The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks, The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."

Festive tunes emanate from Pulliam

Brian Peach

Daily Egyptian

The Pulliam clocktower won't tell you if you're running late, but it's still proving to be useful by spreading holiday cheer with an array of Christmas songs.

Bob Reid, a volunteer who helps inform the Physical Plant of problems with the clock, said the gears inside are getting old and need to be replaced. But that since the chimes are set to a clock in the Physical Plant, they ring on time every day.

"The chimes have always been precise, but it's the clock that's throwing everything off," Reid said.

Phil Gatton, director of plant and service operations for the Physical Plant, said a 3-year-old soundboard controls the music, which includes holiday tunes such as "Hark! The Herld Angels Sing," "Silent Night" and "Joy to the World." Plant workers can change the tunes by sending a signal to a computer in Pulliam from the warmth of the Physical Plant located on the other side of campus. This saves them from the danger of climbing up the tower's 40-foot ladder in middle of winter.

But Gatton said an unavoidable trip will have to be made up the tower in the coming weeks to examine the clock's condition and decide what needs parts need replacing.

A cone to one of the old speakers recently blew out in the clock. This may be replaced since the new Christmas songs can be heard being occasionally interrupted by static and distorted sounds.

"We've got speakers up there that are basically glorified home-stereo speakers," Gatton said. "You also have to remember that even though they aren't outside, it's an unheated environment, and the weather gets to them.

The clock hands and some gears will also be looked at to see what needs a makeover. Gatton said the clock continues to read inaccurate times because the clock hands fall back down when they move past the six or past the 12. The Physical Plant plans to bring in a clock expert by the end of the month to examine the inner functions of the clock and make recommendations as to what should be upgraded.

"This is kind of a unique thing," Gatton said. "It's not like somebody who fixes a pocketwatch. There's only so many people who do this in the country."

Gatton said that if the predicted costs are within the plant's budget, the clock will be operational as soon as possible. A cost of about $500 for parts would not be bad, but if it climbs to a cost of, say, $5,000, repairs may be put off until money can be allocated for it, he said.

"It'd like to see it fixed," Gatton said. "It's an important signature piece to the University, and it doesn't bode well for us if it's not running properly."

Reporter Brian Peach can be reached at bpeach@dailyegyptian.com

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