The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1902-01-31
NO. 5
KEEPING TAB ON TIME.

"In spite of the genius of modern
watchmakers, and in spite of the fact
that seconds of time have become OF
vast Importance in the affairs of the
world,' said a New Orleans jeweler,
sit cannot be contcnded that man has
been able to keep anything like absc-
lutely correct tab on time. The fact
of the business is that there are certain
variations which the most exacting
rules have failed to do away with, and
even with railroads, where scrupulous
accuracy means the preservation of
life and the protection Of the vast
property rights, no exact system of
keeping time has yet been devised.
Railroads probably come closer to
unvarying cxactitude than the average
busines concern. In the first place
there are certain natural variations
which enter into the Governments
system of keeping time. The work at
the obsorvatories where the ball falls
when the sun is crossing the meridian
at the noon hour has overcome to
some extent these natural variations,
but even with this system second or
two will occasionally slip away una
wares. But at these places the stand
ard agreed upon is fixed. The rail-
roads are jealous of the seconds, as
jealous as the judge who keeps the
time on modern race with split
second watch. Inspectors are employ
ed by some. of the larger systems to
look after the watches Of conductors
and engineers and others who are re-
quired to observe the schedules of the
companies.
"But l was thinking more particu-
larly of the watch of the average mar
Very few men know how to treat
watch They handle this useful arti-
Gle in any sort Of way, and then ex-
pect it to keep good time. Ninety
nine men out Of every hundred wind
a watch up at the wrong time. The
man who winds his watch up just be-
fore going to bed is foolish, in this re-
spect at least. Watches should lie
wound up in the morning. A man is
interested in keeping correct time
during the day, when he must catch a
train, get to the bank at a certain hour
and keep his business engagements
generally. II he winds his watch at
night the spring begins to lag during
the time when he wants to know the
exact hour.
There are men who wind their
watches several times day. They
make a mistake A watch should be
wound once every twenty-four hours,
and no more than once.
"The watch should be kept in one
position, too. If carried in the vest
pocket, where the stem remains up
ward, it should be left in vest pocket at
night, and the vest should be hung upso
the watch would remain in exactly the
same position in which it was carried.
Do not sprawl it out on its side under
the pillow or on the dresser. If you
do you will interfere with the balance
of its internal mechanism, and il is like
ly to vary a tick or two in twenty
four hours, and when you remember
that watch ticks about 300 times a
minute, of about $4,000 times every
hour, and 432 900 times every twenty
four hours, you can see that fellow
might lose a number of ticks in days
time, and since it takes only five ticks
to make a second, according to the
standard, fellow might get behind.
But if man will do the square thing
by his watch he will have no trouble"
New Orleans Times Democrat.