Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-10-01
4 PRIME MERIDIAN.
What is Expected Of ;he International Con
ference in Washington this Week.


ference in Washington this Week.
AWasbington special says: The arrange
mcuts for the assembling Of The internatlOn-
al copgIcs. on The Urine meridian have
been perfected. The richly-iinished and
furnished Cipi9n attic rccepiion-roOm III the
DEPARTMENT OF Sta.c has been placed ut TIE
diSposal Of The congress. In This sump-
tuou> apartment some fifty s1vants. repre-.
seu;in. tWcn:y-One nations OF the earth.
will assenile on Wcdncsdly. October it,
The charge OF the preliminary arrange
menis has been entrusted to CAPTAIN W. /.
Sampson. OF tie Naval Observatory, and
ouc Of the American delegation. In c0hl-
munication received to-day from the De-
PERTINENT ol State the following nations are
mentioned "a BayinZ given notification or
the attendance Of representatives Grel
Britain, France, Russia, Austria. Denmark,
the NciheTlgnds, Switzellind. turkey.
Brazil. United sisies IL Colomhn. Glialc-
mala, Mexico. Child, Paraguay, Nenczueli,
Jsyan. Sandwich Islands. Liberia, and tie
United Stlies q AmCrica. The name u
GERMANY does not appear, OWING 10 the ia't
tha: Herr El.cndecker. the Minister VINO
was named. has been recalled. anl ID il no.
known whether hi now Minister has been
delegated to lie present.
Among the more distinguished foreign
crs Nho will he in the assembling are lieu
tcDant-Gencral Strachcy. British army;
Cartain Evans. Royal 1ayy and author NJ
several .ia ld lrd works; DR.. Jansen, dire,-
Tor 81 physics, Observatory Muldoa.
Frame: PROT ssOr Adams, OF Cambridge.
England, and Professor liclrSch. " >Wiiz'
erland. The American DELEGATE, are Adj
II II II Ds,s 4 L..
laud Abbcc. signals vice; Captain W.
/. sampson, United states Naval Ob'erya-
tory. aud Mr.. Rutherford and Mr.. AlleI'
81 New YORK.. Commodore fTlnk'ln, 81
pCrntcnGcnt United states Naval O5.errd-
/ tory. b., been delegated TO represent the
United states of Colombia.
CAPTAIN sampson, in referring 20 the as
,omhlmg 81 thc Congress. aid: The Oh
jcd % this gathering i to decide upon =
mcTidian. to be- used Ivy all nations. from
which longitude and time SHAH be recA-
ored. The majority of nations make their
reekCnings from Greenwich, but al M
lions reckon from their own capital. In
the United states in al matters reliiias TO
navigation we u>e Greenwich, but in in
tcrual affairs Washington. By act Of con-
ness about forty years ago The meridian
,assing through the old dome OF thl- oo-
scryaiory was established a. the actual M
ndiau in The United states
- II would seem probable that Greenwich
would be adopted as The prime meridian
"It may be-" said Captain Sampson;
there are certain questions involved which
would make it cXpedient 10 = opt Green
wich. For instance, the number OF charts
and, consequently, engraved plates now IN
use and from which others viii be made
and in which the meridian OF Greenwich
"a used would be 4 strong claim"
"Ni. the action OF this congress be in
any respect final!'
THAT would be impossible where -
many different sovereign nationalitics are
concerned. but the matter will be put in
form for adoption by such Governments.
The question was discussed by the lnt.rla-
iional Convention in Rome in 1888. That
learned body put the subject OF Il prime
meridian in tho form Of Il resolution in
favor q Greenwich FOR longitude and time.
! think the probabilities are that this con-
eress will will get the matter in such shape
that il will receive formal consideration by
the various civilized Governments OF the
world. have no doubt but that the United
Siatcs will be one OF the first 10 act"
Here Captain sampson took from his
jc>k a copy OF the National Aimqnac.
and. I0ntin, Out about one hundred and
fify octave pages OF SOLID figures. re-
marked: you see here how much we
use Greenwich time"
"How will the action OF the congress
affect the railroad, OF the country"
Whether il will be adopted bg them will
dCIend upon circumstances. Many al
tGoriies have not YET agreed about the Ell
cncy OF the system OF time-zOnes with dE-
iCrtncos OF an hour. ] have not YET heard
definitely how the roads find this system 10
work. But in my opinion 1t would he bet
ter for the railroads TO have but ore time
for the whole country from Maine TO Cali
foTnia. taken from some central point, say
Chicago. for instance, and use that over
the whole country. Ii railroads were to do
this II would OF course nccessitlte every
orc Keeping two times, one Chicago and
the other local time, but tAat would be 10
Inconvenience"
BY way OF demonstration Captain Slmp-
son took out his watch and. pointing 70
the dial. exhibited an ordinary face. with
gold hands to represent seventy-lifh meri-
dian time As used by railroads and steel
hands for local time.
You perceive there is no confusion
here II wish to leave 10y certain train
with time given IN thi, time.zonc, | looH
at the gold hands, and for Use about here
/ oof at the STEEL
But, Captain, how would this be affect
cd by the adoption OF prime meridian!"
III Greenwich time were adopted il
would make universal time differ from five
to eight hours from local time. The change
II civil date is made at 1902 from Green
wich or in the middle OF the Pacific ocean.
dropping or adding dry Is we 20 west or
come east. The day is reckOned from east
10 west through twenty-four hours. A tel
cgraph message in the United states by the
present arrangement OF time received from
the east gets to is destination several hours
before 1t is sent. and from more distant
points may he sent one day and be received
the day before. This leads to great c0niu-
sion. AT present any event occurring
on The surface OF the earth is recorded
according to that time. Now. according
10 universal time, which Is proposed. all
per, Ons at any part OF the globe would re-
cord events ~ happening at the same time.
Yen VIII perceive that this would not only
be simpler but would identify occurrences
in our mundane affairs with a common
schedule and not with wide differences
OF time, according to positions on the
elItt's surface with reference TO each other
from east to west. | presume that the
question OF universal time will be consid.
cred in connection with the subject o! the
prime meridian"
1t l. expected that the congress will be
in session about ten DAYS.
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