The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1898-06-25
= : = "a
EXPERTS WITH ARMY.
SUPPOSED TO KNOW ALL OF
MILITARY MATTERS!
Representatives of European Powers Will
Follow Cuban Invasion They Come to-
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 Numerically the
| opposite side OF the globe In other
words, the difference between our time
and that of a 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. l. Bombay it is .
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
~ecko1ed westward. The difference in
time between Manila and Boston is eleven
hours. When a Manila clock indicates
A. M. 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 a certain event took place
at Manila at 10 p. NJ, we can figure
out at once that 1t 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 O. clock in our morn
ing.
Thus far the reckoning is easy. Eut
now comes 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 difference
which we must allow for, whether AN
event is dated in Manila time or in that
of Hong Kong.
first received by us relating to Com
modore Deweys victory in Manila bay
was ono dated Hong Kong, May 2, an
nouncing, though prematurely, 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?
. The answer of this question depends
upon the location of the international
date line" The fact is well known that
there is somewhere in the Pacific oce:in
a mysterious line, upon crossing which
one must make change in his reckon
ing of time. If he crosses it from east
to west day must be dropped, if in
the other direction, day must be repeat
ed.,esThis lire is the 1e0th 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 it is;
Sunday on the east side it is Monday on,
the west side. When it is Monday on the
Gil
and so on through the week, and there is,
of course, the same, difference in tho
days of the month, the list of May, for
instance, on the east side, being the I'd,
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 COM
mercial nations, the day is considered tos
begin. 1t is not easy to make perfectly
clear in a few words the necessity FOR
some such arrangement; but the mystery"
may be cleared up partially in this way:
Suppose 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 to.
travel In: the same direction. He would
accomplish the. journey in twentY-four7
hours and, having started on Sunday,
he might be pardoned if he supposed it.
to be Sunday all the way around-that
is, If he took no note of time-fcr 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 the
Tying journey he should have changed
| his time-reckoning. He should have said
to himself: Thus far it has been Sunday;
/ IF f1,0 <,r;v
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
| BUT since we are speaking, with side
glance at the Philippine Islands, an i'm
po1tant note must be added Although
the date line" is commonly stated to be
the 1Sf'th meridian of longitude, and il
pl actical1y so regarded by naviga tors;
actually' as 1T Is laid down on a chart.
1t does not follow this meridian but it
takes a long sweep to the west and
curves around the Philippine Islands,
bringing them on it eastern side, not
withstanding that these islands lie some
cO degrees of longitude west of the the
oretfcal date line.
This exceptional position of the Philip
originated In the circumstance that Ma
gellan discovered them while sailing
westward land that the way or reckon
ing time there had become established
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, asst will 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 Illustrated 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, mist
be treated as fast with reference to our
time, about twelve and one-haf hours.
Thus. II we learn that certain event.
the arrival of ship, for instance, Oc-
Cured at Hong Kong at the hour of noon
on a certain day. we are to understand
that 1t occurred when our clocks indi-
Gated 11:3O p NJ 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 Il
would seem to reach us several hours be-
fore the event occurred.y
l rs~-%.A Yr->.