7/27/05 'HOMESICK'

OTIS HAS ASSEMBLED MANY SIMPLE CLOCK KITS--BUY A FEW QUARTZ CLOCK MOTORS--DRILL A HOLE IN ANY FLAT PIECE OF MATERIAL YOU LIKE--INSTALL THE MOTOR & 'AA' BATTERY--THE NUMBERS --THE 3 HANDS--YOU NOW HAVE AN ACCURATE CLOCK--OTIS IS IN THE CENRAL TIME ZONE-

RECENTLY I HAD ORDERED 2 CLOCK MOTORS FROM A COMPANY IN NEW MEXICO--I INSTALLED ONE MOTOR ON AN OLD PIECE OF LUMBER DATED BACK INTO THE 1800'S--I SET THE TIME AND IT WORKED FINE ALL DAY--THE NEXT MORNING I NOTICED THE TIME ON THE CLOCK WAS ONE HOUR EARLY--PERHAPS A WEAK BATTERY--I INSTALLED A GOOD ALKALINE 'AA' BATTERY--AND SET THE TIME CORRECTLY--

THE NEXT MORNING THE TIME WAS ONCE AGAIN ONE HOUR EARLY--SO I WAITED TILL THE NEXT DAY THINKING THE CLOCK MIGHT BE 2 HOURS EARLY--BUT STILL IT WAS ONLY ONE HOUR EARLY--

I SET THE TIME AGAIN--BUT FOR A WEEK IT WOULD BE JUST ONE HOUR EARLY EACH DAY--I EVEN INSTALLED THE OTHER NEW CLOCK MOTOR AND IT DID THE SAME THING--

I HAD A FRIEND IN THE EASTERN TIME ZONE--SO SENT THE CLOCK TO HIM AND EXPLAINED MY PROBLEM--HARD TO BELIEVE BUT HE WOULD SET THE CORRECT EASTERN TIME ON THIS CLOCK--AND THE NEXT DAY IT WOULD BE 'TWO' HOURS EARLY--IT NOW BECAME OBVIOUS THE CLOCK WAS DETERMINED TO READ MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME--

THE ZONE WHERE IT WAS MANUFACTURED-

I CONTACTED THE COMPANY WHERE I BOUGHT THE CLOCK MOTORS--EXPLAINED MY PROBLEM--THE MAN ON THE PHONE SAID HE WAS GLAD TO HEAR FROM ME BECAUSE THERE WERE 4 OTHER COMPLAINTS --THEY HAD RETURNED THEIR CLOCK MOTORS AND HE ASKED ME TO RETURN MY TWO--WHICH I DID--THE MAN SAID THE CLOCKS OF COURSE HAD BEEN INSPECTED AND A VERY SLIGHT ERROR APPEARED IN THE ELECTRONIC TEST EQUIPMENT OF THESE 6 MOTORS--BUT WITHIN TOLERANCE---AND THE CLOCKS KEPT PERFECT TIME--SO THEY PASSED INSPECTION--

A FEW WEEKS LATER THE MAN I HAD TALKED TO AT THE CLOCK COMPANY--TOLD ME IT WAS CLEAR THERE WAS SOMETHING IN THE 6 CLOCKS RETURNED --THAT MADE THEM READ CORRECTLY 'ONLY' MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME--THEY WOULD PUT EVERY EFFORT INTO FINDING WHAT CAUSED THIS--REALIZING IF THERE WAS A CERTAIN PART OF THE CLOCKS THAT CAUSED THEM TO KNOW WHERE THEY WERE---THIS COULD BE A VALUABLE DISCOVERY----COMPASSES DO NOT READ DIRECT NORTH ALL THE TIME --IT DEPENDS WHERE THEY ARE --THE ERROR OF A COMPASS CAN VARY PERHAPS 10 DEGREES AND MORE -DEPENDING WHERE IT IS LOCATED IN THE WORLD--EVEN JUST IN THE UNITED STATES AN AIRCRAFT PILOT KNOWS THIS DEVIATION BY LOOKING AT HIS AIRCRAFT MAPS--

SO IF A MATERIAL OR DEVICE CAN BE FOUND THAT KNOWS WHERE ITSELF IS LOCATED ON THE EARTH--THE ADVANTAGES AND POSSIBLITIES ARE TREMENDOUS--

THE COMPANY SPOKESMAN THANKED ME FOR MY COOPERATION AND OF COURSE WOULD REFUND MY COST FOR THE 2 CLOCK MOTORS AND HE WOULD KEEP ME INFORMED OF ANY PROGRESS OR DISCOVERY THEY MIGHT MAKE ABOUT THESE 'HOMESICK' CLOCK MOTORS--

BY OTIS ENGLISH