The inventor, designer and the creator of the "astronomic-historic"
clock - he became known only after the publishing of a booklet
of 1893, where the author somebody calling himself B-n, described
the clockmaker Ivan Mezgin and his amazing clock, which he got
acquainted with by chance, while visiting the industrial exhibition
in 1891 in Kazan.
This modest, hard-working and gifted master was born around 1820
in Siberia, in a village of Cherniy Yar of Biyskiy district of
Tomskaya Region, into the family of a peasant. Similar to Kulibin,
Mezgin when he was still a boy revealed that he had a flair to
mechanics. His first proper work was the creation of a village
water mill model. Ivan’s father sent him to study clockmaking
in Tomsk at some master’s. After four-year apprenticeship
Ivan Mezgin got the title of a clockmaker, for some time staying
at his master’s work shop.
Soon after Mezgin moved to Petersburg, where he was taken in a
clock work shop and he got the chance to learn in the practical
job for 12 years numerous clock constructions, he dedicated each
spare minute to self-educating. When Mezgin returned to Tomsk,
with the money he had earned in the capital, he started his own
clock shop, which was considered to be the best in Tomsk in the
1860-ies. It was then that Ivan Mezgin decided to create his "astronomic-historic
clock". To carry out his plan the master pored over the clock
the following six years: first he worked on the drafts and drawings,
then on the details of gold, silver, platinum and steel.
There were two divisions in this clock: the upper one, presenting
itself the "astronomic clock" as it is, and the lower
division - with its "historic part": with automatic
devices, demonstrating some events of Tomsk’s history.
There were 3 clock faces at the outward surface of the upper division:
the right one, ellipsis in form, demonstrated the sky with planets,
the names of which were placed there. In the center of the ellipsis
the Sun was attached with the help of a special hinge, there were
the Earth and the Moon placed around the Sun on their orbits.
When the clock was operating the movement of the planet system
started, which showed the rotation of the Earth around the Sun
and its own axis, and the rotation of the Moon around the Earth
and the Sun.
The second, or the middle clock face was similar to an ordinary
clock face. The third one comprised the face, showing the year,
month, day, date.
The lower division of the Mezgin’s clock depicted the following
“historic” scenes, incredibly complicated from the
technical point of view. There were drawn a ship and a boat with
rowers on the river Tomie, and the Prince’s carriages. The
Great Prince was seen, going out of the carriage, - he visited
Tomsk then, after he was seated in the boat and crossed the river,
while the steamer followed his board, guarding him. When the crossing
of the river was shown you could see the movement of waves , and
how the wheels of the steamer rotate and how slow and swiftly
the sailors were rowing The crowds of people along the banks were
depicted, the troops and the local authorities – all awaiting
the arrival of the quest. Far beyond the scene one could see the
military wards and the kassak’s troops campsite. When the
steamer and the boat approached there could be seen a vigorous
and fussy replacing of the people: the crowd moved forward, the
troops deployed, and the Great Prince, going out of the boat saluted
at the troops. At the same time the anthem was performed. The
anthem was also performed when the door on a small balcony opened
and there went out the Great Prince and his spouse.
____________________________________________________
There is no information in the booklet if the "historic"
part of Mezgin’s clock helped him to get a patron or the
important person’s attention - whose visit he managed to
depict so skillfully in his technical device. Unfortunately the
further fate of the clock is unknown, that which once was on display
in 1891 at the industrial exhibition.
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The Centre of Watch&Clock Restoration
off. 36, Malodetskoselskiy pr.
St.Petersburg, 190013, Russia
phones: +7 (812) 703-17-56
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