Meyers—who ran the front office—moved the foundry to a two-story structure on East Federal Street, near Penn Station. In 1965, Parker Sr.’s eldest son, William R. Parker Jr., joined the family business. And in 1979, after the company lost its lease on the Federal Street property, Parker Jr. moved the foundry to a warehouse in Glen Burnie “on a temporary basis,” figuring at least he’d be closer to the family home in nearby Pasadena.
 

Though the story of McShane Bell Foundry is marked by near constant change, there has been one through line: an unflagging devotion to—and pride in—the company’s superior craftsmanship. This starts with Henry McShane’s original—and somewhat eccentric—bell-making recipe.
 

The McShane Bell Foundry is now located in St. Louis, Missouri. Over the past 150 years, the firm has produced over 300,000 bells for cathedrals, churches, municipal buildings and schools in communities around the world - including the 7,000-pound bell that hangs in the dome of Baltimore's City Hall. It was featured on an episode of the Discovery Channel's Dirty Jobs.. In 2019, the company moved its headquarters from Glen Burnie, near Baltimore, Maryland to St. Louis Missouri, as it centralized its manufacturing and shipping. 

BELOW FROM THE McSHANE WEBSITE:

 

"Our bells are produced using time honored techniques and with state of the art foundry craftsmanship and technologies to produce bronze church bells that are as beautiful to hear as they are to view. All our bells come with state of the art mechanical and electrical ringer’s systems for both swinging and stationary bells. Our state of the art equipment is what helps produce their beautiful unmistakably McShane tones. Our goal is simple: to produce the best sounding bells with the most up to date ringing systems for our customers. We approach each project big or small as if it’s our only project. This accountability and attention to details for our customers is what sets McShane Bell Foundry apart. Our other services include consultation, inspections, annual maintenance contracts, and bell towers. Basically McShane can handle your church bell projects from start to finish with outstanding results."

Some of the above info is parts of a 2018 article courtesy of Baltimore Magazine, Wikipedia and the McShane website

 

 

 

                              

                                                   

 


Below from Seth Thomas Co. Tower Clocks, 1911, recommends the bell room be separate from the clock room, either completely open all around or with louvres or slats spaced not too closely together and just so they barely overlap, the floor be covered with copper or tin or some other weather-proof material.  The bell mouth should be above the level of the base of the wall openings.  The clock room should be sealed from the weather.

Photo below from Apr. 27, 1989 Tampa Times article shows the McShane mark.


Since only "Thomas Clock Co." is visible, the second line probably reads "New York and Chicago," the location of their corp. offices at the time.


McSHANE BELL CO. RECORDS
Special thanks to the fine sales team at McShane Bell Co. for going beyond just answering TampaPix's question by sending this amazing image.
There is a close up of the entry for Tampa further below.


 

 

Tampapix contacted the McShane Bell Co. in late May 2020 asking if it was possible that Seth Thomas Clock Co. added their mark to our McShane bell, and included the photos of our City Hall bell showing the McShane mark and the Seth Thomas mark. 

Their response was prompt, the next day the McShane sales team responded with the above incredible image showing Seth Thomas' order for our 1,000 lb. City Hall tower clock bell on Oct. 31, 1914.  They said once a bell has been made a second mark cannot be added.  They put their mark on it and whatever mark the customer requests on the other side at the time the bell is made.  McShane has made bells that even have a person's name on it, such as someone being honored like a mayor, governor, or military officer.

If the City of Tampa would have thought to name our clock "Hortense" sooner, they could have had it put on the bell!


 


Our bell was shipped via Bay Line to Seth Thomas Clock Co. in New York on May 14, 1915.

 

 

Hortense's bell weighs 1,000 lbs. and has a 36" diameter mouth.  She is about as tall as she is wide. The hammer weighs 35 lbs and is connected to the clock by a chain drive.  The Liberty bell is 46 inches in diameter at the lower rim and weighs 2,080 lbs.  Though it is not used, Hortense's bell has a clapper with a ring to tie a rope or chain.  It could be used to ring the bell manually if the hammer system is out of order.

 


 

1915 CITY HALL - COUNTING THE COST IN 2020 DOLLARS (Values obtained from US Inflation Calculator.)

 
 

YE TOWNE CRYER'S $150 DONATION to the old folks home in 1913 would be like $3,291 in 2020.

    CITY HALL total appropriation $300,000 in 1914 would be like $7,764,330 in 2020 includes:
     LAND purchases:   $   65,000 tot. in 1914 is like   $1,682,272 in 2020
         BUILDING COSTS   $235,000         in 1914 is like $6, 082,058 in 2020  
    HORTENSE:  Seth Thomas clock bill was $1,266.72, in 2020 dollars that's around $32,791.
Includes  $339 for McShane bell, would be like $8,773 in 2020.
 
    BECKWITH'S DISCOUNT or HIS PROFIT:  $31.72 in 1914 is like $821 in 2020.  

1915 CITY HALL - COUNTING THE COST IN 2022 DOLLARS (Values obtained from US Inflation Calculator.)

 
 

YE TOWNE CRYER'S $150 DONATION to the old folks home in 1913 would be like $4,434 in 2022.

    CITY HALL total appropriation $300,000 in 1914 would be like $8,779,650 in 2022 includes:
     LAND purchases:   $   65,000 tot. in 1914 is like   $1,902,257 in 2022
         BUILDING COSTS   $235,000         in 1914 is like $6,877,392 in 2022  
    HORTENSE:  Seth Thomas clock bill was $1,266.72, in 2022 dollars that's around $37,071.
Includes  $339 for McShane bell, would be like $8,773 in 2022.
 
    BECKWITH'S DISCOUNT or HIS PROFIT:  $31.72 in 1914 is like $928 in 2022.  

 

 

HISTORY REWRITTEN - Tampa's Old City Hall Clock When, Why, and How It Really Happened