The Washington times., 1905-01-01
NEW YEAR FLASHED
AROUND THE WORLD
Uncle Sans Greeting Goes
to All Nations.
AT STROKE OF MIDNIGHT
Time licked From the Naval 0bserva-
toIy-Combatants In ManchuTia
Alone Get No Message
AT STROKE OF MIDNIGHT

Uncle Sam at midnight sent his New
Year greetings from the Naval Obser-
vatory 70 all parts of the civilized world,
marking the beginning OF the year 1905
If ali went well and the wires were
free. the greeting travelled over l.1S0,eoO
miles of telegraph wires and cables.
1t flashed from Washington across the
continent to San Francisco, and from
there beneath the waters of the Pacific
to the Hawaiian Islands. From this
point it went to Uncle Sans newest
territory, the Philippines, and thence
through the tropic waters to Hongkong-
Over IN Asia.
Continuing its lightning-like journey,
it went TO Singapore. Madras. and Bonn
bay, in India. 1t touched at Alden. on
the Red Sea, and went through Port
Said and Gibraltar. 1t told the news
to Plymouth. England, and to Nova
Scotia, coming back at last TO Wash
ington.
But this was not all the territory
traversed by the ge. if the wires
worked All along the shores CT Asia,
among the fighting Russians and ia
panese: over the various sections OF
! India and Egypt: through the habitahle
parts Of Africa. among which were the
diamond fields of Cape Town; and over
! the mountains. rivers, and lakes OF
Central and South America, the New
Year tidings Were sent
No Greeting for Manchuria.
If. however, the Russo-JapaneSe war
news was plentiful this morning and at
| midnight the wires of the Eastern Ex-
tension and Australasia Telegraph
! Company could not be thrown open for
/ the transmission of the message. 1t dld
not visit much of Asia If such was
the case, the message went everywhere
| except to those places furnished WITH
telegrams by the company mentioned
The New Year signal was sent from
the Naval Observatory by the hand OF
Lieut.. Com. E. E. Hayden. u 3 N
who is in charge Of chronometers and
ltfne service at the observatory Inc
.sanding of the message was authorized
! bv Rear Admiral Chester superln-
tendent of the observatory
what was sent was not in reality a
message but a signal. consisting OF
a series of cIcck ticks. This signal was
sent at midnight, and at two regular
intervals thereafter 1t showed the
itiexact beginning of the New Year In
Washington.
In No Time.
| The soeed with which this signal COW
ers distance can be realized tror1 tat
fact that last year. the first time Il
was tried. 1t reached the Lick Observa,
tory in 05 second. and the Sydney OBJ
servatory, in Australia, in 35 seconds.
In spite OF this speed. and owing t'
the differencessin time over the yariou:
sections of the globe. the signal got Il
Rome. the home IF the Pope, 1T . o clocl
in the morning and reached Maniis
early in tie afternoon It struck Lon
don at about o'clock in the morning
The sending of these MESA ges" cost
the United States Government nothing
as the telegraph companies make tn
york of transmission entirely compli
mentary.
From Midday Signal.
The time experts at the observator.
obtained the idea of the New Yea
signal from the midday time signal
which is sent from this city to all part
of the United States every day.
Early this morning the stupendCus fe9t
of telegraphing around the world IN
few seconds WAS accomplished. unles
the war in the East interfered with III
plan Whether or not this interference
occurred will be determined this after