Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-02-09
WHERE D0ES THG DAY BEGIN ;
An Attempt to Elpc,datc a Very PeplexiI
i'Fahlpfu


An Attempt to ElGcidatt Very Perpltvinc
Problem.
The following Instructive letter. signed
/ by "Latimer Clark appears in the Eng
| lish Mechanic; "Nnnr highly esteemed
correspondent, ~. II. A. S., says that this
/ subject has been thoroughly thtashed out;
! but ] 90 net feel that this is the CASE and
| / think 10 is rather one which Will continue
/ 90 grow ia interest the more il Is popu-
1 larry understood and especially when it
/ becomes known that the spot whore the
I day begins can be accurately localized,
and that something happens there quite
unlike what occurs elsewhere. The theory
/ of this subject Is indeed perfectly under
| stood; but the facts of the case are very
| little known even TO scientific men, for it
/ is not q matter Deepen tent IN any way on
science OF astronomy, out mere ques-
tion OF fact dependent on accident alone.
Conc would expect that the starting
point of time for the whole human race
would have been a spot as Interesting TO
travellers, and as celebrated az the source
OF the Nile or the Congo; aud whenever
the poets grasp the majesty OF the ideas
associated with this mysterious womb of
time they will certainly not fail 20 sing
it. Most people imagine that il we were
living at the spot whore the day com
mences we should observe nothing
extraordinary, but that the days would
glide evenly by, as they DO in Europe
aud elsewhere, but this is by no means
the case, II the spot from which the
new day sets forth should happen 80 be
on land lamp as matter of fact 10 is SOY,
we must be prepared TO expect some in
teresting anomalies there. | pointed out
in Nature May ., 1878, that the daily
starting point OF time really occurs ~
Sitka, IN Alaska, in what was the Russian
portion OF North America.
"Aftor having Tong anc "a vain sought
this information Among travellers and
geographers, ! met with 10 in small
book entitled The Geographical Reader
/ by G. y, Clarke, NJ. A., London, 1886. st
/ page 10 the author says At the town of
/ Sitka, IN Alaska half the population are
| Russians who have arrived from Rnasia
across Asia; half the population are
/ Americans who have arrived via the
Uaited States. Hence whom IL is Sunday
| with the Russians ! is Saturday with the
/ Americans. The Russians are busy on
| Monday while the Americans are III
/ church on Sunday TO the great Interrupt
/ ton OF business Here, then, il evident
/ - The answer to the question, Where
does the day beginS As this territory
has now been seeded 30 tho United States,
the Russian chronology must gradually
but inevitably die out, and the starting
point point will doubtless thereaftor be
where II ought to bo--yi2 on one OF the
Aleutiau or Behring Straits islands still
owning Russian sway, SO that no neon
vonience would BE- felt by anybody. We
may record the boundary line between
! Alaskan and American territory as a por-
tion of a meridian, and some very anus
ing and seemingly paradoxioal results
must occur there, quite opposed Co our
common notions. lot US for example,
consider the coming New Years Day o.
1883, Tho longitude OF Sitka is such
that the new ear viii commence thoro
about 9 O'Clock in the morning of next
Saturday, Dec. 81 Greenwich timo);
during the FIRST three hours The new year
will only have spread IS far as Now Zen
land, All the rest OF the world will still DO
IN 1887.
"Any person born in this region will
date his birth from January, 1888, but
his cousins born in Europe many hours
afterward will date their birth from 1887.
Ile will be the younger in age, but tho
older ina date, aud il he chance TO inherit
wealth and title, he may possibly some
day afford an interesting case for the in
genuity Of the lawyers aud au apt illue-
traiion Of the utility Of universal time.
Fifteen hours lnter the new year will have
reached England, and the midnight peals
wfl joyously herald its advent, after
twouty-four hours the eRrth will have
completed rs revolution, and for single
instant only, before the next day starts,
Che entire world will 10 living under date
of Jan. ], 1883. But now, let us for q
moment consider the case Of the people
living on the American side OF the line
The FIRST OF January will have only just
commenced for them, aud they will have
10 wait twenty four hours longer before 1t
will terminate. 10 follows from this that
each day exists on some part OF the onrth
for forty eight hours, aud for The same
reason the year cndures for 856 uBysj dur
ing the whole of the frat twenty four
hours we have 1887 on one SIDE OF the line
and 1883 on the other A Russian can at
any time c oss the borders and spend yos
tetday with his friends or an American
can enter Russia where he will find 1t to-
morrow and enjoy the New Years dinnee
with his Russian neigbbors and return
home in ample time 10 spend the even
ing of the old year with hia family. II he
stands astride on the boundary line there
will be an instant during which his feeo
will be the one in Yesterday morning, the
other In yesterday night while his body
will bo still in 90. day-that 49, the day
inst expiring and If he enjoys the posi-
tiou, he may ROMAN there throughout "a
day forty eight hours long. The whole
problem "a an instructive one, sufficiently
interesting 20 be more generally known
and understood
The Press Is untramelled.
nm. L--L--.-L