The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-26
SETTING BACK THE HANDS
THE CITY SETS ITS CLOCKS BY
STANDARD TIME.

Noon the Signal for the Change
Locomotive whistles and Ships
Bells Welcome the New Order of
Things-soms People That Like the
Change and Some That Don't Like
it-Incidents of the New Time-what
the People Say About 1t.
The MORNING NEws congratulates its readers,
That the tronblous double time has for aye
That when we say well meet man at O'Clock
orS
There1l be disappointment from "a half
And when we want to take car TO catch a train
on time.
If the schedule says $50, we won't have to wait
till 9.
Savannah dropped city time yesterday
and now has but one system Of time, and
that is standard time At II O'Clock
noon the clocks in the City Exchange, d
the independent Presbyterian church tower
were stopped A few minutes before noon
Jeweler Lindenstruth, with an assistant,
climbed the City Exchange tower W. D.
Cleburn, Superintendent Of the fire alarm
telegraph, was stationed in the church tower
and Chief Fireman Fernandez was posted at
fire alarm box No. Z, at Drayton and Bay
streets
Mr.. Lindenstruth held a watch in his
hand indicating standard time, and at two
seconds of IL o'clock he waved a small
United States flag from the dial window on
the south side of the Exchange tower.
The signal was for Chief Fer
nandez 10 turn in the alarm from box Z.
This was done, and the big Duke" the
City Exchange bell and the bell in the In
dependent Presbyterian church tower struck
twelve. All the gongs connected with the
fire department and Police Barracks struck
Locomotives and steamer bells were rung
and whistles were blown in honor of the
event. Mr.. Lindenstruth said that the Big
Duke" was just six seconds too slow in
striking, but the two clocks are all right.
THOUGHT 1T MEANT FIRE.
Quite number of people were ratified
over the Big Dukes ringing. Men and
boys hallooed fire in some parts of the city,
and good many others guessed where the
fire was. GueSses were changed as the bell
rang up to four, and fire alarm cards were
consulted curiously, but when the bell kept
on striking without intermission until it
had struck twelve times blank establishment
come over their faces and they waited pa
tiently for it to ring again, so they could
count over. But the heavy clapper of the
ponderous bell sounded no more. 1t had
rung out the old and rung in the new. The
question of where was the fire." was sue
ceeded by what time have you!" and "oh
you're SO minutes too fast" was a very COM
mon reply
The hotel people were the happiest over
the change, although the merchants and
commercial travellers would have subscribed
literally to burning a few kegs of gun
powder if the change had not fallen on Sun
day.
HOTEL CLERKS IN GLEE.
Clerk Bickerstaff, at the Screven, was in
great glee. All the afternoon he was point
ing to the gray hairs on each side of his
head, directly over his ears, and explaining
that this premature capillary frost work
was not the result of early piety. 1.-TWO
times did it." he said ANSWER
ing thousand questions day, and ex-
planning to coming and speeding guests when
trains and buses would arrive aud depart
has made these gray hairs. Why, sir; |
would have to explain the difference of
time, why there was a difference, why
guests would catch their trains, or miss
connection until they would be so thorough
" mixed up that they didn't know whether
they were in Savannah or somewhere else
Clerk Buckingham of the Pulaski, is as
glad of the change as anybody. The
Pulaski has been running two clocks, and
1t has been not only very embarrassing
to the management but it led
to many annoyances. Explanations
seemed to make the subject
denser and more inexplicable Many
guests would be half an hour too early for
dinner or half an hour too late. Calls were
made to meet previous engagements but
the conflict in time often led to the most
ludicrous blunders, so that in many in
stances parties were on the street looking
for each other and both thoroughly put out
because OF failure in keeping an engage
ment.
ut was annoying to the travelling public
in general" Mr., Buckingham said, ITO at
tempt to regulate their affairs by two con
fiicting systems of time, while it kept us
busy explaining when trains were arriving
and leaving. Yet it was a courtesy that
had to be extended, no matter how many
times the questions were multiplied, and in
the end the explanations seldom explained. "
NOT STRUCK HIS CoLoRs YET.
Col. Harnett, of the Harnett House, has
not Jet struck his colors to the new time.
His Office regulator ticks away the moments
to the slow music of standard time, while the
extra clock which hangs over the arched
way to the reading room is labeled 'city
time" He was inclined to the opinion that
his meals will be regulated by the old time
for awhile. He is not prepared to sell his
extra clock just vet. The change in time
however, Col. Harnett thinks, will be
good thing when the people get used to it,
The Marshall House folks have their two
SlOCho bOSoOuel, Jue lADel
of 'city time" still on one remains. They
are highly pleased with the change.
Throughout the city generally the change
meets with approval, although there are
few who are not iconocastic 'in their dis
position, and still hug their idol, thinking
that the interference with the old existing
order of things is not much better than
sacrilege. Others have been somewhat CON
fused ever since noon yesterday and this
confusion can better be exemplihed by an
answer made to an inquiry as to the time at
$50 o'clock last evening: 81 don't know,
but it's what we used to call o'clock
SOME FUNNY PEOPLE.
In general there was a greal deal of levity
over the change. One gentleman who was
asked what time he had said: al have got
the old and the new; have two minute
hands on my watch. 1t will cost me a
quarter tomorrow at the jewelers. to have
one of them taken Off
Another witty fellow said: This chang
ing of time is mighty lucky for me. want
TO sell a Waterbury that have no use for
now"
"You don't mean to say you won't want a
watch nowP' he was asked
"Oh, no. You see a Waterbury watch