Photo By Samantha Heilig | Clock Master George Georgiadis (right) explains the repairs he is completing on the...... read more read more
After nearly a year and a half, the clock atop the Rock Island District's historical Clock Tower Building began ticking again in late September when it received needed repairs from a skilled caretaker who had previously retired.
The 150-year-old mechanism had been on the fritz for quite some time when District facilities maintenance employees decided it would be best to have it stopped.
“The clock is a delicate piece of machinery,” said Dan Simon, chief of Rock Island District’s Logistics Activities Office. “It is very difficult to find someone with the knowledge and skill to repair such a unique piece of history.”
Over the past 18 months, several attempts were made to fix the issues affecting operation but in each case, the clock would work for a short while and then either begin to lose time or fail to work all together. It quickly became obvious that the District needed a person with special skills to make the repairs.
This is when retired clock master George Georgiadis, who had maintained the Rock Island District’s clock for roughly 35 years prior to his retirement, was contacted and asked to help.
Georgiadis sold his repair shop in the Quad Cities about four years prior and had moved south with his wife to enjoy retirement. But when he learned about the District’s issues with the clock, he knew he could help.
“After working on the clock for all those years, I just hated to see it stop,” said Georgiadis. “I knew that if I returned to the Quad Cities, I could help the Corps get it back up and running again.”
And get it running again is exactly what he did.
Prior to his return, Georgiadis spoke with Simon about the issues the clock was having and what had been done previously to attempt repair. Before he even entered the building, he had a pretty good idea of what needed to be done.
“I worked on this clock for so many years, I knew all its quirks,” said Georgiadis. “It didn’t take me long to diagnose the problem.”
Georgiadis went straight to work and was finished with repairs in about two days. During the repair process, local contractor Jake Craft served as an apprentice. Craft, who does regular work for the Rock Island Arsenal, has experience in machinery repair and was excited about the opportunity to learn more about the historical clock.
“I love working on stuff like this,” said Craft. “It is a great opportunity to learn from a skilled clock master like George. I want to learn all that I can while he is here so we can keep the clock running.”
After repairs were finished, Georgiadis took time to show Craft and the District’s facilities maintenance crew some additional ins and outs of the clock’s operation. He covered details about oiling the gears, winding the weights, and setting the time, which is important since it needs to be done twice a year for daylight savings.
“It was nice of George to come back and help us with repairs,” said Simon. “With the knowledge we gained during his visit, our plans are to keep the clock running for many years to come.”
| Date Taken: | 10.24.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 11.06.2018 11:20 |
| Story ID: | 298959 |
| Location: | ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 321 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Historical Clock Regains its "Tick Tock", by Samantha Heilig, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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