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


Away ont at the western end Of the
city 81 Washington y . wooded hill
overlooking the Potomac, and forming
part OF large government reservation
or park, which reaches down 70 the
rivers edge On the top Of this hill
remote from all the other public build
ings In Washington, stands the United
States naval observatory.
This branch Of the navy department
Is 81 great service 70 the government,
and plays very important part In the
daily affairs Of the country; for Il Il
here that standard government time Is
reckoned for the use OF the depart
ments, and for the primary purpose Of
testing and rating the chronometers
used on the United States war vessels,
and it Is from this observatory that
standard time Il regulated ali over the
country.
Precisely at noon each day Il sends out
aneiectric siRnai 10 the various govern.
ment Offices and buildings throughout
the District Of Columbia. and. by means
81 the telegraph. this same signal il
flashed over the United States AZ the
sarnc instant.
In order that this sirnal NAV ~.
sent out ~ Che RIGHT tlne n Il neces-.
sary that the officers IN charge 81 the
government time service al the ID.
eeryatory should know a. inst what
instant the sun crosses the seventy.
eth meridian. or Il directlv above the
meridian seventy Ave degrees west
longitude which nc van have learned
4 one a 4 number 81 imautnarv Zines
stretched from pole u pole across the
earth,s surface and recLoned accord.
ing % their distance EAST ar YVES, from
Green tch. Now. this seventy f,fth
meridian has baen chosen 81 The stand.
Ard for reruiatinr time " that when
the sun rets exactly over that line il &
twelve o'clock az washington. eleven
o'clock al CHICAGO. ten o,ciocl 3. zen.
yer and ninc o'clock ii San Francisco:
for. a. y GU perhaps know. ACCORDING, IL
this system Of standard Of railroad"
time liz being originally adopted Tor
The convenience az the railroadsl the
country d divided into four sections
Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pa
cific each just one hour In advance 81
the other. and time at oil places In the
same section Is the same. Accordingly,
when II Is noon at Washington it Is also
noon at Philadelphia, New York, Ros-
ton and every other place incinded
within the eastern section. This, Of
Z course, Is not strictly correct, for IL Is
really noon at only such places
through which the seventy fifth merid-
4 Ian happens TO pass, as the true noon
day Of q place Is when the sun Is direct
ly overhead. Washington. for example.
Is on the seventy-sevcnth meridian, or
two degrees farther west, and. eonse-
qnently, according TO Its local time II
Is only eight minutes OF twelve, while
the true time Of Boston, which Is four
degrees to the east, Is sixteen minutes
In advance. But II every city were 10
use rs own time. IL would, In many
cases. give rise 10 3 good deaf of confn.
sion and Inconvenience; and il was for
the very purpose of avoiding this that
the present system OF standard time
was adopted
AS we have seen. the time for send
ing out the noon signal from Washing.
ton Il the instant the sun crosses thf
seventy fifth meridian. This. however.
Is not the sun which gives us light and
heat, but an invisible. imaginary one;
because, for certain reasons. the true
sun does not cross the meridian a. the
Same moment every day. but dnr;na
one part Of the year he re,s nver II I
little more ahead Of time ZACH day ana
during the other mart III 4 c,rrasnord.
inrly behind time. and u this tc,ttions
snn Is used, because its apDarent pa.h