The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-06-11
ROUND THE WORLD.
Going East and Going West and the DIFF
ference In Time.


ference In Time.
81 heard It recently stated that IL two
men start from the same point at the same
time, one going east and the other west
for a journey around the world and each
resting on the Sabbath day, when they
meet they will be keeping different days
for the sabbath. Is this SOL"
Astronomers reckon the day from noon,
when the sun crosses the Greenwich merid-
ian But for convenience all civilized ma.
tions begin the day at midnight. 1t has
also become the universal custom 10 reckon
time from Greenwich, using that longi
tude for the prime meridian Astronomers
count the hours of the day from to "a,
but custom makes us count up TO IL and
then start all over, using the affix ga. H..
or 'p. III. TO tell which half of the day
we are talking about. In different lati-
tudes of the earth. the apparent time and
not the Greenwich mean time Is used. AS
the earth is arbitrarily divided into 800
degrees of latitude and as the sun travels
over these $50 degrees every "a hours, an
hours time is consumed in passing each
10 degrees. Hence in travelling westward
the pilgrim sets his watch back an hour
for every 10 degrees
In travelling toward the east he sets his
watch ahead an hour for each Is degrees
After travelling 1870 degrees (half way
around the earth) the man who travelled
westward has set his watch back just IL
hours, while the man who travelled toward
the east has set his watch ahead IL hours.
Thus, as they meet, their watches again
agree upon the time. AS they continue
their journey they keep changing their
watches every 10 degrees In order to keep
abreast with the apparent time. When
they arrive at the place of starting, the
western pilgrim has set his watch back "a
hours Zone day., and the one travelling
eastward has set his watch "a hours Zone
day. ahead, and both watches again re-
cord the same time of day. The first party
has therefore lost day and the second
party has gained day. 1t Is consequently
necessary for the first party to skip one
day on his calendar and for the second to
add one day in order to even things up.
AS Greenwich time Is the recognized mean
standard, travellers make this change in
| their calendar when they reach $50 degrees
east or west from Greenwich, In order to
keep on good terms with the almanac.
| This point is not far from the center of the
| Pacific ocean.
In going to China from San Francisco
we therefore lose an almanac day, and In
returning we make it back. Hence when,
for example, it is noon Feb. 22 (Washing
tons birthday six inches east of the one
hundred and eightieth degree from Green
witch, according to the almanac, at the
same time it is Feb. 23 six inches west OF
the same line. 1t is good thing that this
| latitude lies in the middle of the Pacific
| where nobody lives. The apparent time
which is actually observed for the Sabbath
does not wholly agree with the almanac
day except at Greenwich and for dis
lance of one degree east and west. Cast
| ing aside clocks and almanacs and speak
! ing of apparent time only, which Is The
time we all use, 1t becomes evident thai
from midnight till noon at any giver
point of latitude it is always the day be
! fore on the opposite side of the earth
Prom noon till midnight it is the same
day Thus, when we are attending IL
O'clock sunday morning service in New
York, citizens of Canton, China, are ut
| tending Saturday night ball or politica
meeting When IL is exactly noon n
Greenwich, il is the same almanac day al
| we'll as apparent day all over the earth
and at no other time. Brooklyn Eagle.