The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1884-02-22
MANKATo FREE Press.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY, 81. 1884.
THE NEW TIMER.
Something OF the Man Who Brought
About the Meridian Scheme.

Are you able to ride along in q street
car without reading every sign-board
in regular successiOnp writes New
York correspondent Can you pass q
row of posts without instinctively count
ing themp Isn't there something in
your mind that irresistib!y compels you
to step on alternate flaggings, II the
make of the sidewalk permits? | knew
q man who took these tendencies for
incipient insanity, and went TO noted
altenist for consultation. Going
down Broadway, yesterday, / saw II
man who stepped with an odd precision
which suggested the questions above
given. Not only were his strides
strangely perfect in regularity, but 1t
was clear that his course was labori-
ously calculated. He was watchful
for every obstacle. He jostled nobody.
He did not have to stop ut the corners
to avoid vehicles. called my COM
panion's attention to this singu-
larity.
He is running himself on an i'm
aginary time table" was the reply.
What do you mean by that?"
asked.
THAT Is William Frederick Allen.
the author of the new time system. He
is an expert in railroad time tables,
and what you see in his gait and move
ments is mannerism gained from his
business"
There is going to be q beautiful
Snow" sort of controversy as to the
authorship of the new timing plan and
l thought it was as well to Investigate.
My friend was right. Allen is the
man. At a desk in big front room at
46 Bond street. just off the Bowery, he
sits during business hours every day.
He is a young man whose time is occu-
pied to an amazing degree with visi ors,
with great sheets OF printed figures,
with business by telegraph and tele-
phone and with an interminable round
Of messengers, both going at his order
and coming upon errands for others.
He is quick as cat and methodical as
a weaver. His friends say that he was
always able to do three things at once.
and he says that of late twice that
number Of things is constantly before
him. This is the man who has given
its new standards OF time to the coun-
try. He is a good looking, Intelligent
man, 81 wears old, with the spare
frame and pale complexion of a man
used to hard sedentary work. He
wears q suit of black, without jewelry.
and this and his close cut side whisScrs
reaching below his ears gives him the
appearance of young English divine.
He is a typical Philadelphian, with
none of the dash and show OF New
Yorker. He receives a handsome sal
AIRY, and lives in a pretty house in one
OF tho suburbs. He is married and has
three children. Many people had Civ.
en years Of study 10 the sunj ct before
he took it up, and lie gives credit &c
each OF those vino contributed to what
has now been consummated.
The fact of the matter is that the
thing could only be done by joint &C.
ton of the great railroads, and none
of those who studied the subject ar.
ranged to put their plans in practical
shape or to get the ear OF more than
one set of railroad officials ut time.
Their plans were like the house that i
rich sea captain insisted upon having
built just as he designed it. When il
was built, he found that he had to gel
out into the yard and put up ladder
to get to the second story. They al
forgot to put the stairs in their plans.
Allen is the permanent secretary OF
the railway time convention, and helps
to make and publish the time tables.
1t did not take him long to find Out
that there were tifty-three kin is OF
time in use, and that this caused inces.
SAINT and serious bother. That was
how he came to look into the matter
of standards of time. He utilized Pro
fessor Dowd's brilliant idea of dividing
the standards by even hours. and ther
he did what Professor Dowd would moi
have thought of doing. and couldn',
have done 10 save his neck. He divid
ed the meridianal belts SO as TO bring
the boundaries either at the ends Of tit
big roads or of their divisions, SO thai
no change of time would ever interfere
with trains crew, but new time would
start where new crews, new time Ia
bles, and, as far as possible, different
companies would begin work coinci-
dent with the beginning of new stand
ard. 1t was a nice piece of work, and
required great labor, but when he got
it ready he was able to command the
ears of the railroad men. This last ad-
vantage was essential.