The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-05-05
When Does Day Begin.
The EgpreSSmon'S MONTHLY says

The ETpreSSmGn'S Monthly says:
l. Ii person should start from Gin
cinnati, Monday, at twelve o'clock, anC
travel westward with the sun, he would
return to the city on Tuesday at twelve
o'clock. He would enjoy constant moor
during the twenty-four hours on his
Journey.
Observe that Monday noon would
change to Tuesday noon without an in.
tervening night. Where did the change
the thirty-ninth parallel of latitude,
which is a circle much smaller than the
equator. or one of the meridians, hence
the length of degree on the former is not
60 16 miles, but about 1881 miles. In
travelling around the earth on the thirty
ninth parallel, the distance would not be
$4,000 miles, but $50 times 1891 miles,
or about 1881 miles, which, travelled
in twenty-four hours, would be at the
rate of about 800 miles per hour.
2. All points on the same meridian
have the same time, as Lansing, Mich,
Cincinnati, o., and Chattanooga, Tenn,
also Pittsburgh. Pa, Charleston, S. c.,
and Guayaquil, South America; also
Berlin, Venice, Rome, and Tripoli.
3. Every traveller has observed that on
going eastward his watch has been too
slow and westward too fast. Since
during twenty-four hours every part
of parallel is brought under the sun,
then 800 degrees passes by in twenty
four hours, or in one hour fifteen de-
grees are traversed by the sun. Hence,
in the latitude of Cincinnati, place
about eight hundred miles east of us, is
one hour earlier, and a place the same
distance west of us would be an hour
behind our time. Since fifteen degrees
make one hour difference in time, then
one degree will make difference of
four minutes; hence at place fifty-three
and four-fifths miles east of us the
clocks are four minutes faster than ours,
and at a place the same distance west
of us, the clocks are four minutes slower
than ours. Let A and b start at the
same momentfrom Cincinnati and travel
at the same rate, the former due east
and the latter due west, they would
meet on the opposite side of the globe
and their watches indicate the same
time, One watch would gain twelve
hours and the other lose twelve. To
prove this, take two clocks and cause
one to gain twelve hours and the other
to lose twelve, and then compare the
time. They willindicate the same hour.
4. theoretically day begins at the one
hundred and eightieth meridian, which
divides the Pacific Ocean into nearly two
equal parts; but practically the inter-
national date line varies considerably
from this meridian. The English, Dutch
and Portuguese reach their possessions
in the Pacific from the east and since
most of these islands are on the same
side of the one hundred and eightieth
meridian as the mother country there
was no necessity for the marines and
merchantmen to change their log books
for the day of the week. But about two
centuries ago the Spaniards, in their
palmy days, with gold-searching ships,
rounded South America, and passed into
the constant western current of the
trade-winds, and pursued their journey
until they reached the Philippine
Islands, which Spain holds to-day
These islands are near the coast of
China, and nearly sixty degrees west of
the one hundred and eightieth meridian.
The Spaniards did not then change the
day at the one hundred and eightieth
meridian. but regarded the Philippines
as having the same day with the mother
country, hence the great irregularity in
the international date line, or the line
where day begins.
5. Letus sail from San Francisco, Cal,
to Toxic. Japan Cor rather Yokohama,
its seaport). After passing the Sand
witch Islands, so as to have the right day
of the week at Yokohama, it will be ne
cessary to skip one day. The log-book
would be kept in this manner: Tues
day, July 8, 1883. and the next day
would be entered as Thursday, July s.,
1888. The same object would be gained
if July 3 and 4 were crowded into TWEEN
ty-foNr hours. Suppose the vessel should
come to the one hundred and eightieth
meridian at three O'Clock, p. M, of the
Sd, then the rest of that twenty-four
hours was called the 4th of July, then
the next morning would be the 5th. But
the custom is to continue the full day,
and pass over one day on the log-book.
Thus you see it is possible to be cheated
out of the glorious Fourth altogether.
Again. in going from Yokohama to San
Francisco it is necessary to add day at
the one hundred and eightieth meridian.
In this case therecord would be Wednes-
day, July 4 Q), 1883. Wednesday, July
A Ql.), 1883. On this journey it is pos
sible to enjoy as many as six Sundays in
February and as few as three. Some
times the change is not made until the
time of arrival at the port.
6. On account of the curvature of the
line TO the westward to include the
PHILIPPINES on its east side, some pecu-
liar changes may be noted. Take Ma
Mia, the capital of the Philli pine Islands,
and Adelaide, the capital of South Au-
stralia. which is about eighteen degrees
east of the former. The difference of
time between these two places is about
one hour and twelve minutes, so that
when it is twelve clock at Adelaide il
is twelve minutes to eleven o'clock al
Manila; but since Manila is east of the
line, and Adelaide west of it, when it is
104S o. m. of Tuesday, July 8, at Ma.
Mia, it will be twelve o'clock Wednes
day. July 4. 1883, at Adelaide. But il
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