The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1886-08-05
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TIME FOR THE COUNTRY:
HoROLOGY AND ITS HUMBLE HOME
AT WASHINGTON OBSERVATORY.

A Room Given Over to Clocks, T:ckero
and TeIegraphy Description of tho
Principal Time-Pieces and Their Usos
Tho Hack Clock.
The clocks and instruments used to dis
tribute time are in O very humble
apartment in basement of the univer-
sty the observatory itself being so small
that it would be difficult to get the clocks
into it, Tie mean approach to this base
ment scarcely prepares II visitor for the
interesting sight which awaits him The
room IL Just given over to clicks, tickers,
ami tel4sripily The principal ciocss are
encasel most carefully nnl mounted on
piers of solid masonry which absolutely
prevents vibration by coming in contact
with the earth at their base alone, six or
eight feet below the surface. or the
three one is kept absolutely correct, while
in the other two the errors are allowed to
accumulate and record Of them kept In
the most careful manner. One Of these
erratic timepi,cc, got l.lO0Oth part OF o
second behind one day lust week and was
duly recorded, and from the records 1t
seems that ano: her varied nearly two Sec
OnlS in wh0'e yea:. The error IS de-
tected by Il Very scientific process of star
gazing, described later on.
The magnificent clock which registers
standard time is considered as fine time.
piece rs can be made, and comes from the
workshops of Hohwn, OF Amsterdam, Hol-
land, who shares with Frodsham, Of Lon
don, England, the reputation Of being one
Of the two finest makers In the world. 1t
is Of course devoid Of any ornament, and
is constructed for pure utility. 1t stands
about five feet high and has seconds
| pendulum Of thirty-nine inches. 1t has
the Graham dead beat movement, and its
face has three dialS, one recording the
hours from one to twenty-four, an
other the minutes, and third the Sec
onds. 1t is the duty OF this clock, which
is wound up once week, to so steadily
on and record the time as accurately as
possible, and as it is never altered any
error is registered against it, In order to
assist it in keeping accurate, it Is inclosed
in three air-t:ght cases and thermometer
within the glass fronts of these, records
any variation from 70 degrees Fab, which
is at once rcctitied.
WHAT THE OTEER CLOCKS DO.
The next clock registers sidereal or star
time, which differs considerably from
Standard time, inasmuch as the sidereal
year contains 3GG days. Hence this clock
can only agree exactly with its Dutch
neigllbor once ycur, and now the varia-
| ton is abou: seven hours. 1t Is by T..
Howard s; Co., If Boston; and is mot so
neat in appearance as that showlng,stand-
ard time, though it resembles it in size
and shape.
The third clock has more work to do. IL
is also by Howard, and is know as mo.
225." II is kept ut central or Mississippi
valley mean time, just six hours behind
Greenwich and forty-nine seconds.before
| St. Louis local time, Unlike the two re-
corders of time just referred to, this clock
is kept just right, and rs matter OF
fact it requires very little regulating. At
times astronomical observations prove 1t
| to he an intinitesimsl fraction Of a'second
! in error, and this is rectifled by inGreasipg Is