The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-11-08
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| Uastea Ststes.
A. prsciss old gentleman walking aions
Broadway the other day at Ave minutes past
noon. stopped and set his watch By st. Paul's
big clock. as viewed from the corner Of vesey
street he walked one block and stopped at
Fulton street. waiting for car 10 pass.
CHANGING up at the Fulton street face Of the
venerable old clock. he noticed that the hands
indicated ten minutes past twelve. Thinking
n he had made mistake In setting his time
piece. he pulled Il out and saw that Il indicat-
Cd but six minutes past twelve 40 that his
watch was four minutes slow. To make sure
he set his watch carefully and walked back to
| vescy street. and found that his watch was
several minutes out Of the way by that side Z.
Then he concluded that the venerable
old clock was giving different time on different
sides. Then he made inquiries Of a friend on
the Fulton street side. and found out this state
| Of facts: Tho big minute hand OF the Fulton
street sido is wobbler. At about Ave minutes
past every hour Il takes jump Of three or
| four minutes. Then It goes on steadily until
about half-past the hour Here tho big hand
sticks and hangs back. losing about four min
| utcs on the way up the last half Of the hour.
| This process Is repeated every hour. 50 that
| the venerable old clock Is alternately fast and
slow every hour. although for tho twenty -four
hours IL keeps fair time. Tho cause Of Il 10
that there 10 dag Of the works somewhere.
and It mystines good many who do not know
The cause Of II. and Is somewhat vexatious in
these days Of exact time. which IL now sup
piled all over the United States BY electricity.
Exact time Is furnished BY the big Naval
Observatory at Washington at the expense Of
the Government but Il is distributed By the
Western Union Telegraph Company. which
regulatee clocks oil over the United States at
no0n every day. Il IL true that several private
observatories, such a. that at st. Louis and
Ann Arbor. do supply exact time. but the
Western Union Company. BY ltsimmenss facil-
tiles. has the bulk Of the business Of selling
| time in It's hands.
Mr.. James Hamblett. manager Of the tine
service Of tho Western Union Company Tor
this locality. speaking about the business.
said: Anybody can 60 to the Naval Observe
| Is nobody but tho Western Union Company has
telegraph wires extending all over the United
States. the Western Union Company u nat
arally the only one that has made tho requisite
| connection and taken charge Of the business
| Of Furnishing time for tho nation. The way Il
II done Is thisi Tho moment the Govern
ment operator presses tho button In WASH
ington 10 indicate tho noon hour the
nsws travels directly through the West
srn Union wires all over the United States In
about Q nth Of Q second through about 5000
miles Of wire. In order to do this all other
business IL excluded from the wires al over
the country at the hour corresponding to three
and half minutes before noon In Washing.
toR; Thus un ~ 81. connssction e secured
dozen seconds before the time beil is to strike
e. ls sdaS .gs a. sSs
r. .Sst Atlantis \ e ths PssISe ssliins every
Is 6ss s noon Of
course. because there y . difference Of three
ancisco time TheFe Gre four s aissions se y
e9Hnt ssh Its tine By ths mer
strip making its time one hour later than the the
SsshIRs FEE L + i SeiSst q 5sIassee:
franSIseo. and fhe VARIATION at other points
ere FL set down n i5 ,carstuiy prepared tables at
tme ssrvee TSe value 81 &c ssg
wires every day amounts 70 something And
there are salaries to be paid and costly regu-
+ tfp repair end ~ s0
% elses s'S1Rs os and
not at all like the clock face electric regulators
thirteen years. The clocks are not sold. but
The principal patrons are Jewellers. railroad
seS s Sasl psse s sna 5sss iT
electric motor that windsit The clocks that are
! set every noon throughout the country BY the
Ws on
FhngeMent which. when the current passes
o'sslSek; noon. at Washingto9;
srons S si snI a1 ss use sGk s b F
two geoonds., as follows: Omltting the ,afty-
onSs. l@%sed.!s s.y before he .besIanIns q
oa mnatss Ss
s1aey mnutSs ser tRs Sess TSe 1h rs
beat after any pause always indicates the be-
The adoption q standard time and tho
trans mission Of exact standard time has done
away with a, great deal Of confusion Of time
tie ans wers
were several sorts Of, time In use, comprising
az sas tSere wss aoo
aIgda SalsSs s G.. s4sse DIN !,
Washington Is not ascertained by the observa:
tons Tons q the sun but bE ths sE,Salled aHed
With relation 70 the earth does not ohapee Al.
probably as docs that Of the sun. 60 that The
meridian Is more. definitely Known. All tho
chronometers used In the navy are tested at
with each ,ohronometsr. showing exactly how
y runs under diferent degrees Of temperaturs.
eosls snee In.
York, there are about 1000 clocks and diais
ton about seven years II sappies ,eioeks to
Produce kxchange, and the big clock In the
gallery 2f the Stock Exchange; The OFFICIAL