Timekeepers

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Photographer's notes: The Rube had a big "aha!" moment when he crossed the street to take the Context view -- the big banner: "William Barthman Jewelers: Official Sponsor of the New York Yankees". No wonder the name sounded so familiar! It reminded him of way back when the Scooter, Phil Rizzuto, every day would explain how another jewel, Empire State Diamonds and Gold (?), would not ask how much you wanted for your diamonds and gold, but simply offer you a fair price for it.

The Rube heard on a tour that with regular maintenance and replacement of the crystal, the clock continues to work fine, even with all the vibration from a century of traffic. He knows from his own experience that once you see that condensation inside your watch crystal, you can plan on buying a new watch soon.

Fig. 3 is a plaque on the corner of the building, put up by the Maiden Lane Historical Society in 1929 (the Rube was surprised that there would be such a Historical Society back then), showing that William Barthman was there in the early 1880s.