The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1893-05-29


perfection a. possible Although theJ
cannot help being affected By changes
Of temperature and different coltfi
lions Of the asnpos Phere. they verJ
rarely are more than fractional par
Of . second out Of the way. No ut
tempt 4 ever made 70 correct such err
fsir& bat they arc carefully noted and
allowed Tor In making calculations
For the purpose Of distributing time
third clock. known a. transmiiter.
Is used. This a sst 70 keep time By The
seventy-fifth meridian. and Il rcguiat,
ed BY the standard clock before men
toned II Il, In all respects similar 10
the other clocks. execpt that II has A.
tached 70 II nm Ingenious device By
which an electric circuit may be alter
nately opened and closed with each
beat ofthc pendulum THIS clock con-
used for dropping the Washington
time ball and the other ono CONNECT
ing with the several telegraph instru-
mcnts. known a. repcaters. which
stand on d case near BY. These iDstrn-
ments In turn connect with the teie-
graph company's Offices q Washington
and New York, and control the wash
ington fire alarm circuit and the OBJ
servatory clock line by means Of the
former the alarm bells In all Of the fire.
engine houses In the city are struck,
the horses unhitched and the doors
thrown open. all ~ single spark Of
electricity. lust As Is done when m
alarm Of lire Is sent IL; for the noon
signal 70 the engine houses Is used for
the additional purpose Of striking the
alarm for the daily practice Of tie fire
department The observatory clock
line connects with the several hundred
clocks in the government Offices and
buildings, Including the white house
and the capitol, and sets them 10 CIR
rect time III noon By means Of simple
mechanical device lii each clock, oper.
atcd by elef ricity; 70 that, whether
clock loses or gains during the twenty
four hours. It's hour and minute hands
spring to twelve. and It's second hand
to sixty.
A few minutes before noon the trans
mittcr Il compared with the standard
clock, and II 1t Is not found % BE- exact.
~ eight minutes, twelve seconds and
nine one hundredths Of q second ahead
II the standard clock THAT being the
exact difference between Washington
and standard time) II Is set right BY
making it gain or lose. as the case may
require BY qnickeninR OF retarding the
penduinm~with gentle touch of the
finger.
At fiftY-six minutes and forty tise
seconds after eleven. everything being
IN readiness, d switch is turned on, AndY
the next instant the beats of the pen
dulum begin 70 tick the seconds on the
telegraph instruments in the Washing.
ton and New York telegraph Offices
Al this signal all work on the telegraph
lines Il at once suspended. and connec-
tions made from one Office 10 another,
from town to town. and from state to
state, until the tick, tick Of the clock
AT Washington Is heard In the telegraph
Office Of every railroad station. town
and city In the United States
Every twenty ninth tick Is omitted,
because there Is no signal goes ont AZ
the twenty ninth second; 50 that
pause Of a second signifies that the next
click Of the instrument will mark half
. AlAtlubt5s OI tilAI w bcIunlSY anu the /
FIRST click, after a pause Of I'VE seconds,
indicates the beginning Of q minute, as
the ticks corresponding 70 the fifty
fifth. fiftytsixth, fifty-seyenth, fifty-
eighth and iifty-ninth seconds are
omitted. In order TO distinguish the
last minute. and afford time forsmaix-
ing connections with time balls. clocks,
etc, the signals stop at the ffftieth sec
ond, or ten seconds before twelve
Then. precisely at noon, the instant
the sun crosses the seventy fifth
meridian, the signal Is flashed over the
wires. there Is single throb from one
end Of the land 10 the other, the tele-
graph instruments from Maine to Cali
fornia give q Anal click, the time ball
on the building Of the state, war and
navy departments drops. and, stimuli
taneonsly with II time balls drop it
Havana, Cuba, and at all the promi-
ncnt sea ports from Boston to New
Orleans, those on the Pacific coast
being operated by d branch observa-
tory In California, the hands 81 every
government clock point to twelve.
while the fire-alarm bells throughout
the city of Washington sound forth
their elangorous announcement Of
noon. and the whole nation Is informed
Of the correct standard time Clifford
Howard, In Ladies' Home Journal