The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1898-06-25
.-'1' 50 t4Ht
EXPERTS WITH ARMY,
SUPPOSED TO KNOW ALL OF
MILITARY MATTERS!
Represe ntatives of European Powers Will
Follow Cubsn Invasion They Come to,
Study and Learn Nearly all Have Seen
Service.

|
Study and Learn Nearly all Have Seen
| Service.
Boston Herald: Every one knows that
when it is midday with us it is mid
| night at every place on diametrically the
opposite side OF the globe. In other
! words, the difference between our time
and that of place SO situated is exactly
| twelve hours. Bombay is a place so
| situated-very nearly-with relation to
| Boston, The clocks of Bombay and those
| of Boston indicate the same hour, though
| in different halves of the day Thus
when it is 8 A. M. il Bombay it is D
| P. M. in Boston, and SO on around the
dial
| Just now all eyes are turned upon Hong
| Kong and Manila, which are situated
! very nearly, but not quite half way
! around the globe, the distance being
reckored westward. The difference in
| time between Manila and Boston is eleven
hours When a Manila clock indicates
| A. NJ. the time with us is P. M,
| and the same difference holds of very
hour, of course.
! To change Manila time to Boston time,
| therefore, we must add eleven hours,
treating the case as though the Manila
| clocks were that much SLOW Thus, is
we hear that certain event took place
| at Manila at 10 P. M, we can figure
| out at once that it was then p. NJ.
| with us; if the event is said to have hap
pened at P. M, then it must have hap
pened while we were asleep, or should
have been asleep, at 3 o clock in our morn
ing;
| Thus far the reckoning is easy. But
| now comes a very important question,
which, unless it is answered correctly,
| may put us in error twenty-four hours
| as to the time of Occurrence-how about
! the day Of the month and week? This
matter is not so simple as it may seem
| at first sight for here again we must
make a correction" and unless we are
clear-headed we shall make mistakes
| sometimes. In fact it makes a difference
which we must allow for, whether Ian
event is dated in Manila time or in that.
| of Hong Kong.
first received by us relating to Com
| modore Dewey's victory in Manila bay
| was one dated Hong Kong, May 2, an
! nouncing, though prematurely, as it
proved, the bombardment of Manila,
| supposed to be. then taking place. The
! day was then Sunday, May 1, in Manila.
but in Hong Kong it was Monday, though
| the actual difference in time between the
| two places is less than half an hour
| What day was it, then, with us?
1 The answer of this question depends
| upon the location of the international
there is somewhere in the Pacific ocean
a mysterious line, upon crossing which,
one must make a change in his recko.i-
ing Of time. If he crosses it from eat
to west day must be dropped, if i'm,
the other direction, day must be repeat
ed. This lire is the 1s0th meridion OF
longitude east or west of the 'prime.
meridian of Greenwich. In other Words
it is the meridian of longitude which lies:
half way around the globe from Green.
witch. The days are named differently on
the two sides of this time. When 1t ia:
Sunday on the east side it is Monday on
the west side When it is Monday on the
east side it is Tuesday on the west SIDE.
and so on through the week. and there is,
of course, the same, difference in the"
days of the month, the LIST of May, for"
instance, on the east side, being the ID
of May on the west side, and so on.
though actually it is one and the same
day.
The reason for this peculiar state of
things is that this is the line at which,
by the common consent of the CON-
mercial nations, the day is considered tos
begin. 1t is not easy to make perfectly
clear in few words the necessity FOR"
some such arrangement; but the mystery
may be cleared up partially in this way
Suppose a person, starting from Boston,
on Sunday, were to travel around the
| earth in a westerly direction in some
| magic conveyance as rapidly as the sun
in its diurnal course travels or seems tor
EttraNel in the same direction. He would
accomplish the journey in twentY-foure
| hours, and, having started on Sunday
he might be pardoned if he supposed it
to be Sunday all the way around-that
u.s. if he took no note of time-for the
sun would remain above the horizon
throughout the journey. Yet when he
reached Boston at the end of twenty-four
hours it would be Monday. No doubt
about that. Clearly, at some point in tho
| flying journey he should have changed
his time-reckoning. He should have said
to himself: Thus far it has been Sunday;
Tor the rest of the trip I will call the
day Monday. Had he done this he would
have come out all right. The 18Th
meridian is an excellent place for max
ing this change, since it lies almost
wholly in the ocean, where a double
this matter being treated here merely
in a general way, no more need be said.
But since we are speaking with side
glance at the Philippine Islands, an i'm
portant note must be added. Although
the date line" is commonly stated to be
the 1soth meridian of longitude, and. il
practically so regarded by naviga tors;
actually, as it is laid down on a chart.
1t does not follow this meridian, but it
takes long sweep to the west and
curves around the Philippine Islands,
. bringing them on it eastern side, not
withstanding that these islands lie some
GO degrees of longitude west of the the
oretical date line.
This exceptional position of the Philip
pines with reference to this line may have
originated In the circumstance that Ma
gellan discovered them while sailing
westward land that the way or reckon
ing time there had become esta blished,
owing to their early settlement, before a
date line'' was thought Of; but what
ever may be the reason for it, the excep-
ton Is matter to he borne in mind in
dealing with Manila time. It is this posi-
ton of the date line which causes an
= apparent difference Of twenty-four hours
between the time of Manila and that of
Hong Kong, although the actual differ
ence is less than nalf an hour
To end with the practical bearing. OF
the points here given, in figuring upon
Manila time, as-it 'SIll probably come TO
US frequently in kilograms, we must re-
gard it as eleven hours slow with re-
ference TO Boston time, as already
stated and Observation-Disclosures add eleven
hours to the Manila time, even though
ll lands US In the succeeding day. as
Will be the case when an event has
occurred at p. M.
. Hong Kong time, on the contrary, must
be treated as fast with reference to our
. time, about twelve and one-half hours
Thus. II we learn that q certain event.
the arrival Of a ship, for instance, oc-
Cured at Hong Kong at the hour of noon
, on q certain day, we are to understand
that 1t occurred when our clocks indi-
, Gated 11:3O p. M. on the preceding
! day. A telegram announcing the event,
II sent at once. would be received by us
In the course of an hour or less. and but
for the bit Of headwork here laid out II
would seem to reach us several hours be-
2 fore the event occurred.s