Pneumatic Clocks of Paris: Air Powered Time
The Union Terminal in Cincinnati, Ohio was considered technologically advanced in the United States for its time in 1933. In the train station control tower was housed a series of pneumatic levers (pictured) where the entire train yard was controlled from. Pressurized air ran through pipes throughout the entire train yard, the air pushed on levers moving the train switches open and closed.
Union Terminal also had technology so that every clock on the train station's 33 acre campus of buildings synced to tell the exact same time. Cutting edge implementation of technology for 1932, but not new technology.
This was high technology in the United States. But not in the World.
Paris had synced pneumatic clocks throughout the entire city in 1880!
If there is such thing as an accurate time, then it's imperative that we are all on the same "Time". Take the Union Terminal in 1933 for instance. If the beautiful art deco clock outside the station said 10:00AM and the clocks inside the terminal said 10:05AM and the clocks in the offices said 9:55AM, it would be chaos. People would be missing their trains, schedules would be a mess, and trains would be running into each other.
Synced Analog Clocks
To solve this the Union Terminal synced all of the clocks throughout the entire 33 acre campus in 1933 using an electric signal that triggered an analog mechanical part in the movement to either speed a minute hand forward or trigger it back each hour. A wire ran to all the clocks from a central time keep system in the building.
Pneumatic to Power & Synchronize a City in 1880!
Paris implemented synced pneumatic clocks throughout Paris 50 years prior in 1880!
Imagine if out from the Union Terminal, synchronized clocks reached out for miles into Over The Rhine and Downtown Cincinnati. Paris, on the cutting edge of invention at that time, had just that. In 1880 Paris built an enormous network of pipes underneath the city that physically connected to clocks all throughout the city. The pipes in the underground were pressurized with air and connected to a central air compressor, so that one timed push of pressurized air would move the minute hand to click one minute on all of the clocks in the network.
At first, it was the grand hotel that had it installed. Private residences and businesses who wanted to provide a nicety, accurate time, a phone, electric... incorporated the pneumatic clocks into their buildings. The City of Paris eventually invested in it providing accurate time for all Parisians throughout the city paid for in their taxes.
A Network of Pipes in the Sewers
Pneumatic pipes attached to the sides of the sewer walls throughout Paris. Reaching up just under a clock or a hotel or private residence. A pipe that would reach a clock movement hanging on a wall, or standing on a street corner.
A 20 Second Burst of Air Pressure
For 20 seconds air pressure would blow into the movement, the air pressure would eventually force open a valve. This valve would "Click" the minute gear one notch along its rotation, moving the minute hand, one minute.
Synchronized Time in 1880
Since the entire network was powered by a main engine blowing air into the system the clock system on the other end of the pipes were all on the same time.
References:
https://youtu.be/gol_p2aWrJg?si=y9xJEY5uqIW8oPF1
https://parisianfields.com/2018/03/25/a-question-of-time/
The Paris Pneumatic System was created by Victor Pop
