The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-10-14
Uniform Time.


Uniform Time.
| Some months ago we told our readers Of
the changes proposed in the method OF
reckoning time. Last week at Chicago
the Railway Timetable Convention adopt
ed the system. Their resolution Is as fol-
lows:
"whcreas the managers OF 5000 miles
Of road have voted in favor OF adopting a
system Of time standard recommended nj
the last Convention. we hereby pledge our
selves TO adopt the same and run trains 10y
| IL whenever the next schedules 90 into
effect"
The Michigan Central and two other
railroads were the only two represented
in the Convention which voted against it.
but il is said that the Richmond and Dan
vile has not recommended either its adop-
tion or its rejection.
As the new schedules win go into opera
| ton on the 18th Of next month, 1t may be
not amiss to explain once more the changes
proposed. Everybody knows OF course
that as there are 800 degrees OF longitude
there must be just 10 degrees for each
hour OF the day. In other words, ID de-
grecs OF longitude represent am hour OF
time. But the world has had no STANDARD
of time. Richmond is a minute Of time
further west than Washington. St. LOUIS
is nearly an hour west Of Us. Consequent
Is, railroad tram leaving Richmond at s
A. VI. would start a little after by Il.
Louis time. Confusion worse confounded
results in timetables. There are rs many
different " times " Is there are towns.
An this is TO be corrected. We quote !:
."The new plan provides for standards
differing from each other by exactly an
hour. leaving out the eastern and western
extremes OF the continent. They are
EASTERN" central" and mountain :"
times. The first will be employed from
New Brunswick to the meridian OF De-
trOit. the second a. far west is the bound
airy between Kansas and Colorado. and the
third TO the line between Utah and Ne
vada."
II j. plain that when this new method OF
timc-kecping goes INTO operation we shall
know the time Of day, not only where We
are. but everywhere in the United States,
since every section OF the country will be
Just one hour ahead or behind every other.
Boston. New York, PhIadelphia, Baltimore,
Richmond, Chicago. and Cincinnati will all
have the same time. st. Louis will be an
hour behind us. Denver two hours. As
these VIII be even hours, we can always,
by looking at our clocks, learn the time
anywhere If, for instance. it is here, it
will be ) in st. Louis and in Denver, and
so as to minutes.
A communication was read in the Chca-
go Convention from Commodore SHUFELDT,
in charge OF the Naval Observatory in
Washington, u. c. We quote;
"lIe congratulated the Convention upon
the change contemplated, and said that
while he thought a single standard would
be better from q scientific point OF view. he
thought the present change a long stride
in the right direction. The Commodore
promised the cooperation OF the Naval OBJ
servatOry in carrying out the policy OF the
Convention. He said the Observatory would
change the time OF dropping the New York
TO the mean time OF Seventy-fiith
meridian. and in addition would endeayor
to secure ItS adoption for local time in the
whole section in which it is to be used for
railroads. The observatory, he said, !
would furnish the time OF scventy-tifth |
and ninetieth meridians to railroads
the entire country daily"
T. ID. Edmunds. in charge OF the Boston
observatory, telegraphed the Convention
rs follows: 1.-The city, the railroads, and !
the observatory only await the affirmative
vote OF the Convention before fixing a
date for changing all the public time in
Boston,"
We are sorry that the Convention did not |
we think it did not resolve to count the
hours from to y, and abolish a. NJ"
md "P. NJ" and thus do away with cali |
ng two hours OF the same day by one
name. 1t would be a vast saving to print |
FRS, and help very much in avoiding rail |
road accidents. There is no good reason |
in the world why the hours should not be
numbered from / TO b. and midnight be |
The only II. But tho world moves, and we |
shall soon have this REFORM