Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1901-02-02
NEW TIME SYSTEM


The new century will bring about
many changes but perhaps none OF
such everyday Importance as the pro-
posed new method of timekeeping
One of the most practical results will
be that noon at Greenwich will be Il
O'Clock all over the world. AT present
each day is spread over 48 (and in
some instances fifty-five) hours in diff
| ferent places. With the new system
it will have its beginning and end
within twenty-four hours all over the
globe. The hours on our watches and
clocks, too, will run from one to twen-
ty-four. 1t would seem odd for while
to order theatre carriages at thalf-past
twenty-five in place of half-past ten.
The waggish reply ga quarter-past
thirteen" made by the policeman in
the "Bob Ballads" will become the
correct way of indicating a quarter
past one But, after all, this will on
ly be an enlargement of what actually
begun rs fer back as 1886, when the
time for all through" trains on the
Canadian Pacific Railroad was first
reckoned in hours running from one to
twenty-four.
WILL PREVENT COMPLICATIONS.
The fixing of a universal prime meri-
dian will do away with the ambiguity
J., nj ~ l.
come multiplied lead to such confusing
complications in social and commercial
affairs, to errors in chronology, to liti-
cation in connection with succession to
property, insurance matters, contracts,
etc. The present variations of time
are readily demonstrated by selecting
points in four regions about ninety de-
grees apart, for instance, Japan, Ara
bia, Newfoundland and Alaska. On
Sunday at midnight in Japan it is noon
in Newfoundland. and on two distinct
days, viz. Sunday and Monday To
explain this apparently contradictory
statement note that Arabia being west
of JaEan, the time there cat midnight
in Japan would be 6 p. m. Sunday,
while in Alaska, being east of Japan
it would be 6 a. m. on Monday. At 6
p. m on Sunday in Arabia it must be
Sunday noon in Newfoundland. and at
6 a. m. on Monday in Alaska it must
be Monday noon ninety degrees further
east ii. e., in Newfoundland ALSO
Thus it will be seen by tracing time
both east and west from given point
to its antipodes, the clock on the one
hand becomes twelve hourse slower.
and on the other. hand twelve hours
faster. And, therefore. it follows, as
already stated. that when it is mid
night on Sunday in Japan, at precisely
that same moment it is noon at New
foundland on two distinct days, name
ly Sunday and Monday.
1t is this variation of time. too,
which forms the pivotal point of the
story, Around the World in Eighty
Days" in which the traveller who
wagered at his London Club that he
could go around the world and be back
at the club in eighty days, so nearly
lost his bet He had forgotten this
difference of a day. and thought that
he had completed his journey twen-
ty-four hours late.
ORDER OUT OF CHAOS
Does anyone ask, What is going to
straighten this out and bring about or
der out of the existing chaos?" The
answer is simply by putting into OPP
GRAFTON the results of the deliberations
of the international meridian confer
eICe, which met in Washington at the
invitation of President Arthur in Oc-
tober, 1884, for the express purpose of
a prime meridian and a
d2S This matter was
freely discussed at the time by naviga-
tors and astronomers. and the hope
was everywhere expressed that the
change would be effected on January l,
1901. At any rate it does not seem
possible that the adoption of the new
system can be deferred very long after
the commencement of the twentieth |