West Jersey Pioneer

MARVELOUS MECHANISM.
The Wonderful Clock that Was Made
BY A Poor Miner.

Karl Ketter, a poor German miner of
the Excelsior Colliery, which is situated
within a few miles of Shamokin, Pa.
has exhibited a clock of a most remarkable
character. He has been three years
constructing it-the first two years at intervals
of time, and the last year he worked
at it day and night, scarcely taking time
enough to eat and sleep.

He became almost a monomaniac in the
subject. The clock was in his mind during
his working hours and in his dreams at
night. He occupied alone a small wooden
shanty, where he worked, slept, and
cooked his food. Whatever sleeping and
cooking he did, however, was but little.
It is thought he would have nearly starved
but for the kindly interest which his
neighbors took in him and his clock.
They took him food and encouraged him
in his labors.

The clock, which was made with no
other tools than two common jackknives,
is eight feet high and four feet broad.
Its frame is of the Gothic style of architecture.
It has sixteen sides, and is surmounted by a globe, on top of which is
attached a small golden cross. On the
front of the clock there are four dial
plates; one shows the day of the week
another shows the day of the month,
another shows the minutes and fractions
of a minute, and the other the hour of
the day. These dials are carved in a
most unique manner, having emblematic
figures upon them and around
them of almost every imaginable description.
Above the dial plates is a semi-
circular gallery extending around about
half the width of the framework of the
clock. Immediately in front, in the
centre of this semi-circular gallery, is
the carved wooden figure of our Saviour.
At the ends of the gallery on either
side there is a small door opening into
the body of the clock. Over the door.
on the right hand side of the clock, as
you stand facing it is an eagle. Over
the door on the left hand side is a cock.

Twice a day--that is at 12:05 in the day
and at 12:05 at night-a sweet chime of
bells begins to play, the small door on
the right hand side opens, and the small
wooden figures admirably carved, of the
twelve apostles, appear and walk out slowly
and gravely in procession, Peter in
lead. Advancing along the gallery until
they get opposite the figure of Jesus,
each in turn, except Judas, slowly turns
round and bows his head to the Master,
then recovers his former position; as
Peter does this the cock crows. They
continue to advance to the other side of
the gallery and enter the small door on
the left. As Judas (who is in the rear),
with his right hand shielding his face
and his left hand clasping the bag which
is supposed to contain the thirty pieces
of silver, comes in full view of the cock,
the cock crows again. By a simple arrangement
this procession can be made to
come out and pass around the gallery at
any time desired.

On pedestals, at the extreme corners
of the front of.the clock, are carved
wooden statues of Moses and Elias. In
the rear are two obelisks of the Egyptian
style, upon which are carved hieroglyphic
characters to represent the ancient
periods of the world's history. The clock
will run thirty two hours without winding
Mr. Ketter, who is a native of
Frieburg, Baden, is very proud of his
workmanship. He can scarcely bear to
be away from it long enough to eat his
meals. He has been offered $10,000 for
it by a person from New York, but he refused
it.

Mr. Ketter says he has often heard of
the celebrated clock in Strassburg, but
he never saw it, and he has no knowledge
of how it is constructed; neither has he
ever had any instruction in mechanics of
of any kind. His purpose is to exhibit
it for a few months in this country, and
then take it with him to Germany.