Seth Thomas Beehive Curiosity

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Bottom part of Seth Thomas 89AL movement
As I was oiling my newly acquired Seth Thomas Beehive mantle clock last night I discovered this little curiosity. What you see is a close-up of the back of the clock movement. The rod in the foreground is the pendulum rod to which the bob is attached. The elongated reverse "c" that you see in the photo is actually a pendulum rod retaining clip used to transport the clock. The bob would be taken off and the rod, clipped into place thereby stopping the clock mechanism and avoiding any potential damage. Pretty ingenious for the time!

I suppose that in those days (circa 1928) people took their clocks with them (summer in the country and such) when they traveled assuming that they were portable enough. I know that windup alarm clocks have been around forever but folks then probably felt that they had to be reminded of the time and a strike clock sounding through the summer house would have fit the bill. It is only 10 inches high and 8 inches wide and can easily be put in a suitcase.

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