The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-10-12
THE RAILWAYS.

CHIcAo, Oct 12. The annual railway
time table convention began here yestcr-
day morning, and is being attended by
representatives fom nearly every import
ant railway in the country In addition to
arranging the winter time tables it is
proposed to take definite action on the
adoption by the railroads throughout the
country of proposed plan for uniform
time standards. The new plan has been
termed the hour system. II provides for
standards differing from each other hy
exactly one hour, leaving ont the eastern
and western extremes of the continent.
There are eastern central and mountain
times. The first to be employed from New
Brunswick to the meridian of Detroit; the
second as far west as the boundary be-
tween Kansas and colorado, and the third
line between Utah and Nevada.
II is proposed that all roads now using
Boston. New York, Philadelphia, Balti
more, Toronto, Hamilton or Washington
time as a standard shall be governed by
the Eastern or seventy fifth meridian
time, four minutes slower than New York
This includes the roads run by Portland,
Providence, New London, Montreal, Al
bany, Richmond and Charleston time in
addition to those specified. The roads
now using Columbus. Savannah Atlanta,
Cincinnati, Louisville, Indianapolis,
Chicago, Jefferson City, St. Paul or Kan
sas City time shall be run by Central" or
ninth meridian time, nine minutes slower
than Chicago. This includes the roads
run by Macon, Rome, Nashville Selma,
Mobile, st. Louis. Vicsburg and Dubuque
Minneapolis, st. Joseph, Galveston Hous
ton and Omaha time West of thesr .oads
are to be run by Mountain" time or
exactly that OF Denver, II is stated TINT
Eastern district standard time has been
used by all the rOads between Boston anii
Montreal since laSl Sunday, win Il posi-
BILE view of testing The plan. Mr. +. IL
Wright, General Superindent Of the Lake
Shore road was called to The char, and
W. F. Allen vas chosen Secretary
The number Of delegates present were
sixty three. The Secretary announced
that he had received affirmative replies
from the managers Of $4,000 miles Of
track to the proposed uniform schedule.
Whereas, The managers of the 9S,0OO
miles of road have voted in favor of
adopting system of time standard at
the last convention We hereby pledge our
selves to adopt the same and run trains
by it whenever next schedules go into
effect
The only roads voting against the
proposition were the Michigan Central
Detroit, Lansing, and Northern Detroit
Grand Haven. and milwaukee. A reason
assigned by the former that it crossed the
meriden and it could not adopt its running
arrangements to new plan at present
without great inconvenience. 1t was
| stateG In convention that the road ques
tion would doubtless soon adopt the new
schedule. 1t was decided that the present
schedule should remain in force until Nov
18th, when the new schedule will go into
force. The Secretary read communica
ton from Commodore Shufeldt, in charge
OF the Naval observatory at Washington
in which he congratulated the convention
on the change contemplated and said
while it was thought the single standard
would be better from a scientific point of
view. he thought the present change was
long stride in the right direction.
Commodore Shufeldt promised the co
operation of the naval Observatory in
carrying out the policy of the convention.
He said the observatory would change
the time to the dropping of the New York
fall to the mean time of the seventy fifth
meridian, and in addition would endeavor
to secure its adoption for local time in
the whole section in which il is 10 be used
| for railroads. The observatory would
furnish the time of the seventy fifth and
nintieth meridians torailroads throughout
the country daily.
J. r. Edmunds, in charge of the Bos
ton observatory, ,telegrapbs the convention
as follows: 1.-The city, the railroads and
the observatory await the affirmative voic
of the convention before fixing date fol-
changing ali the public time in Boston.
| The convention adjourned to meet in
Cincinnati the second Wednesday in April
| 1884.