What's the point of pull-repeaters on chiming clocks?

[Isaac]

On some high-end bracket clocks featuring a chiming train, there sometimes exists a pull cord on the side of the clock that will trip both the chime and strike trains. I could see this being handy late at night if the clock is nearby to announce the time (especially around the time when the clocks were built, when electricity was unreliable or not even present for lighting). However, using the pull cord for this feature would disrupt the chime sequence, since it will always ring out the length of the last sequence played (for instance, pulling the cord at 10:35 would advance the chime barrel in 2 increments, which would throw off the Westminster melody until it was manually corrected). I suspect that it would've been used for synchronizing the chimes, but then what's the point of having the clock also ring out the hours upon every pull?

Any ideas?

 

[new2clocks]

I could see this being handy late at night if the clock is nearby to announce the time (especially around the time when the clocks were built, when electricity was unreliable or not even present for lighting)

To my knowledge, this is the reason for the repeater, but perhaps someone has more specific information.

Regards.

 

[novicetimekeeper]

They exist because in the dark it is easier to pull the cord than light a candle. Some of them the chimes are only run when the cord is pulled, and pulling the cord winds up a spring to run the chimes. The relevant chime is then followed by the preceding hour.

 

[leeinv66]

Also mighty handy if you happen to be visually impaired I would think.

 

[zedric]

Electricity for lighting is a relatively modern invention - Warwick castle, in the UK, which is one of the very early examples of a building wired for electricity, had a generator installed in 1890, but mains electricity was only connected in 1940. If you couldn't afford to have an electric generator on site (which usually required having a flowing stream outside to drive a water wheel), you were out of luck until you got mains power...

So, for most of human history, when the sun went down, unless you had a fire going, then it was dark... And trying to light a candle in the dark was not a simple matter of striking a match like it would be today. Having a pull cord or push button to power a repeat function was very useful under such circumstances.

 

[J. A. Olson]

However, using the pull cord for this feature would disrupt the chime sequence, since it will always ring out the length of the last sequence played

The arrangement of chimes was not considered important on older English clocks since it was always a ting-tang strike or a series of ringers' changes on bells. No real melody to synchronize. Only after the Westminster and other composed melodies became popular as clock chimes did the order of chime sequences become more important, and most manufacturers changed their chime clock designs to employ automatic synchronization.

American manufacturers of chime clocks did not get into using repeater cords, even on higher-end models, because there was always more favor towards keeping the chimes synchronized from the get-go. Every manufacturer devised ways to keep the chimes in synchronization. Given the prevalence of synchronized chiming clocks, and striking clocks which still used countwheels, repeaters were never as big a 'thing' in the USA compared to England or Germany.

German striking wall and floor clocks still had repeater cords up to the 1960's. This did not apply to chiming clocks.

 

[Alex KVASHIN]

Correct, on early English clocks (before mid of 18 century) usually there were similar set of achords, each time, so nothing to unsinchronise. This is real pull-repeat since you wound the spring when you pull the cord.
On later (I mean 18-19 century) clock - there were usually 5 fully indepenednt chimes, so again nothing to unsinchronise, however people can used to specific chimes sequence to each quarter, but in anyway knowing time was more important then the set of sequences.
Westminster and other "melodies" appeared recently, maybe in 20 century, so automtic synchronisation was used normlly.
BTW on real musical clocks there 2 cords usually - one for strike and one for musics + strike.

 

[Carl Bergquist]

I have a couple older bracket clocks that have two cords. One for the alarm, that actually winds the alarm spring and one for the repeat. Both have holes in the case so the cord hangs outside the case. Several of my other wall clocks have the repeat feature but no hole in the case so the cord is usable without opening the door. Seems odd.