PORT ANGELES — The Clallam County Courthouse clock will soon be ringing the hours again after aging parts failed, stopping the clock’s hands at 2:22.
The clock stopped working several weeks ago after a bushing failed in the 136-year old clock, and repairs are scheduled for Wednesday, said Joel Winborn, the county parks, fair and facilities director.
“It will be back in operation by the end of the week,” Winborn said.
The replacement part had to be custom manufactured and is ready to be installed, he said.
Not easy work
Winborn said the antique clock’s design didn’t make it easy for the specially trained clocktower contractor who cares for the clock.
“You have to take the entire clock down to take care of this piece,” he said.
The tower clock was manufactured in 1880 by the E. Howard & Co. of Boston and it was shipped to Seattle, where it languished in a warehouse for several years, according to the Clallam County Historical Society.
When the Clallam County Courthouse was built in 1914, the architect located the clock in Seattle and purchased it for $5,115.
It was installed in the 82-foot clocktower in 1915 by Joseph Mayer, a Seattle clockmaker and jeweler.
The four semi-transparent clock faces, one at each face of the clock tower, are each 8 feet, 4 inches in diameter.
The clock’s hour hands are 2 feet, 7½ inches long and the minute hands about 4 feet long.
Mike Doherty, a county historian and former Clallam County commissioner, has said the bell itself is somewhat unusual, in that the clapper is located outside of the bell, rather than striking the bronze from the inside.
The outside clapper changes the tone of the Clallam County bell, which lacks a sharp note common to similar bells and gives it a much different “voice.”
When the bell was initially installed, it was spring-operated, with a hand-crank that had to be wound every few days to keep the clock going.
In the 1920s or 1930s, the crank was replaced by an electric motor, reducing the amount of time it takes to maintain the clock.
________
Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
