Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-04-18
THE TINE SIGNAL SERVICE.
Half . Century Of Work and Now . Sharp
Controversy.

Half Century OF Work and Now . Sharp
Controversy.
From the New York Sun
The dispute pending between the Naval OBJ
servatory and some other institutions over the
supply Of time signals for railroad and COM
mercial uses recalls the dissension between the
Naval Observatory and the signal bureau on the
same subject about nine years ago.
Next year the Naval Observatory will finish
its iftieth year Of existence, and during nearly
all this period it has pursued among its occu-
pations that Of furnishing the public with ac-
curate time. As long ago as 1s45 it began the
practice ofsmarking the arrival Of noon by
dropping ball daily from the dome of its
building. The story Of this ball is also one Of
scientific and mechanical progress, since it
was at first released by hand, the halliards be-
ing let GO at the word drop" pronounced by
This primitive method continued about
dozen years, and then the ball was released by
electricity, the observer touching the knob.
Still another step was taken about ten years
later, Then q transmitting clock was set up and
the ball released automatically.
But, prior to that stage in the process, the
work Of the observatory in furnishing time
signals had been greatly extended. Just about
twenty-fve years ego the municipal authori-
ties Of Washington connected the fire-alarm
v,
these were then struck not only at noon, but
at o'clock in the morning and the evening, so
that the people could correct their timepieces
If they chose, three times day. The watch
makers took advantage Of the same circuit,
while shortly afterward a system of clocks was
set up in the department buildings and con-
trolled so as to agree with the one at the Naval
Observatory by taking their movement from it
about noon. The Western Union Telegraph
office received the benefit Of the same system
in that year, 1857, and from that date was able
to send the correct time all over the country
wherever its wires extended. Ten years
later, in 1877, the ball which afterward be-
came SO familiar to the people on lower Broad
way and its vicinity was dropped daily at noon
from the top of the Western Union building in
New York. That also illustrated the same
advance in methods, the dropping being done
first by hand and then automatically by the
transmitting clock, which as in the Washing
ton Offices, was made to take its movements
for a short time before noon by electrical con-
nection from the movements of the Naval OBJ
servatory clock, SO that it might be dropped at
noon by New York time. The various COM
mercial. shipping and stock exchanges and the
watchmskers and others also took their time
through clocks controlled by that of the West
ern Union. just as had been the case in WASH
ing, and SO the system spread through the
country.
The introduction Of the system of dividing
the country into longitudinal belts or districts
for railroad time created another new need
and stage Of progress. Several years ago the
Washington Observatory at st. Louis estab-
lished system of signals for the regulation of
timepieces which attracted great attention
and was followed by syndicate Of observa-
tories for securing and giving out correct
astronomical time. These included the St.
Louis. Harvard, Yale, Lick and Allegheny OBJ
servatories and the Carlton in Minnesota. The
railroads paid for the time and other signals
which they received from this combination
and the subsidy enabled the apparatus
to be kept up. But now grievance
is felt by these observatories In the action
OF the Naval Observatory at Washing
ton. which recently adopted system of fur
nlshing signals gratuitOusly to the Western
Union Telegraph Company. This arrangement,
it is said, will enable that company to cut
under the service furnished by the Observable
rles on account of its superior facilities for
telegraphing. and hence to destroy this source
OF their income.
The astronomers have accordingly taken the
aggressive and propose to ask Congress to re-
move the government observatory from the
charge OF navy officers and to put it else
where: They urge that it is essentially of a
scientific and astronomical character. The
presen: superintendent is Capt Frederick ".
McNalr, and under him are Lieut. Com. Wal
ton Goodwin, Lieut.. Hero Taylor, five
enslgns and five professors. That it is an ex-
ceedingly creditablo institution no one dis
putes. But the assertion is made that this is
due to its astronomical ard scientific rather
than its naval character, and that the same line
OF reasoning which induced Congress to take
| away the weather bureau from the War De-
partment as being essentially civilian insti-
tuition should also lead to taking the national
observatory from naval control and putting it
under the direction Of astronomers. How far
this movement may be pushed it is difficult a.
vet to saw.