Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-10-20
Standard Railroad Time.
Isan Francisco Altn.1


Long lines OF railroad running east and
west find q most difficult problem in adj
! juSting tiGIc cards to the constantly chang
ing meridans y line of road operated
| from San Francisco to New York has a diff
ference of three hours and eighteen minutes
| to adjust out of its time tables, that being
the difference of time between the terminal
points. Any given hour, say, for example,
II clock noon, is not synchronous at any
! two stations upon the whole line. Where
| links of road extending over nearly fifty
degrees of longitude are operated us one
continuous chain there is necessarily end
! less confusion i'll formulating the express
! siOns of the time of arrival and departure
| OF trains at inter-terminal points. To sim
| pGfy these conditions the International
| Congress of Railroads has divided the con-
| tinent for chronological convenience into
| five great divisions. The first and most
easterly is called the Inter-Colonial Divis-
| ion, and is based upon the Goth meridian,
West Greenwich; that is to saw the 60th
meridian intersects the division ut its
| center.
All the Inter Colonial Division is en-
braced in territory living east of New York
| Therefore, the time to be adjusted between
the great terminal points of the overland
system in the United States is between the
10Th and 120th meridians. TO simplify the
whole matter, the difference of time be-
tween New York and San Francisco is
| called three hours. While the liRc crosses
four divisions, it is intefSected but by three
meridians used as bases, to wit, the 18th,
90th and 120tl, each representing one hour
of time All the roads operated within
the Eastern, Central and Mountain Di-
visions have adopted the standard railroad
time, the Pacific coast systems alone adher-
ing to the old chronology
If the Central and Southern Pacific we're
10 adopt the more simple method which is
| in force upon the lines of road with which
they connect at Ogden and Deming, the
tine-cards giving the arrival and departure
of trains at these points would be compre-
hensible to the travelling public. For m
stance, on the line OF the Central Pacific,
the railroad time at Ogden would be just
one hour faster than san Francisco; at
North Platte Just two hours faster, and at
Buffalo three hours faster. The adoption
ofthe railroad standard time Will simply
require il to be understood that standard
time is ten minutes faster than mean or
clock time at San Francisco ThetraYelers
timepicce set with railroad time in San
Francisco need not be changed as the
traveller makes east longitude. AtOSden 1t
is one hour slow; at North Platte two
hours; at Buffalo and to New York three
hours. The traveller can therefore make
instant estimate on the face of the dial
when he looks at his watch of the real
time; and as he returns to San Francisco
he can as readily compute the approach
his progress west is making to the time in
dicated by the face of his watch.
In the Eastern States the people genc-
ally have found ii to their advantage and
convenience to adopt the railroad standard
of time. so that all the hotel and town
clocks indicated standard and not meanor
sun time.
So long as the Pacific division is oper-
ated under the old and obsolete standards,
it will be impossible for the travelling pub
lie to understand the time card of the ar
rival and departure of trains at points of
junction 1t would, therefore, seem highly
desirable that the Pacific coast systems of
railroad should conform TO the standards
adopted for the rest of the continent; and
since the arrival and departure of trains
and mails would thereafter be determined
by standard and not mean clock time. 1t
would avoid all The confusion arising out of
The continued use Of two standards, il the
people generally would adopt the new
chronology.