*This following clock story is dedicated to Mrs. Nellie McDaneld, who has kept all the history, and gave of her time, and information that Keith McCammon wrote.*
Thank you for coming to visit the Osborne Courthouse clock. This clock was purchased June 29, 1907, from the E. Howard Watch Co. of Boston, at a cost of $1,450. The clock was started and the bell struck for the first time of Tuesday, May 26, 1908 at 12:00 noon sharp. The bell is 78% copper and 22% tin. It weighs 1,800 lbs, is 8 feet 6 inches high; 3 feet 9 inches across and 11 feet 8 inches around the outer rim.
The bell was cast in 1908 for the E. Howard Clock Co., by Meneely & Co. of West Troy N.Y. 1908. It is struck by a 40 lb sledge and cost $750.
The clock itself was made in Boston by the E. Howard Watch Co. It is 4 feet long; 2 feet 7 inches wide; and 6 feet high. The clock shafts from clock to dial are 7 feet 6 inches long. The pendulum rod is 8 feet long. The clock dials are 7 feet across. The strike has 17 cast iron blocks that weigh 48 lbs each, for a total 816 lbs and drops 33 feet in 7 days and 15 hours. The power weight has 9 blocks at 48lbs each, for a total of 432 lbs , and drops 20 feet in 7 days and 20 hours. Making a total of 1,248lbs pulling on the clock.
The bell is 15 feet above the clock and can be seen climbing 14 steps up to it. The platform that the clock sits on, is crate in which it was sent to Osborne from Boston. The clock was shipped from Boston on May 1, 1908. The weights were shipped from Paris, Illinois on May 1, 1908. The bell was shipped from Troy, New York on April 27, 1908.
On Saturday morning, June 30, 1945 at 6:00, a tornado-like wind blew tree limbs through the West and North dials and that is why the centers are wood. On April 23, 1976 a storm took out the East dial. On June 5, 1978 new steel air-craft cable was put on the strike and power side of the clock, then a few days later it was all cleaned up and the floor and steps were painted.
Logan McDaneld wound and cared for the clock 22 years. During that time he had to make many repairs on the clock, and many times, making parts by hand. On Thursday, July 28, 1960, Logan turned the job of taking care of the clock over to Neil McDaneld, his son.
Somewhere around January 1971, Ellsworth Gorsuch started taking care of the clock. At the time Mr. Gorsuch started caring for the clock, he discovered that some of the clock, he discovered that some of the parts had a lot of wear. He spent many, many long and hard hours, making new parts for the clock. Even though he resigned before he had the clock completed, the work that he did, played a very vital part in Osborne having a courthouse clock today.
In February 1975, Keith McCammon, who owns McCammon Jewelers, in Osborne, Kansas started caring for the clock. I took up where Ellsworth Gorsuch left off, made some more parts for the clock and got it running and striking again.
Each week I climbed 98 steps to get to the clock. To wind and check the clock it takes around 1 hour. The weights are very hard to crank up. The strike weight alone takes 195 turns to wind up to the top. I do not charge the county for winding the clock. The county only pays for glass, bulbs to light the dials, paint and extra help for major repair when more than one person is required to do the work. My son, Timothy helps me work clock. Both sons, Timothy and Martin help wind the clock. I take great pride in the fact that in a 90 day test, the clock only lost 14 seconds. In spite of being 70 years old, the clock will still run with todays Solar High Frequency Quartz watches.
