Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-07
THE CORRECT TIME
How 1t is Sent Through the Coun-
try by Wire.
fHEGREAf NAVAL OBSERVAfORYCLON
An Electric Throb Which Daily
Marks the Noon Hour.
WATCHING FATHER TIME
Written Exclusively for tn. Evening s,.,

= -
Written Exclusively for The Evening Star.
Since he removed his paraphernalia to
the quarters in new naval observatory
building, Uncle Sam continues his study OF
Father Times movements with even q
closer scrutiny. Within a very small space
In the new naval observatory there IL q
continuance. invented by one OF the Dis
tricts own citizens. which has control oS
all chronometers east of Denver. and from
mere, every day at noon. by the pressing %
an electric button. a throb which sets the
hands OF all of these time tellers in their
correct position is sent throughout this
whoie expanse OF territory. On Mare
Island the navy yard of San Francisco.
another observatory is located. which per-
/ forms the same duties for the territory
west Of Denver. but when the noon signal
Is sounded in the eastern section IL is only
O'Clock at the station on the shores q
| the Pacific
In the new observatory the computing
instruments are more to be depended upon
IMAM they were when located at the old
quarters on oath street. when the low To-
cation and surrounding trees obstructed
vision, and where the fogs arising from
|
But now that a spot has been chosen on
the high ground just north Of Georgetown,
away from these evil associat tons, Il is not
TO be doubted that Prof Gardner. the
maker Of our time service will continue 10
add a few more chapters to his wonderful
Inventions. If they are not now at perfec-
ton.
All the clocks and other instruments used
for calculating the revolutions Of the earth
are now mounted upon granite piers whose
foundations extend far down into the
ground. that no motion of the building q az
change the beat of one OF the pendulums q
mlllonth of second. In order that no
change of temperature in the room may be
occasioned by draUght OF air, the spaces
between these piers and the floors are filled
with cotton batting. So nothing but an
earthquake can keep us from having our
full supply of time every day. for even
though the clocks themselves give out each
one OF them has an alternate which will
DO the work while the other takes a yacs-
! ton and recuperates. under the surgical
care OF Lieut.. Heilner. who has charge OF
the time service.
Day eff the Stars.
In small metallic building. which IL
sliced in half, 10 admit OF a view OF the
meridian line crossing the zenith, In 70
be seen large stationary transit telescope
through which an astronomer every clear
night observes the stars which cross IT,
line. Upon miniature railroad track.
which is directly under the slice" I'm the
building. rolls a couch on wheels. upon
which the observer lays down ana makes
himself comfortable. while he is reading
his answers in the stars. The astronomer
has a book, which is a time table OF the
I a aah. .7r.l.
rivals al the meridian, on each reSpectivs
night, which has been determined from the
computations OF all of the great astrono-
ners, from PtOleny down 10 the nre.ent
/ day. Close BY the telescope stands 8 VET
cram CLOCK OF the 'grandfataers' stock
winch Is corrected to give the exact time
OF the stars every time an observation N
made But since each one of the stars an
pears upon the meridian once every twen-
ty-three hours nfIy-siN minutes and Ave
seconds, the day OF the stars is shorter
py three minutes and nIty-fiNe seconds than
the mean day, which has twenIy-four even
hours. for convenience sake.
10 test Tie correctness OF this clock IN IN
Connects, In eirouit with chronograph,
consisting OF 4 cylinder. revolving by eIec-
tricity, upon which a spiral line is made by
fountain pen, which gives a hitch every
second TINS simple machine discloses an
error IN the beat Of the clock, when the
notches In this line do not measure a GER
tain distance apart. by a skillfully gradu-
ated scale, or when sixty of them will NOT
exactly. and cause the next row OF notches
10 coincide with those adjacent. Thus the
exact time OF the stars is taken and re-
corded, but the hours must go through
another process before the mean time in
manufactures from this raw material
Mean aud sidereaI Time.
The sidereal day must first be made into
the mean day, so great deal Of mathe-
NAUTICAL computation has been tabulate ted
which will tell what time il is by the cor
rect mean clock when tie sidereal clock
gives a certain hour For instance At
noon on the day OF the writer's visit To
the observatory the sidereal clock recorded
the hour as a few minutes Of 2 But on
the I'D Of March the two clocks always
agree. the stars having made an even dIf-
ference in days in its faster pace.
In separate room is to be seen another
old clock, which looks as though il might b
relation OF the other although each has
a different tale 10 tell. The one Is aseo-
ciated with the stars above. while the other
Is the common servant Of the earth be-
meath This ticker Is known as the clock
of precision, because IL is always theoreti-
cally correct in the scope of the mean
hour. Many little scales OF various denom-
inatic ms may be seen joyfully swinging 70
and FRO in its pendulum. 20 alter its beat
when IL gets out % its true proportion with
the stars. This rs also connected with a
chronograph. which tests it's beats closer
e.
ped or corrected by the moving of its hands.
which would injure its entire future career.
but this method Of adding weights to the
pendulum. and taking them on. keeps a
vibration almost correct. although there
are continual external forces which make
IL differ with the normal
The MONDAY Hour.
A third clock. which is the one from
which the standard time is directly taken.
is undergoing a continual course OF correc-
ton in order that when the great noon hour
at last arrives IL will be able TO send I'm an
alarm all over this half OF the country
upon the termination of the millionth mil
honJh of the last second IN ire eleventh
hour. This and the clock OF precision are
connected with several saunders, wnicn fail
TO sound whenever The two clocks do not
exactly whisper the stroke OF the second
together. But by noon each cay this way
ward clock mas been mastered by the
patient hand OF its keeper. and l. always I'M
failing at the proper moment in D~AIlnx ina
last ten seconds in the nloTnIag correctly
and in hitting the nail on the head eNactly
at noon.
Within the District limits all chronoms
eters and self-Correcting clocks are com
nected with a private system of wires in
circuit with the observatory. but In sending
the noon hour throughout the lard the
nil Tel