Big Ben Skips A Boom

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 56, 22 March 1937, Page 14

Big Ben Skips A Boom

LONDON — Big Ben, timepiece of tbe Empire, pride of Londoners, tbe "eloek tbat's never slow," guardian of the Houses of Parliament, went back on bis word one day recently. He went back, in fact, about balf an bour. Tbe village postmaster visiting London wbo made citizens guffaw when, looking at bis own watcb, be announced Big Ben was two minutes fast, would have bad tbe laugb on Londoners at last. Passers-by, peering througb a morning fog, saw tbat Big Ben bad stopped. It was after 9 ' and tbe cloek stoutly maintained it was only^a quarter to. Mystery Finally Elucidated. At about 9.30 tbe foreman of a gang of painters working on tbe inside ef

tbe cloek tower went out to see tbe time. He craned bis neck and stared in amazement. Then be ran as fast as be could up to tbe top of tbe tower. Before be got tbere the cloek bad started again. Wbat happened? Tbe foreman didn't know. He asked tbe painters. Tbe painters didn't know. They didn't even know tbe clock bad stopped. Then tbe clockmakers came in and elucidated tbe mystery. Dignifled Boom Eesumed Tbe painters bad placed a ladder against tbe spindle wbicb turns Big Ben's hauds. The ladder did not stop tbe 'clock, but tbe weigbt of a man wbo elimbed up it did. And when be came dowu again bis weigbt apparently started it once more.