The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-02-25
THIRTEEN HOURS FROM MANILA.
Difference of Time From Washington
Based On Greenwich Meridian.
Baltimor American.)

(Baltimor American)
( In view of recent and expected hap
penings in the Philippine islands. the
following statement, reprinted from the
Star of May last. concerning the time
difference between Washington and
Manila will be of interest at present:
Manila is both east and west of
Washington. Longitudinally 1t is east.
In actual distance it is to be consid-
cred as west. The computation of rela-
tive time depends solely upon which of
these directions is to be adopted. II
Washington, says the Star of that city,
were permitted to count geographical
distances from the basis of its own me-
ridian of longitude, Manila would reck-
on her time as we see the case, later
than Washington. Therefore, 1t would
be about IL o'clock last night in Manila
when it was o'clock this morning
here. But, happily for the sanity of
the dwellerS on earth, civilized man
has devised plan for preventing each
locality from considering itself the
center of the world. and has provided
that the nations agree upon some hxed
spot as the commencement of all cal
culations. Greenwich, England, is this.
point, which is now recognized by most
nations in computing time differences.
The rapid development of the world
wiIdernesses has made some such de-
vice absolutely essential. Thus, WASH
ington relinquisheS her right TO regard
Manila as lying west and as taking
her time from the Washington basis,
and consents to consider her as lying
east and taking her time from the
Greenwich basis. On this foundation
it is 10 o'clock tonight in Manila when
it is o'clock this morning here, the
difference being approximately thirteen
hours.
OF course there comes place on the
globe where the days do not adjust
themselves to the arbitrary schedule
adopted by the moderns. Naturally,
this lies exactly opposite Greenwich, or
longitude $50, west or east, according
to the point of view. 1t is the only
meridian that can be called both west
and east. When that line is reached,
travellers must reorganize their caIen-
dars. Fortunately, this line falls in
mid-ocean throughout its length, only
striking one of the Fiji islands and per-
haps a few other small projections
from the surface of the Pacific. Hence
the annoyance of the misadjustment is
reduced to minimum, and confronts
only the trans-oceanic travellers who
Journey over this imaginary boundary.
Going west 1t is necessary to drop a
day out of the week. the month and the
year. Going east it is just as neces-
sary to add a day. Thus the west
bound tourist finds himself minus d
Sunday. or a Thursday, according as
he encounters the line. Coming east
ward, he doubles the length of the day
on which the meridian is crossed. On
reaching shore he picks up the routine
of civilization once more and proceeds
without confusion.
A curious fact is recorded concerning
the time difference as 1t affects the
Philippine islands, now so pointedly
the center of worldwide interest.
Those islands were discovered by Span
ish voyagers sailing westward around
Cape Horn; Borneo, short distance
to the west, was discovered by The Por-
tuguese going around Cape of Good
Hope eastward. Consequently for many
years these two regions, so close in ac-
tual distance. and yet separated by al
most the circumference of the globe
as regards time, had different sched-
ules, and the Philippine Islanders held
their Sunday on the day that was Mon
day TO the inhabitants of Borneo. Re-
Gently this error was corrected, and
these two contiguous countries are now
on the same basis Were it not for this
correction the battle of Manila would
have been fought last Saturday in
stead of Sunday the islands thus lying
longitudinally as well as geographical
ly west of Washington.