The First Wooden Clock.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3254, 12 July 1889, Page 3

The First Wooden Clock.

E. A. Penn in tho Allegan (Michigan) Journal says ;—About tho year 1800 there lived a sort of indolent,

thriftless, unpromising young man Ay the name of Terry, His birthJL'laco was 'tho same as mine Plymouth He sought tho hand and heart of a Miss Warner, nnd was bitterly opnM|l by her Mends on account of Wtiwbility to support her. The Warners wero solid old Puritan stock and despised laziness, but notwithstanding all opposition the young couplo were married, set up housekeeping, and soon destitution and want wore about all that scorned visible for future days. Eli had no

visible means of support, but spent bis timo sitting on ut stump or block, out a circle be struck with old compass or sawing oil bits of wood from dead trees, and thus, day after day, his timo was spent, and Hie general opinion was that he was crazy, Want pressed so hard in the home that the wife, by' urgent entreaty of her friends had about made up her mind to return to her parents home, when tho fruits of Eli'swbitling and sawingmaterialised in the first wooden clock ever made in America, and, I believe, any country. It was readily sold to a nftllbor for 80dol., and paid for in sffk, flour, potatoes, other family necessities, and a little money, with which ho bought tools to facilitate his work in further prosecution of clock making. Another was mado that sold readily as soon as completed. Tho foot lathe and small circular saws wero added, then men werv omployed, clocks moro rapidly made and eagerly sought after,, and Eli Terry began to accumulate. In the

meantime bo had made applications for letters patent upon his clock, and <t3bput 1802 or 1808 built a small shop and commenced improving on bis clock and construction of machinery and tools, and tho foundation for a vast fortuno was made which materialised in after years. Notwitestauding bis unbounded benevolence, bo became very rich. Ho died about 1815, at the advanced ago of eighty-fivo years, beloved and and respected by all who knew him, ' leaving a largo family of grown up boys and a number of grandsons, all fy wealthy, and all living in Terrye, Connecticut, controlling nearly the wealth of the placo, which was invested in largo manufactories for clocks and locks, It is worthy of note that not one Terry is left in that region, and all their interests and investments liavo scattered or gone into other hands,