Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1885-09-26
VOL. III. NO. 33.
TWENTY-FOUR O'CLOCK.
.rn,viny the New Time Notation to
Clocks and Watches.

ali alono acknowledged that the sys-
tom of time notation now in general
use. which divides the day into two
narts of twelve hours each, beginning
and ending at midday and midnight,
is altogether contradictory and con-
fnsipg. and is cumbersome, because
in noting the hours. which are repeat
ed every dav, they have To be explain
ed rs either ante meridian or post
meridian. The railway officials have
been most alive to this anomalous con-
ditlon of things, because they have
found as great difficulty in making up
their time schedules as the public
usually have in deciphering them.
Railroad men, therefore, would be
unit for the adoption of the twenty
four hour system. At the meeting OF
the American Society of Civil Engin-
sers. on the 21st of last January, the
Committee on Standard Time reported
that since the June previous they had
communicated with large number
of prominent men in all parts OF the
sountry, and found 92 per cent OF
them decidedly of the opinion that
ibe hours should be counted in sim
yle series, from to "a. Replies from
sailway officials representing over 5O,-
300 miles of road we're also received
iavoring the change. The telegram
interests were also reported to be IN
fuIl sympathy with the new system,
md the President of the Western
Union Telegraph Company was given
as authority for the statement that,
besides reducing the number of errors,
iully 15O,000,000 letters would be
sayed annually in transmission if it
we're adopted. The proposed change
has been widely discussed, both in
{ his country and in Europe, and in
both sections there is to be noted q
,rowing setiment in its favor. Scien-
life men have used the 24-hour system
for their special purposes for long
lime, and this year the observatory at
Greenwich, England, changed their
astronomical time from beginning the
law at ~ o'clock noon to II o clock
1t night. In other words, the day at
hat Institution begins now at mid
light, counts up to II o'clock noon,
and then forward to "A o'clock at mid
night One of the practical difficulties
Of making the change to the proposed
) 24-hour system is that our time-pieces,
both in mechanism and system of
notation, are all based on the 12-hour
system. Various devices have been
suggested TO adapt the proposed sys-
tenn to the present style of watches
and clocks, all of them more or less
ingenious or simple. One of the very
best which has so far been shown has
recently been patented in this country
and Europe, and may, therefore, be
decribed, though it has not yet been
put upon the market. 1t is so simple,
so direct acting, so free from COM
plicated mechanism, and is operated
s by the main spring, which runs the
works, that its advantages and sim.
plicity are at once apparent. 1t con.
sists of q series of twelve radlal posts,
running outward from a ring, which
tit around but do not touch the barrel
on which the hour hand is secured, to
IAN outer ring or peripheral band-the
first ring representing the hub, the
posts the spokes and the outer ring
the felly or rim of wheel. Each oi
The posts carries two Oblong blocks,
one being very much smaller than the
other-the small one being about mid
wav between the hub and the outer
block, and into which four pins are
are inserted on the four faces. The
outer blocks or disks would resemble
dice, only they are OblOng. Folr ol
their six sides have on them the Rom
an numerals and Arabic figures, each
kind being OF opposite faces, as, fol
example, the block that comes aftel
the meridian block has the Roman
letter on two sides, and the figure 1;
on the other sides. In the same way
the meridian block has MI on two op
posite sides, and "a on the other op
positc sides. The posts are pivotet
and journaled. and rotate in the rings
which are secured in the dial-plate
From the barrel which carries the hour
hand an arm is made to project out
ward so as to engage successivel,
with the pms in the posts. which arr
placed diagonally to the face of th'
disks thereon, so that when the hour
hand traverses half the distance be
tween the hours the post in which il
the pin which has been engaged b,
the arm is turned one-eighth its dia
meter, showing at once the Arabic
figure departing and the Roman mum
ern coming in, or vice versa, as tn
case may be. When the disk is full,
turned IL is kept in place, with its fac
OF the CLOCK, and can be made to lit s.
closely as TO appear of a piece wit
the same. The arm which operates b
turn the disks can be placed at an.
point SO as to allow three or NOR
figures preceding the one nearest tn
hour hand to retain their identity, ant
thus the procession of Roman figure
for twelve hours, followed automati
cally by like procession of Arab
- figures for the secceeding twelve hour
the two sets taking their places Il
orderly and unvarying succession
presents to the. eye, in its simples
and clearest expression, precisely tn
information needed at any hour of th
= day or night. The power required
turn one of the posts one-quarte
around during one hour is so infinites
NAL as not to interfere with the ordir
ary adjustment Of any watch or clocl
The invention, when applied to a
ordinary time-piece, does not chang
the mechanism of the general appea
ance of the whole. The name adop
ed for this new departure in time n,
tation is "the international time-pieC
dial. boston Herald.
Might Do Him Some Good.
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