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HOW IT WORKS.

larger end of the fusee, which is attached to the driving-wheel of the watch or clock by the intervention of a ratchet and click (not shown). To wind the spring the fusee is turned backward by means of a key applied to the square end A of the fusee arbor, and this draws the string from off the drum on to the fusee. The force of the spring causes the fusee to rotate by pulling the string off it, coil by coil, and so drives the train of wheels. But while the mainspring, when fully wound, turns the fusee by uncoiling the string from the smallest part of the fusee, it gets the advantage of the larger radius as its energy becomes lessened.

The fusee is still used for marine chronometers, for some clocks that have a mainspring and pendulum, and occasionally for watches. In the latter it has been rendered unnecessary by the introduction of the going-barrel by Swiss watchmakers, who formed teeth on the edge of the mainspring barrel to drive the train of wheels. This kind of drum is called "going" because it drives the watch during the operation of winding, which is performed by rotating the drum arbor to which the inner end of the spring is attached. A ratchet prevents the arbor from being turned backwards by the spring. The adoption of the going-barrel has been made satisfactory by the improvements in the various escapement actions.

THE ESCAPEMENT.

Fig. 202.
Fig. 202.

The spring or weight transmits its power through a train of cogs to the escapement, or device for regulating the rate at which the wheels are to revolve. In clocks a pendulum is generally used as the controlling agent. Galileo, when a student at Pisa, noticed that certain hanging lamps in the cathedral there

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