New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-11-19
TTME STANDARDS CHANGED.
THE NEW SYSTEM ADOPTED YESTERDAY.


PROFESSOR DOwD, W. F. ALLEN AND OTHERS
There was a general re-setting OF clocks
a watches In this city yesterday TO conform the local
m the new time standards based the 75th MERIDIAN
oflongtude Changes were made In the CLOCKS vi os'
Of the hotels, churches and stores mat were
omen obliyious TO the existence OF the Iehai
code large crowd OF people assembled
abon noon in the neighborhood of the western Union
Teleoraph Company's building and City Hall and nun
dres OF watches altered when the new noon hou WI"
officially announced at the first place by the droPhs Vi
the tmebal and at the other by the moving paoA Vi W
minute hand the dial OF the tower CLOCK !. w. nan
het who has charge OF the time service OF the western
I,io Company superintendent the dropping OF the une
hall which was successfully accomplished the moment
ne time signals were received by telegraph from
the Naval Observatory at Washington The
time circuits of the company which regulate lhe
time in many places OF business In the CIV
will he operated in the system and the company
win he governed 10y operation of It's business
The noon signal transmitted to the thousands Vi
railroad offices and stations where time is regulated by
the signals out periodically by the telegraph co
many The changes in the city clocks and the clocks IN
the stations were made shortly after the western
IJnion tmeba announced the noon hour. AT the raii-
road depots here the resetng of tmepieces was accom-
pshed in accordance with the previous arrangements
When the sunset gun Governors Island was reu ~ ~
evening the clocks in Trinity Church steepie anu IL ~
races indicated that there were minutes 592 SECONDS
Then people realized that the clocks hau peeh set oo
,aer the new order of things. This change In time also
inerered with seyeranaval officers Tor IKE inc clocAS
in other Government departments those on poru 'he
naval vessels, as well those OF the merchant HIho
are set 10 agree with the local solar time one OF the
regulations on naval vessels In the harDor Is that
maj There is 10 be a shutdown boat from shore ana I'M
less the officers ordered TO repair on board at sundo"h
are on hand they get left" Those who had spent the
day on shore had their watches back ana When he
reached the landing place exactly on ume,' they
found that the shutdown boat had left the wharf min
utes 5Sl2 seconds before
rrtsToRY OF TIE TIME STANDARD SYSTEM.
The history of the efforts for the introduction Of the
new uniform system into general use Is worth recoung
here The practical adoption of the system by the rail-
roads was secured by William Allen, permanent sece-
tary OF the various Railway Time Associations but the
principles OF the system first publicly suggested by
Professor Charles Dowd principal of the Temple Court
Ladies' Seminary at Saratoga Springs, N Y From the
latter the following recital OF his part Ill the movement
was obtained by THE TRIBUNE:
In October 1869 Professor DOwd presented the out
lines of a longitude system OF national time to j. V.
Peter NOW president Of the New-York and Canada
Railroad The system seemed so practicable to Mr..
Baker that he suggested its presentation before a
convention of the managers of the trunk hhes'
then 20 meet in few days in New-IOrk Clty Al TINS
meeting the following superintendents were appointed
committee to confer with Professor DOwd upon the SUD
feet: J. TliIghast OF the New York Central Railroad;
! NJ Toueey of the Hudson River j. V. Baker, Of the
Rensselaer, and Saratoga; c. o. RUSSELL Of the Boston
and Albany c. f. Hatch, of the Lake Shore ana L" d.
Rncker Of the Eric. Encouraged by the faVorabie
opinon of these practical Mr. DOwd determined 10
work ur the outlines of his plan into a complete
svsteu Not only was it necessary to develop
in minnie detail correct and practical system but also
10 bring the community TO practical understanding OF
the system Most railway managers, even' know pIac-
tically nothing a0nt any relation between time ana
longitude Time ia relation TO places, or local time was
the only time of which they had amy practical knowledge
The great difference OF time within the cOuhJs limits
Ialmost four bours) great difficulty in the way OF
establishing national time for an sections EhSaho
with a difference Of only half an hour, and France win
less than twice this, had no such difficulty to overcome
Business OF immense magnitude Sia1s laI Vy,iH
london and in san Francisco, at any given moment all
point to the time, the stock exchanges IN thcse
several places will not open and close at the same time
by these clocks, and often 1t Is OF great loI,Ge -
know at a given time Of day IN New York WA, sla-e
business has reached in these other places II was seen
that no time would do The solution OF 'hc lioMoh
reached IN The shape OF lhe s!slyM % n1t S
all practical purposes aud at the same time peser'o 6
perfect Symmetry In tue system.
CHANGING POPULAR NOTIONS.
This problem being satisfactorily solved Professor
Dowd next directed his attention to the problem How
can rcoprs notions of time be unclncAcd from thciI
fast hold OH local time raised to take hold npon the
longitude standards of these hour scctonsl This was
more difficult of solution than the already solved for
the reason that it struck at all pOpug habits Of thinking
in respect time 70 show hOT local time would stand
related to the new system ar. DOwd at first arbitrarily
attached the hour system to the national longitude using
the Washington meridian Tor the prime stildIu, ana
locating three other standards ntccn degrees apart
WestW"d Inns uonc; nc H ~ H. O az ',t zoo r,iI
roads FIom the longitude thus found he worked out
an index for each station 10 show how the local time Of
that station differed from standard time of the hour
section in which II was located He next had map
o9s, 'Hu ba Where the standard meridian was oca-
ted A were
published pamphlet of over 100 octave pages, late in
the summer Of 1870 copy was sent to all prominent
railroad officials others iii the country who would he
likely to interest themselves III the subject
In the following autumn the want OF harmony
among the trunk lines had continued to such degree
that at their meeting In Ne%-1ork they We're no, pre-
pared to consider the matter OF ui9' system at a
in December, 1871 Mr.. Dowd presented the subject e
Boston. committee was appointed 10 c0iru'i , tI'
practicabiity OF the system, consisting OF william Mer
was prepared and embodied in circular, sent to all the
railway sueifRtendenis IN the county E % fC2 y
pended itself mainly in discussions Mr. Dowd preparing
articles himself and getting editors 70 write mp the mat
Ter The hour system from The first, seemed to be &c
ccpted nv ALL The question mainly about the i0c
lion of standards western thought that Springfield
mo time the time Of the secOn3 hour section was 10
Gated too far west; that Oy adopting NcW l0h llS
the prime standard the second hour standard would ai
midway between Chicago ana St Louis times, Wllcl
would exactly suit the roads Of the Mississippi valley
Mr. Dowd reconsdered the problem OF systems 10 NEE
these practical wants. II occurred TO MN tna on az
maps both Washington and IGrcenwich longtudes are
marked and that by adopting the Greenwich 9nsl'Gde
using the NTH hour. or 10Th meridian Tor the prime
Longitude system equally well preserved. Accordingly
he adopted the Greenwich longitude and lald out th
hour sections upon that rs the basis.
In the spring OF 1872 Mr.. DOwd went TO 81. Louis
where he attended the meeting OF me western al'
Southern Railway Association, presenting his system
which favorably received. committee OF three benz
appointcd TO consider the subject consisted Of ROber
Harris general superintendent OF the Chicago, curling
ton ana quincy Railroad; j. f. Boyd superintendent o
the ST Louis and Southeastern, and F. e. Barney, gcu
cral superintendent OF the Selma ROme and Dalton
This committee expressed strong convictions that The
prime standard should be fixed on New-lOrk time.
An account Of Mr.. DOwds labors at Atlanta may D
The TrdueiterS OFFICIAL RIiirdy GUIDE for May
1872. On his way home from Atlanta, Mr. DOVE
stopped Washington TO If the Government WOul'
do anything TO help in the matter General Myer theI