Parks, when I read in your clipping that there was no outside or battery power involved and then looked at the photo it was obvious that this had to involve magnetically generating a voltage impulse at the master and having the slaves follow it. Otherwise where's the energy coming from? A quick Google brought up this
site which 3/4’s of the way down, just above Fig 24 mentions “Special and anecdotal systems of construction” The description there seems to pretty clearly understand Magneta. There is a mention of Britain using Mr. Hipp’s variation but that is an battery/external power clock and so I think the description here is probably correct for the marine version.
The essence is that a separate hand wound spring (drum in the right center of the Electrician photo?) is allowed to flick a permanent magnet in a coil armature (at the left?) once a minute and that generates an impulse of electricity to send out on the wires. The receiving electro magnets in the slave end clocks simply increment the gear works to move the hands forward one step per pulse. Figure 6 is a different mechanism but illustrates a layout suitable for accomplishing a Magneta receiver in the confines of a mantle clock.
Over at this
site, “Gents Marine Master Clock Ref No: w1221” has pictures of an advance/r~~~~~ mechanism. It gives me the impression that you dial in the adjustment and leave the clock to progressively insert or omit impulses over a period of time until the adjustment is complete (on r~~~~~ just stop for 47 minutes or let it give some hint of the progress?). This might be a sufficient approach for the Magneta. In the preceding stories on the first site it is mentioned that the polarity of the impulses alternates to prevent some problems, this occurs with contact bouncing in external power systems. In our case I note that this could also enable the slave to be directionally sensitive so that the hands could be backed up on the westward trip and thus be reset fairly quickly.
Now as far as the Strauss’s clock stopping here’s some points that can be weighed up:
-I kept the electric wound/escapement paced clock in my car working for 37 years. It mainly needed cleaning and a bit of 3 in 1 oil but it did eventually wear the bearings right out of the frame (I collected a few spare mechanisms at the wreckers). Now my point is that it was the escapement wheel that was the lowest powered part and the most easily stopped. I suspect that simply the drag of being immersed in water
might stop it.
On the Titanic:
-because the master clock’s timing and impulse systems were both spring powered they would have continued until maybe water or certainly destruction stopped them. Being intended for ship board use I would expect the escapement to be rather rugged. The voltages involved would not have been at all bothered by water on the wires or terminals.
-the stopping of the master stops the impulses to the slaves and immediately stops any further counting even if the slaves are still available.
-but unless the slaves have something exceptionally delicate about them, they probably would have continued underwater for hours or days
if the impulses continued. Could stoppage have been when the springs ran out just over a day from their previous winding, perhaps leaving us with 2:04PM ? Okay, not likely, sinking might have pushed in the casing glass on the master and made enough of a mess to stop it.
So sorry, but in all I think this suggests that the stopping of the clock system is not going to be a very accurate measure of the night’s events at all.
But that clock was sure an exciting sight on the TV.
Bill
