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Author Topic: Steam (Now run by electric) Clock!  (Read 863 times)

Offline Calimachon

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Steam (Now run by electric) Clock!
« on: February 04, 2011, 09:55:31 PM »
I know it is hard to see but has anyone noticed that the Steam (Now run by electric) Clock is not working again?

Cali :(
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"Life gives to all the choice. You can satisfy yourself with mediocrity if you wish. You can be common, ordinary, dull, colorless, or you can channel your life so that it will be clean,vibrant, progressive, useful, colorful, rich". Spencer W. Kimball (Calimachon is not a Mormon nor is she in any shape or form religious but she thinks this applies to all humans and more so to a Humanist!  :)

Offline shaun the sheep

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Re: Steam (Now run by electric) Clock!
« Reply #1 on: February 05, 2011, 12:50:29 AM »
Our office faces the clock, it has'ent been working correctly for somw 18 months
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Offline Calimachon

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Re: Steam (Now run by electric) Clock!
« Reply #2 on: February 05, 2011, 08:05:11 AM »
When passing the clock yesterday I did comment to my husband that probably the only people who would notice the clock was not working were from the offices across the way.  The clock is not really in a position to be noticed  by many people.

Cali :)
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"Life gives to all the choice. You can satisfy yourself with mediocrity if you wish. You can be common, ordinary, dull, colorless, or you can channel your life so that it will be clean,vibrant, progressive, useful, colorful, rich". Spencer W. Kimball (Calimachon is not a Mormon nor is she in any shape or form religious but she thinks this applies to all humans and more so to a Humanist!  :)

Offline Dylan

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Re: Steam (Now run by electric) Clock!
« Reply #3 on: February 05, 2011, 01:15:16 PM »
What clock?
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Offline man in the street

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Re: Steam (Now run by electric) Clock!
« Reply #4 on: February 05, 2011, 06:27:06 PM »
a tribute to squandering tax payers money like the rest of the life enriching crap we have around that serves no usefull purpose. leave it broken and save the tax payer a small fortune .

 cut down the bronze tree and weigh it in to the higest bidder. still the goverment spend , it would appear with no thought whatsoever, well no thought for the ordinary working people of jersey, they only want the taxes.
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Offline Malachi

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Re: Steam (Now run by electric) Clock!
« Reply #5 on: February 05, 2011, 06:30:15 PM »
If I could do it and get away it, I would arrange for a small army of people to descend on the steam clock in the middle of the night and cut it up into pieces that could easily be carried away by one person.

With sufficient organisation & planning & enough people (and tools), you could probably make the thing disappear in less than an hour.

Nobody would miss it, and we could put a small stainless steel pyramid or something (with water cascading down it from its top) in its place.
« Last Edit: February 05, 2011, 06:53:17 PM by Malachi »
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Offline man in the street

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Re: Steam (Now run by electric) Clock!
« Reply #6 on: February 05, 2011, 06:49:45 PM »
stainless pyramid , marine grade , nice  of cource one corner would have to transit 32 odd degrees.
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Offline Chevalier Blanc

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Re: Steam (Now run by electric) Clock!
« Reply #7 on: February 06, 2011, 09:16:16 PM »
It has always been electric!
The meter was in my workshop and when they were erecting it they would come and borrow tools from us. We had a look over it and for the last time it has always been driven by electricity.
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Offline Malachi

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Re: Steam (Now run by electric) Clock!
« Reply #8 on: February 07, 2011, 09:08:41 AM »
It was a genuine steam + electric novelty clock once, but it became electric-only when the muppets that commissioned it realised how much the steam engine/boiler would cost to maintain.
« Last Edit: February 07, 2011, 07:30:46 PM by Malachi »
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Offline Dylan

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Re: Steam (Now run by electric) Clock!
« Reply #9 on: February 07, 2011, 09:34:28 AM »
If we needed a clock, we should have had a simply mechanical water clock driven by the tide.

I could have built one and fitted it opposite the old Harbour offices, no electricity, no winding up, no gas etc.

This would have cost about £150,000.00 thus saving the taxpayer about £180,000.00 plus ongoing expenses.

My Breakdown of charges would be:

£25,000.00 for the clock and its installation, local profit to me about £5,000.00
£125,000.00 bunce left over for my Gibraltan Company for me really for thinking it up.

£5,000 less 20 % tax leaves £4,000.00

True costs to taxpayer £149,000.00
Profit for me to spend in Jersey £129,000.00

Sounds like win-win dunnit?

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Offline boatyboy

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Re: Steam (Now run by electric) Clock!
« Reply #10 on: February 07, 2011, 01:29:21 PM »
If my memory serves me well, the actual steamclock came in out around approx. £265,000 the main cost at over £650,000 ( which truly amazed me ) was for the groundworks. This means clearing a not very big site, putting in some drains and some pipes for plumbing, then paving the area and adding some flower beds. Going back to 1997 I suggest that you could build 3 X three bedroom houses for £650K, land not included. No doubt Dylan or Fritz would know.

Quotes are selective please read full article.

JEP

The average annual cost of maintaining the clock from 1998 to the end of 2004 were £14,000 per annum.

The running costs in the same period averaged £6,000 a year.’ Senator Walker said that the savings were being made after WEB had identified the site as an area in which money could be saved. ( My note see below )

£14,000+6,000 = £20,000 per year.

He said that in addition to the maintenance and running costs of the clock, looking after the surrounding park drained £7,750 a year from the coffers of the States-owned Waterfront Enterprise Board, which is responsible for the area.

£20,000 + 7,750 = £27,750 PER YEAR

ISLANDERS who get wound up about one of St Helier’s most controversial landmarks are in for a bit of a shock – the Steam Clock has gone electric.

Senator Frank Walker, president of the Policy and Resources Committee, revealed this week that the new mechanism cost £2,717.

The reason for the change over to electricity, WEB( owned by the States ) being prudent with money ?

Quote

The company’s financial review coincided with the firm, which maintained the clock going out of business.


Read more: http://www.thisisjersey.com/2005/04/09/the-steam-clock-that-is-about-to-run-out-of-steam/#ixzz1DHKVMYC2
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Offline Dylan

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Re: Steam (Now run by electric) Clock!
« Reply #11 on: February 07, 2011, 02:26:40 PM »
Perhaps the headline should read "As clock runs out of steam, Islanders get wound up along with maintenance company"
Whatcha reckon BB?
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Offline Calimachon

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Re: Steam (Now run by electric) Clock!
« Reply #12 on: February 07, 2011, 05:23:15 PM »
The headline should read Fill......'s Folley!
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"Life gives to all the choice. You can satisfy yourself with mediocrity if you wish. You can be common, ordinary, dull, colorless, or you can channel your life so that it will be clean,vibrant, progressive, useful, colorful, rich". Spencer W. Kimball (Calimachon is not a Mormon nor is she in any shape or form religious but she thinks this applies to all humans and more so to a Humanist!  :)
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