Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-07-12
Uncle Sans Cloek.

Uncle Sans Clock.
At the Naval Observatory in Washington
stands the clock that regulates time for the |
whole country It is not beautiful. like |
many lovely French clocks that noiS'lessly |
tick upon the parlor mantel. In fact, it is
large aud tall, with plain face and body OF
dark wood, aud without onamentaton. IL
is much like the old-fashioned clock that
stood in our grandmother's kitchen. 1t
nowhere touches either the floor or walls of
the building bnt is securely fastened to n
stone pier, which rests upon a solid stone
foundation, so that it may not he affected by
any motion of the building OF ground. Rains
may descend, floods come, winds blow and
beat upon the house, but the clock feels it
not. for it is built upon a rock.
II is a splendid timekeeper. At the pres
ent time il gains at the rate Of fortyeight-
hundredths Of a second per day.
In order that the people all over the coun
try may have uniform time. so important for
railroads, steamboats,, and other public con
veyances ut three minutes before twelve
each day this clock is connected by means
OF galyanic battery, with the wires OF the
Western Union Telegraph, which extend
into the room containing the clock All
other messages, however important, must
give way for these three minutes, and in
every town and station, from Maine to Cali
fornia, where there is a telegraph operator,
as the pendulum OF the clock ticks, each
second a click is recorded 10y the telegraph,
and at the instant of twelve two clicks are
given.
At the same instant huge black ball,
which is drawn up few moments before,
descends upon the dome of the observatory I;
aud hundreds all over the city stand, with
watch in hand, to see it drop, to keep, as we
say, "ball time" Thus, when this ball
drops, click in every large town in the
land tells the hour of twelve.
so while the clerks of Washington are
watching the ball, the restless school-boy of
| Minnesota is waiting to hear the big clock
upon the town-house sound its merry peal,
the signal of dismissal, and the tired factory
girl at Lowell listens eagerly for the same
sound.
But you must remember that only places
ON the same meridian with Washington
have, after all, exactly the same time. The
sun, in passing round the EARTH which is di-
vided in three hundred and sixty degrees of
longitude, every twenty-four hours, must
pass through one degree, which is about
siXty-nine miles every four minutes. So if
the sun rises in Boston at seven o'clock, 1t
will not rise in New lork--two hundred
miles west-till twelve minutes past seven,
or seven o'clock will not come TO them for
twelve minutes after it has reached Boston
Neither will it hc twelve o'clock till twelve
minutes later than in Boston.
Take the Pacific railroad and travel West
with your watch correct in Boston; when
YOU reach Omaha you will be an hour and q
half ahead of their time and when you ar
rive at San Francisco your watch will b,
three hours and half fast, because old SO
is still on the way When you in Boston
are going TO church at eleven o'clock, tn,
boys in san Francisco are Just taking theil
breakfast at half-past seven.
So while tell you that all the towns II
ceive the click of twelve at the same time
yon must remember that in places situated
) in longitude east or west from Washington
the number of minutes it takes the sun t.
pass those degrees must be added or sub
tracted from twelve, to give them correc
time.
Another thing in the room where the clocl
is would interest the boys who are delighted
with every thing that pertains to a ship
This room may be termed government
depot, for here are some two hundred shil
, chronometers. These are simply large size,
J Watches and are furnished TO every govern
Inent sea-gong vessel. Here they are KEEP
} several months TO be regulated, aud their aC
curacy tested by this clock The officer il
} charge examines them daily at certain
! hour, and carefully rates the time kept b.
each
: When government vessel is ordered /
J sea, this officer takes them with all possibl
+ care TO the vessel protecting them as far a
possible from all sudden jars or yiolen
! jolting
| When on the cruise, the captain also rate
daily the time kept by the chronometel
Il This he does by lunar observation. ii
Il marks the time between the moon and som
star by his quadrant, which he yerifies b
a his nautical almanac. One was seen at tn
o observatory that had been absent three year
: with AN eastern squadron, aud had yaric
! during the whole time but few seconds,
e CnHD's FAITH" Gods been here to-da,
{ mamma He's been down our lane" said
sweet little boy we call Bert. "What make
l. you think so, dear p asked mamma. b,
It cause yesterday there was not single puss
willow, and now there are lots OF them
Y. Nobody could do that so quick but Goo
4. mamma" " No, BERTHE. All the great me
7
e pussy willow in lifetime; not make it
D, they lived hundred years. And yet III
n great God in heaven brings the dead branc
d to life with His rain and sunshine in a fe'
r, hours. While we are sleeping lie bring
lie out these lovely, fuzzy little buds, and coyei
II the ground with violets and May flower
You are right, my dear; God has been her
rs making the world beautiful with sprinI
e. lie is here, too, when the wind blows, an
the snow falls; and when the thunder roar
d and the lghtnings fash. lleis always her
et doing His mighty works, and teaching |
rs His greatness and goodness
re A PLEASANT little anecdote is told of
er six.years-old son of one of our most sucoessf
k, concert managers. lie had been invited
several children parties, and thought
II. must give party also. So he asked
4 / A. -. 4 A. q 4 ~