The Washington herald., 1907-01-13
KEEPS CLOCKS RIGHT
Prof. Gardner's Inventive
Genius Responsible.
HOW TINE BALL IS DROPPED
Noon Signal Is transmitted from a
Central ChrOnOmeter in Naval OBJ
servatOry and Its Duplicate az Mare
Island, Cai.-sets All Timepieces
Every Hour-FIrst Patent Papers.

"Pn put a girdle around the earth in
seven seconds, was not the exclamation
of the late Prof William T. Gardner.
when ne began his experiments IN time
controlling systems some thirty years ago.
but his inventions. which were first pat
ented in 1888. have enabled the people
of the Naval Observatory in this city 10
do that very thing.
Five minutes before midnight, Deem
Der 81. when the instruments fer record
ing tine indicated that the moment was
approaching which would marx the pass
ing OF another year. connections had been
made which assured a girdie Of wire
around the earth. and I'm a thousand
cities in this country, Ia Hawaii, In the
Philippines. in Asia, and "a Europe the
clocks IN the circuit. which mad been cs-
tablished. began to announce through a
series Of ticks. Of extra loud tone, one
for each second Of the passing hour. that
the end was near. In all, there were just
299 Of these ticks. Then came the clock,
the fnal-the sixtleth second OF the twen-
ty-fourth hour Of the last day Of tbs old
year.
Recorded New Year.
Instantly every clock in the whole cir
cult loudly recorded the fact that the new
year had dawned on the seventy-hfth
meridian Of longitude west from Green
witch. which meridian runs through the
city OF washington. AT the same instant
the connected umepieces in Portland,
{ NJ
a. m. While in Chicago the hands few
back. II they were not exactly correct
and indicated that 1t was II p. m, and
/ that one hour more OF the Old year re-
NAMED on the meridian OF the Windy
City. In Denver. at the same instant,
/ those on watch knew by the same click
+ that # was 10 p. m, and 50 on the world
around.
Every one who has happened Into one
Of the Offices OF the Western Union Tele-
graph Company at a minute or two be-
/ fore noon, any day during the past twenty
years. has perhaps noted the peculiar
habits OF the clocks Of that corporation
/ at that time OF day Those clocks are OF
/ the self-winding variety, and they are
getting ready TO correct any error which
may have crept into their interior ar
engagements during the past twerty-four
I hours Most people know. II they have
ever incurred that these clocks and hun
dreds Of others in every city in the United
States. are fl direct electrical connection
with the thermometer room at the Naval
/ Observatory. and that when the time
ball" drops from the top OF the State, War
and Navy Building. every clock in the
circuit viii instantly become correct. Pc
Prof. Gardeners Inventions.
/ But very few people know that this
method OF transmitting time IS tie In
vention OF Prof William F. Gardner. who
vas born in Baltimore 10 1874, and died Ia
/ Washington In 1885. after nearly thirty
years service as an employee Of the Naval
/ Observatory.
Prof Gardner early learned the value
/ OF absolutely accurate tine. Every
sailor knows that in order 20 reckon his
/ longitude he must have success to Q
Ic hronometer, which shows the exact time
/ at some given meridian. and Greenwich,
/ England. where is located the Royal OBJ
/ servdtory, has long been recognized by al
maritime nations as the prime meridian.
/ Il is Just as important 20 the surveyor
( through a mineral region. where tie
metals in the eart1 affect the compass,
( Mr. Gardne-'s inventions have made this
. possible. and in consequence has saved
. hundreds Of thousands Of dollars, and oe-
sides made 1t possible 10 define exact
boundary lines between mining propcrtiel
First Patent Papers.
The first patent papers were taken cot
/ October .. ISIS. and since then some Of
/ teen more have been taken out, and the
/ perfection Of the wonderful system was
( very clearly demonstration WHEN re Rail
way Exposition was held here some
/ eighteen months ago.
On that occasion an enormous map OF
! the earth was erected on the White Lot.
An electrical device was attached. and as
/ the time signal vas Elsl.ed around the
earth the fact that it was received ct
/ Omaha. san Francisco. Honolulu. Manila.
/ Hongkoue. and cEence through Asia
/ Europe. and finally back To the initial
: point. was indicated by a fash az points
SHOWN on the map.
Transmission OF Noon Signal.
The noon signal is transmitted from a
! central clock in the Naval Observatory,
and By this one clock. together with its
duplicate az Mare Island. California.
nearly every other clock in the United
States. Mexico. Hawaii. Cuba. and Can
ada IS set.
One clock in each group is Of extra fine
| construction, and acts as the major
clock Of the company. In addition to the
daily orders from the commandev-in-
chief. this major clock sets all under It's
command once every hour. Moreover, the
time balls in Central time, where it is
desired that they fan at noon. must be
dropped by their local major clock, since
lie operated directly from Washington
they must fall at Il o'clock in that time
belt
Just underneath the dial OF the trans
hitting clock. on the same shaft Will
the second hand, is an extra wheel hay
ing sixty teeth. one for every second
that is, it would have sixty, but for the
omission Of the twenty-ninth and the five
preceding the sixtieth. Tangent TO this
wheel is a metallic spring through which
is passed an electric current One enc
Of the spring is not fastened, and at the
point nearest the wheel there is a pro-
jectlng nib At each beat Of the pendu
lum the wheel jumps forward one tooth
which tooth strikes the projecting poin
and must push it asiae in order TO pass
Thus the spring is disconnected at It:
free end and the electric circuit is broken
Ticks Prepare the Way
On an adjacent table an armature thai
was being held down upon its electro
magnet by this current is instantly re-
z