New-York tribune., 1896-05-24

Tho unshoded mart shows the time covered by the
daylight Of the shortest days OF winter Inc uo''eu
parts show the hours that vary, as 10 ish' anu
darkness according to the time Of the suns rising
and setting in the different seasons oi INC 80
The heavy shading shows the hours covered o' a'ie
shortest summer nights little study OF THIS oaI
will plainly bring out to any one the slmpAic'S anu
surety of designating the hour for any appointment
and specially OF determining exact time lor uaiiiS
In all time tables
The adoption Of the foregoing notation OF the
hours seems TO me TO make possible. and apparently
nrac,,cable one universal standard time and one
universal dav for the whole American Continent,
North and South. say apparently Tor the 'hous"'
IS new one and time should be given to deveop
objections to 1t before unqual!hediy enter upon
advocating It's adoption.
A universal day for the world has had It's ad-
vocates but a little consideration shows this 10 De
lmnracticable for America For. II the Greenwich
meridian be adopted the standard or the London
day which Is the usually chosen. then the GATE
would change from day 10 the next at Il o CLOCK
London night. This means that the day ana da'e
would change when the sun gets around 10 the
meridian on the other side OF the earth opposite TO
the first or the Greenwich meridian THIS opposite
meridian ls the 1sOth, situated over the Pacihc aooue
midocean But when the sun is on TINS fneridiah i
is only o'clock in the afternoon In California ana
through the Pacific section o'clock at Denver anu
through the mountain section. and o'clock at -.
mn, n moment 10 see that 10 change the day and
date in these places at these times coming as they
do within regular business hours would be aoso-
lutely impracticabe. And II We take into view
Alaska the Islands OF the Pacific Australia, Japan
and all the east coast OF Asia. the impracticaoility
Ia stil more apparent. Yet we must all admit that
confusion and derangement always will, OF necessity
attend any differences OF time standards and dates
especially within one inseparably blended country
like the United States.
Tn. adoption OF the longitude time standards In
November 1883. lifted out OF such bewider'ng
derangemen,s that in comparison We, who live near
the standard merldans. think we now have an al
most unobjectlouable system OF time. But II we
move westward from the Eastern standard even
less than five degrees in some places. We find an
intermediate section in which fall Michigan. ONO
and the States directly south where stu prevails
very serious confusion This section Is clearly laid
ou, upon a map published by the writer in 1854
Within this intermediate section some trains run
on Eastern, and some on Central time, according as
~, main portion OF the road extends eastward or
westward; and some towns and cItles ADOPT one
standard time and some the other, but as rule
they adopt for local business purposes each Tor
,,seIr ,,s own local time. Thus multitude OF
ever varying times constantly annoys this whoe
section 1t plain also that Ike confusion preVas
OF necessity within tho intermediate STRIP OF country
wing along the borders OF the other hour sections.
which strips together constitute about one-thrd OF
tho whole country The people of these intermediate
sections bravely bear up under these annoyances.
supposlng them 10 be inevitable but plainly they
would be glad to be relieved from them.
Then the Jumping OF hour on the borders or
all the hour sections. railroad managers and every
body else would gladly avoid II II were possible
All will agree that the changing OF time standards
is a great evil In innumerable ways
Again the changing OF the day or date at different
,,n,es . capable OF raising very perplexng questions.
To illustrate:
Mr. and Mrs. A.. having large possessions. be-
oueath them by due form OF WILL each to the other.
Mrs A. dies in san Francisco tonight april SO at
If o'clock Mr.. A. dies in New-York tomorrow
morning Cfay u at o'clock. Query-Whose heirs
will set the property? THE lawyers" replied one
10 whom this question was proposed Few days
ago II will be observed that although Mrs. A.
dies Apri 30 and Mr. A. not until May l. yet in fact
he dies before she does
All are familiar with the complications in busl-
ness that variations in time standards and days
may occasion. The question engaging our attention
be prevented? I offer for public consideration the
following:
The time OF the 90th meridian OF west longt-
tude NAV be adopted as the American standard
time This is the time of the Central hour section.
40 is well known. Therefore the time for this
tlon would remain now save that after IL o'clock
noon the twenty-four hour notation would be used
as exhibited on the foregoing dial. which should
be carefully studied.
II now We suppose that the twenty-four numbers
upon this dial be set in an adjustable circle, and
that we turn the circle. together with the short
hand one hour space to the right since noon here
comes one hour earlier IT would present the appear
ance Of the following dial: