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

A Room Given Over to Clocks, Ttckero
and Telegraphy Description of the
Principal Time-Picces and Their Usos
Tho Hack Clock.
The clocks and instruments used to dis
tribute time are in very humble
apartment in basement of the llniver-
sity, the observatory itself being SO small
that i; would be difficult to get the clocks
into it. lie mean approach to this base.
nent scarcely preplr's Il visitor for the
interesting sight which awaits him. The
room r jus; given ever to c:lcks, t,cktrs,
ami tcl.erip;iy. Tile principal ciOcGs are
encasel most carefully nnl mounted on
piers Of solid III l5onry which absolutely
prevents vibration by coming in contact
with the eurth at their base alone, six or
eight feet below the surface. OF 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
errntic tmep.ce, got li000t!l part OF q
second behind one day lust week and was
duly RECORDED, anl from the records 1t
seems that ano:h-r varied nenrly two sec
on,ls in whpe yea:. The error is de.
t"ctcd 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 fines: makers In the world. It
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 q third the Sec
ondS. 1t is the duty OF this clock, which
is wound up once week, TO 80 steadily
on and record the time as accurately Us
possible, and as it is never altered any
error is registered against it,. In order to
assist it in keeping accurate, it is inclo5ed
in three uir-t:ght clses and q thermometer
within the glass fronts of these, records
any variation from 10 degrees Fab, which
is ut once rcctitied.
WHIT THE OTEIR CLOCKS DO.
The next clock registers sldereal 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 il year. and now the varia-
ton is abou: seven hours. 1t is by f.
Howard & Co., III Boston, and is not so
neat in appearance as that showing stand
ard time, though it resembles it in size
and shape.
The third clock has more work to do. 1t
is also by Howard, and is know as "No.
2225" 1t 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-
cortlers Of time just referred to, this clock
is kept just right, and rs a matter OF
fact it requires very little regulating. AT
times astronomical observations prove It
to he au inlinitesimnl fraction of second
in error and this il r(.ctifind by increasing e