Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-10
TIME TO BE TRUSTED.
The Western Union Company Claims
Superiority for Washington
OVER ALL OTHER 0BSERVATORIES,
The Allegheny Institution Will Lose Its
Pennsy Business.
MANY ROADS USING THE TIME SERVICE

A. L. Henderson, of New York, busi-
ness agent and general solicitor for the
Western Union Telegraph Company, was
in the city yesterday and mentioned some
interesting facts in connection with the ex-
isting controversy regarding the question of
time service. He says that in the course Of
few days the Pennsylvania Railroad will
no longer be served from its present source,
and by implication gives it to be understood
that the Western Union. will take up the
service.
The immediate result of this will be to
take away the source of revenue which is
the chief support of the Allegheny Observa-
tory. That institution now supplies the
Pennsylvania system eastward as far as
Philadelphia and westward as far as st.
Louis and Chicago, covering, with the
branches, somewhere about 10000 miles.
This, at least, is the estimate given
by Prof Frank Very. OF the OBJ
servatory. who was seen in re'er-
ence to this subject yesterday. Mr. Very
was not disposed to discuss the matter of
time service in relation to the attitude of
the Western Union Company. He said he
preferred not to say anything at all regard
ing what the company proposed doing.
Purely a Matter of Business.
"The question is one Of business" he
said, "and 1 am not free to discuss it. This
observatory now supplies a time service to the
Pennsylvania system and the two cities, and
we will seek to hold it. 1 must
say, however, that in my opinion those
who got up this system of time
service ought to derive a modest pecuniary
benefit from it. Prof. Langley devised this
particular kind of time service, and the Alle-
gheny Observatory was the first to adOptit 1t
who is interested in having correct time-and
who is not? The Western Union receives Its
time from the Naval Observatory at Washing
ton. and distributes it over the country IRE.
spective of the fact that local observatories
are able TO give as good. if not bet
ter, service. 1t is this that the astrono-
mers of the country are SO strenuously
protesting against They claim that it is un-
fair for the Government to step into the field
and supply any company with time service for
commercial use, to the exclusion OF local OBJ
servatories. We have contract at present
with the Western Union to supply our time to
the points l have mentioned. and we cannot,
therefore, say anything regarding local
usage"
Mi. Henderson joins issue with Prof. Very
on many of his statements. "The fact of the
matter is, he said last night that the only
from Washington. When tho Western Union
adopted this system it had to adopt some uni
formity, and q little experience with some of
the observatories quickly showed that if the
time service was to be accurate it should be
from one source only, and that the best.
Must all Come From One Place.
"1t is very easy to see that the Western Union
could not have several sources of time service
because none of the observatories agreed re-
gardlng the time. This is more than mere
statement; it is a fact, because we have tested
the matter we have compared the time signals
issued from the operators at various times. and
we found that no two of them agreed. More
than that, we had 1t demonstrated to us that
the Washington Observatory is the most
accurate, and can be thoroughly relied upon.
If we needed any support we have testimony
TO this fact from the mouths of some of the
most eminent astronomers in the country, who
have testified to the superiority of the Wash
ington service over ali others:
THE number of sypchronized self-winding
clocks" continued MI Henderson, (which the q
company is supplying to roads over the country /
is proof of the increasing popularity of the
have 46 when full; the Union Pacific has
95; the Chicago. Burlington and Quincy, l6l, and
We are now closing contracts with the Chicago.
Milwaukee and ST. Paul. the Chicago and
Northwestern and the Missouri Pacific. The
New York Central has few clocks, and is get
ting more. In fact the factory cannot turn them
out fast enough. Down here we are negotia-
ting with the Pittsburg and Western and the
Pittsburg and Lake Erie.
"How about the Pennsylvania system?
"Oh, WELL" replied Mr.. Henderson, ''al 1
can say is that if you look for the time at the
Union depot in ten days time you will find a
Western Union clock at work"
THAT implies that the Allegheny Observa-
tory. which now supplies the system, will lose
the service"
No Need of a Double Service.
swell. don't think the Pennsylvania Rail-
road will want two services" and Mr.. Hender-
son smiled like a man who had already closed
up valuable contract.
"What does your company pay the Govern
ment for the service Mr.. Henderson ?"
Now you are touching a matter know
nothing about. am quite in the dark as to
what business relations, if any, may exist be.
tween the Government and the company. 1
don't even know that there are any. That is q
matter for DIR. Norvin Green"
Mr.. Henderson said that the Allegheny OBJ
servatory had no contract with the Western
Union to supply its time. The observatory
leased wire from the Central District Print
ing and Telegraph Company, who also supplied
the current. Mr.. Henderson said there
were about 200 clocks in private
service in this city. They were
each rented at 81 so and So a month. They
were regulated by metallic circuit. If five
clocks at 81 were supplied by one circuit, the
years revenue would be $50, just about one
half the cost of the wires. The clocks only