Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-19

r. being noon all of the way. When we
stop, just eastward of the date boundary,
it is still noon, January !. Aaoins ' nc
twelve hours enjoyed before we started on
cur rapid trip to the twenty-four consumer
in that journey, we have had thirty SIX
hours of New Year day so far. NOW we
will wait at our stopping point, just east OF
the date boundary twelve hours more. OF
until midnight January /. Addlng THESE
twelve hours to our thirty-six do we not
have forty-eight hours, all belonging ID
New Year day?
The signal will leave Washington within
one-tenth OF second of the precise mid
night. standard time. Within the past rev
months the time service has had Installed
in subterranean vault what Is believed to
be the most accurate clock in the Americas.
It was purchased in Munich. and It's PEN
dulum is of alloy less sensitive to tenn
perature than any other metalllc compost
ton. Moreover, the vault is arranged SO
that the delicate thermometer stationed
therein registers practically the same de-
gree all the year around. or course. II
hot spell should expand this pendulum the
clock would run more slowly, ana wee
versa.
This clock registers the days. hours, min
utes and seconds of the stars. which di-
visions Of time are the raw material out OF
which our standard time Is being daily
manufactured Old Sol Is an Irregular, un-
dependable fellow. and when clocks and
watches were first introduced they had to
be constantly set forward or back In order
to keep pace with his eccentricities. The
tirae Of one revolution of the earth on its
axis can be accurately timed only by
measuring the interval between two pas
sages of a star in the heaven across the
meridian of any given place on earth. This
day of the stars does not vary from CEN
fury to century. But in the course of a
year the number of revolutions which the
earth actually makes on it's axis is one
greater than the number of sun days in
that year-and the sun calendar is the one
which we all use. Hence the day. hour.
minute and second of the stars are shorter
than those Of the sun told off by our
clocks.
Preparatory Work.
The great telescope of the naval observa-
tory. in cooperation with others scattered
over the earth. is constantly timing the
days of the stars, and thus is compiled
from year to year the great nautical al
manac-a time table of those distant lumi-
naries.
The new star clock will be corrected three
nights each week from now on to New Year
eve, and these corrections will be checked
by the stars themselves. Just west of and
adjoining the observatory is a white iron
barn. By the turning of a crank inside
this building is completely bisected by
narrow slit across the roof and down the
sides. Just as IL some great knife blade run
ming due north and south had descended
through Its center Muffied In great coat,
and. with a wooden cap drawn over his
head. an observer lies upon a couch rolled
upon a miniature railroad track directly
under this slit, and as he looks upward he
sees the meridian line across the sky at
night. Pivoted above him is a telescope
known as the transit instrument" AS
this transit is swung it commands a view
of any star CHANGING to pass the meridian
line. The observer holds in one hand the
nautical almanac. that infallible time table
which tells exactly when any star is due to
cross this imaginary path. In his other
hand rests telegraph key, and just as the
star crosses he presses the button. The tel
egraph key connects by wire with
'chronograph." a queer sort of clock,
whose dial is a revolving cylinder of paper
and whose second hand is fountain pen.
The instant the button is pressed a mark
is written on the paper and simultaneously
the record of the new star clock is written
on the same sheet. II the clock and the
star do not agree the clock is corrected.
h In the time ROOM OF the observatory
our ordinary solar day. One of these the
standard clock" Is always Theoretically
correct Its error is always known by con-
slant comparison with the corrected star
ematics to convert the minutes and seconds
of the stars into those of the sun. The
other time keeper in the time room is the
transmitting clock" At II 80 pm. De-
cember 81. this will be corrected bv the
standard clock to within two-thousandths
OF second of exact standard time From
then until midnight its second beats viii
by aid OF the chron0graph and its fountain
pen pen n De COMPARED with those Of the stand
as they should they will be accelerated or
retarded by gentle jolts Of the pendulum.
Sending the Signal.
The transmitting clock will be connectad
with the vast system Of telegraph wires
and cables ramifying and spanning the
nd ma yfo