The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-04-26

dangling in one direction between VI and
VII and the minute hand is losing itself
in another somewhere between XII and
XII, the new timepiece will read simply
and conclusively 6:5S. In another minute
the last figure magically disappears and 8
takes its place, and in another all the
figures vanish, and in their place appears
TOO. That is, time will be told as the rail-
road time tables tell it. And with one
general introduction IF this system would
go much bungling xpressions-entailed by
the old circular dial-plate with its wreath
of figures-as twenty minuts past nine
fourteen minutes of twelve. Instead we
shall adopt the crisp, accurate terminol-
0gy of the timetable and say, nine-twen-
ty, eleven forty-sx.
Another advantage of Mr.. Thrasher's
'aock is that time may be discerned by it
1t much great ter distance and a more diff
ult angle. The reason is obvious There
ire twenty-eight figures on the ordinary
lial and only one is perfectly upright
The greatest number appearing on the
new dial is four, and all are upright. The
figures of a tower cock, for example, may
be made several feet fong and thus dis
cernable at great distance.
THE seconds are indicated by a hand
following a graduated arc instead of a
complete circle. The device makes the
figures easier to read than where many
of them are upside down. The second
hand is the only one on the dial.
Among Mr.. Thrashers patents are
some covering electrical devices which
insure greater regularity and accuracy of
movement than has hitherto been at
tanned, together with a simplicity of con-
struction which makes the consumption
of battery power exceedingly small More
over, these improvements in electrical
clocks render it practicable to have a
system of accurate naturalization on a
scale however great. For example, the
hundred rooms of an office building may
each have it's indicator set in the wall
all controlled by one master clock, which
in turn is synchronized from the observa-
tory, thus insuring accurate time wher-
ever the indicators are placed Hotels,
public buildings, factories office-buiMings
and railroads will probably be among the
first to introduce the system.
There is a feature in regard to tower
clocks which ought to be noted. Unless
very expensive precautions are taken the
vibration of the tower. changes of temper
allure and other influences seriously i'm
pair their accuracy. But by this system
the time mechanism may be located in
any convenient place away from disturb
ing influences, and the figures upon the
tower dial controlled by the electrical con-
nections The inventor believes his scheme
is capable of and will receive great ex-
pansion, that the time will come when
large houses will be fitted up with indica-
tors in every room, when the time will
be reckoned, among the modern improve
ments' along with lighting and heating.
hot and cold water, and rented with the
building Finally, he expects, a whole
city will be arranged on a time system,
every building whose owner desires 1t be-
ing electrically connected with the mas
ter-clock,' and inaccurate time becoming
a relic of the past. This is a Napoleonic
idea, but is only another step in the pro-
cess Of organizing the conveniences of
urban life which has hong been going on.
II is worthy of the twentieth century"