The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1883-11-22
STANnARn THE

In an interview, published in the st.
Louis Republican. Mr.. II. G. Town
shend, general passenger agent of the
Gould system, thus explains the new
time system, which goes Into effect on
all the Kansas City roads next Sunday:
The convention of the railway mana
gers, held In the city of St. Louis On the
18th OF April last. followed up IN O few
days by one in New York City, witness
cd the elimination OF q reform in the
adjustment of time TO the railway inter
eats OF the country. which will stand in
all future as = striking event of our pro
gress1Ve civilization. Those having the
important matter in hand, departing
from all previous points from which
computations of time were made, Ignor-
Ing for railway uses even Washington
and Greenwich time, adopted the simple
idea OF fixing the necessary d.
vision of the standard of time between
longitudinal lines Is degrees, or in
point of fact, almost sn hour apart.
The meridians adopted are 60 degrees,
% degrees, 80 degrees, 1O5 degrees and
100 degrees west from Greenwich. The
seventy fifth or eastern line, passes
through Central New York, East Penn
sylvania, near Philadelphia, striking the
CS~e$@ a. 4A4AIs AhC uALlOSlClIs VI
central line, passes through Wisconsin,
Western ILLINOIS, near st. Louis, West
Tennessee. Mississippi, and near New
Orleans TO the guilt. The 105th. or
mountain line passes through the far
westerns and the 1a0th Though the Pa
ciilc territories. The difference of
time extending through these sixty
degrees OF longitude is about FIVE hours,
and the standard time from terminal
railway points In each, upon which cal
culations and adjustments are made by
the change adopted, are comprehended
in the space of thirty minutes which
Will be, also, the greatest difference
between local and standard time. The
value OF the change may bs estimated
from consideration Of the fact that,
under the old system, standards tor east
and west bound trains from the same
cities varied all the way from twenty
three to thirty-siX minutes.
The st. Louis Globe Democrat says
further on this subject:
The great interest felt by railroad
managers and employees, travellers, local
watch repairers, manufacturers, and the
general public IN the proposed intro
ductiOn of uniform time standards,
warrants us in returning again to this
subject. A circular soon 70 be issued
by Prof. II. 8. Pritchett, of Washington
University, who has favored us with an
advance copy, contains some impor-
tant information about the proposed
substitution of a simple system for the
complicated and inexplicabie arrange
menls by which, in the matter of
standards, both the railroad service
and private and public clocks and
watches throughout the country are
governed. Here, for instance, Is an
illustration of the prevailing confusion:
Trains on the Wabash road between st.
Louis and Kansas City are governed by
st. Louis time Missouri Pacific trains,
on the other hand, going over q route
between the two places parallel with the |
other, run ON Jefferson City time. This
want OF uniformity is not scientific, to |
say the least, however il may be in re !
spect to convenience. Alter the 18th |
inst. all roads west OF the meridian pass
ing through Western Nebraska and Kan |
sas will be operated on the Goth merid-
isa time, which is, TO be exact, 40 IA |
seconds faster than that of the Washing
toh University observatory.
Heretofore the signals given from this |
city, have of course, been furnished in |
the local time of whatever meridans the |
roads over which they have been sent |
have had for standards. Jefferson City /
time has been given to points on the |
Missouri Pacific gystem; ST. Louis time |
over the Wabash west; Chicago time on
most of the lines east of the river. After |
the 18th these signals. will be made uni |
tormly in the 90th meridian, or "Val-
ley" time. It IS accordingly TO be i
hoped that local standards, which by the |
way are never correct, will everywhere
be abandoned IN favor CT this general
regulator. On the 18th, valley" time
will be received daily at a large majOri-
kansas and Texas, and al various points i
in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee,
NJ Mississippi, Louisiana, Nebraska and
Colorado.