香港政府
GS 新聞處
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN
TSIM SHA TSUI CLOCK TOWER TO LIVE ON
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THE TSIM SHA TSUI RAILWAY STATION CLOCK TOWER A PROMINENT LANDMARK OF HONG KONG - WILL STAY WHEN THE KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY MOVES TO THE NEW HUNG HOM TERMINUS LATER THIS YEAR.
THE GRANDIOSE BRICK-STRUCTURE WILL BE THE SOLE REMNANT OF THE 59-YEAR-OLD RAILWAY STATION WHICH WILL EVENTUALLY DE PULLED DOWN TO MAKE WAY FOR THE URBAN COUNCIL'S PROPOSED CULTURAL COMPLEX.
ALTHOUGH THE VIEW WON'T BE THE SAME AGAIN, THE 146-FOOT TOWER WILL CONTINUE TO DOMINATE THE SHORELINE AT THE TIP OF KOWLOON PENINSULA AND THE BIG CLOCK WILL GO ON GIVING THE TIME AS IT HAS BEEN DOING FOR THE PAST 50 YEARS.
THE TOWER AND THE STATION WERE COMPLETED IN 1916, BUT THE BIG CLOCK DID NOT START CLICKING UNTIL FIVE YEARS LATER.
THE DELAY WAS DUE MAINLY TO THE LATE DELIVERY OF THE CLOCK AND ACCESSORY EQUIPMENT FROM BRITAIN DURING WORLD WAR I.
THE CLOCK, TOGETHER WITH A ONE-TON BELL, WERE MANUFACTURED BY GENT OF LEICESTER - ONE OF THE WORLD'S RENOWNED CLOCK MAKERS.
THE TOTAL COST OF THE CLOCK, INCLUDING INSTALLATION FEES AMOUNTED TO $8,502 - QUITE A STAGGERING SUM IN THE 1920'S.
THE BIG CLOCK WITH FOUR MOSAIC FACES: EACH EIGHT FEET IN DIAMETER - WAS INITIALLY OPERATED BY BATTERY THROUGH A SINGLE MOTOR AND THE BELL STRUCK ON THE HOUR TO GIVE THE TIME.
DUE TO MAINTENANCE DIFFICULTIES, THE BATTERY-OPERATED MECHANISM WAS REPLACED IN 1945 BY FOUR SEPARATE ELECTRIC MOTORS EACH RESPONSIBLE FOR DRIVING THE HANDS ON EACH CLOCK FACE.
SINCE THEN, THE BELL STOPPED TOLLING BECAUSE IT WAS DIFFICULT TO SYNCHRONISE THE TIME OF THE FOUR MOTOR-DRIVEN CLOCK FACES.
THE HISTORICAL CLOCK TOWER SURVIVED THE JAPANESE INVASION IN 1941, AND AMID THE POUNDING OF GUNS, THE CLOCK CONTINUED TO CLICK UNTIL ITS MECHANISM WAS DAMAGED SHORTLY AFTER THE FALL OF HONG KONG,
IT IS DIFFICULT TO TRACE WHEN THE CLOCK ACTUALLY STOPPED, BUT IT WAS RE-STARTED ON OCTOBER 2, 1945 - THANKS TO MAGNIFICIENT REPAIR WORK BY THE CREW OF A CANADIAN BATTLESHIP, THE +ONTAR 10+.
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SINCE THEN, THIS HISTORICAL TIME PIECE HAS BEEN KEEPING GOOD TIME EXCEPT ON ONE OCCASSION RECENTLY WHEN THE CLOCK WAS ADVANCED BY ONE HOUR TO FACILITATE THE LOCATION SHOOTING OF A JAMES-BOND FILM IN AN ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE SCENE AT THE RAILWAY STATION.
Issued by Government Information Services, Beaconsfield House, Hong Kong. Tel: 5-233191
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