Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-01-21

Editor Morning NetcS: Much has been,
and much will be, said PRO and con as to
standard and sun time. We are all gov
erned by our interests and conyeniences,
and each and every one looks first to their
interests and then to their convenience.
In this day of railroads, time-certain
time-is all-lmpOrtant, and if a uniform
time is established and recognized, then
those connected with railroads will feel
safe and secure when on running time.
If there is not recognized standard time,
collisions, delays and mishaps will follow.
Hence the desire of railroad men to have
a standard time. They know the safety
of the travelling public depends not so
much upon hours as minutes, and the
variation of 10 or 10 minutes may be ter
ribly disastrous to two trains. Then the
great Importance that all railroad men
should have good running watches, and
those watches regulated by some standard
time. Then, so far as railroads are con-
cerned, there must be a standard time.
The sun is no guide to them, for they
are running away from it or to it, so to
speak, at the rate of four minutes every
three hours or less. according to their
schedule, fast or slow trains.
To illustrate: There are $50 degrees in
a circle-360 degrees of longitude around
Z
there are 40 minutes, from which it is
! evident, that it takes but four minutes OF
time for the SUMS rays to reach one par
allel of longitude after the other A de-
( gree is siXty-nine and half miles, and
when a run is made longitudinally four
minutes is either gained or lost Phineas
! Fogg, the hero Of Jules Verne, who trav-
eled around the world in eighty days,
gained day by travelling east. He travel
I 81 "a Of 10
sun.
1t is all important, it will be seen, that
railroad men have a standard time for
their own safety and the safety OF all trav-
elers, so as to avoid collisions, as no two
places have the same sun time Longitude
nally. But the question now arises,
What about those not at all interested in
the time at different points? What has
/ Savannah time to do with New York, Chi
cago. st. Louis or San Francisco time, or
with Columbus, Montgomery, New Or
leans or Galveston time? Those who
make it a rule to get up at daylight, get
up at that time, and the sun is the only
guide by which time can be measured or
counted. When O'DOnnell was hung in
England, at $3.50 O'Clock, a. m, it was
about O'Clock a. m, in the United
States at New York, Baltimore, Wash
ingtOn and Savannah. The sun is really
lue Oulf lilliC ~ NHAOh " bS EOfC hCtts
aOd which prevents confusion, especially
with those who work by the day and count
from sunrise to sunset. "HOw high is
the SUM-" no doubt has been an express
sion from the day man first saw it and
counted time by it.
AS to the railroad men making time for
the people, that is arbitrary with them.
They can choose what points they please
and say to this Or:that place, move up 80
minutes or move back 80 minutes, and
they can make an hours difference in the
time of a State. Thus the capitol clock at
Atlanta might look odd or considerably
out of time to watches frOIa different Sec
tiOns of the State. The Crue time is sun
time, and to wOrkmen especially who are
not connected with railroads the sun time
is the best. This year a convention of
railroad men might say to us of Savannah:
eve find it best for you to move your
watches SO minutes faster than the time
we gave you in 1888. We will not make
the goth degree for Savannah, but take
the 18th degree" or any other degree that
might suit them.
We must have "two times" railroad
time and sun time, and the ingenuity of
mans brain must give a watch that Will
point out both times. So when / desire
to take train look at my railway time,
and when | 90 to my daily work in the
city / look at the true time. Necessity
demands standard time for railroads,
but the people generally prefer the ''good
old sun time" r. MO.