The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-01-10
KEEPER OF THE TIME.
BUSINESS OF SUPPLYING THE HOUR
OFFICIALLy.
Prof g. }. Lyons Delicate and Exacting
Task Variety of Fine Instruments
Utility.

Al an important meeting few
evenings ago an able gentleman lately
come to the Islands was making a
strong address. His expression of senti-
ments was no less moving than his
manner was attractive. lie had the
closest attention of his audience. About
minute past y the speaker closed quite
abruptly. There were calls of "go on, "
etc, but the orator declined to continue
and close observers noticed that for
some inexplicable reason the eloquent
visitor had become offended. He
seemed surprised when his audience
crowded forward with hearty congrat.
ulations. At the first opportunity the
stranger called friend aside and said:
What in the world was the natter 1t
seems now that | pleased them. The
way they were consulting their watches
could only infer that my talk was be.
coming. wearisome. j guess ! don't
understand the people down here. .
The confidant smiled Mt his polished
friends trouble, then laughed outright
and at once shared the joke with the
meeting. Every man in the audience
u
it with the o'clock gun of the Phila-
delphia. The act of looking at time
piece here twice day has become e, Ell
more than habit. With many it is
involuntary and mechanical. If the
town were blown up with dynamite
while the Lucas mill whistle was sound
ing the Greenwich midnight, the citizens
in midair would draw their watches To
see how near the local hour of 1884
D. IN. was indicated. IL is Just as nat.
ural to do this as for business man of
Oakland to practically sleep while
walking to and from lunch
How do they get the time here, and
how does IL happen that the average
Honoluluite is punctilious in the matter
to the fraction of secondI Habit: all
habit, but fortunately attendant upon
utility. A studious looking suave gentl,
man, who has an Office in the Surveyor
Generals Department, is largely re-
sponsble for all this. For more than
dozen years Prof. Curtis }. Lyons has
been "keeper of the time" for the Ha
waiian capital. He is one of those rare
masters of a science who can make
process or proposition clear to layman.
Greenwich midnight hour is adopted
because it suits ship chronometers. Ship
ping is the predominant factor here.
Once week Professor Lyons takes the
time by the SUM-" This is done on Mon
day or the first clear day thereafter.
Time figuring begins at the beginning
of the work. The astronomical transit
used has ten fine lines of registry and
a mean must he calculated. Next,
this time is pli ID beside that of the
comparing" or standard office chrome
meter. Upon this there are two checks.
One is a companion o. twin, the other IA
fine large astronomical clock. Getting
the observation from the sky discovers
to Professor Lyons the rate or variation
of his comparing timepiece. No chro-
nometer is expected to be absolutely cor
rect, but is supposed to have fixed
rate upon which computations may be
based. This, in brief, is the equipment
of the Office and glimpse at its work,
An exact record is kept on the instru-
ments as well as on the clock in the
tower of the Judiciary building.
When this big fellow gets minute
out of the way he is set right.
This makes him pretty good guide for
the average man. The comparing
chronometer has been in the office
twelve years, its mate seven years.
They cost about 5000 each. "A chrono-
METER" said Professor Lyons, is moth
ing more nor less than a large, nearly
perfect watch, encased in q box, kept in
u horizontal position and protected from
jars, heat, cold and the influences of
metal" The astronomical clock is
first-class article, good enough for any
observatory. 1t was made by Molyneaux.
London, described among other things
as having mercurial pendulum. 1t
was imported in lS45 by Prof G. s. Ly
man for Mr.. Boardman who made
about $4,000 year adjusting chrome
meters for the whaling fleet. The first
cost of the clock was S400. David
Flitner succeeded Boardman, and in
course of time died. Then the Govern.
ment secured the prize. Professor Ly
man for many years maintained an OBJ
servatory on Union street and was
guardian of half the ships watches on
the Pacific
II was formerly the custom for
masters of vessels to send their chrome.
meters to the Government for rating,
The captain of the Pfuger did this.
Nearly all of them take the whistle or
get the time for the comparing chrome
meter over the telephone. In the latter
case the transmitter is tapped ten sec
onds before, on the instant selected and
ten seconds after. A time ball would
require too much watching out of doors
and a whistle at 1854 p. m. seldom
has company For five years the people
at Lucas mill have been acting ON the
electrical signal sent in by Professor
Lyons and mishaps have been few.