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A creation of Abraham John’s, that still attracts a lot of visitors, is the huge clock tower in front of his house, facing the lake. He completed designing the clock tower in early 20th century and built it with the help of a blacksmith in 1930. The clock, once a great boon to the fishermen and boatmen, is not in working condition now, though still visible to those who pass by on the lake. .
About 20 palchakrams (gear-wheels) are used for the time keeping. Two metallic weights of 90 kilos each are connected to the clock with two long metal rods. A bell is also connected to the clock. The hammer placed near it used to strike on the bell every half hour. Two cranks were used to winding the clock; the winding had to be done once every 24 hours.
The clock tower resembles the one in Thiruvananthapuram, near the Padmanabha Swami Temple. It is said that John received acclamations and a gold medal from the King of Travancore for creating the clock. Mahatma Gandhi also wrote him a congratulatory letter.
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