The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1909-11-18
THE BIRTHDAY OF
STANDARD TIME
TODAY MARKS TWENTY-SIxTH
ANNIVERSARY OF ADOPTION OF
PRESENT STANDARD TIME"

Washington Nov 1S.--Fdther Time |
has reason to celebrate today, for Il !
is the twenty-six h anniversary OF the /.
adoption Of what S. now known as
standard time" Previous to Nov.
rs, 1888, ola Dad Time must have
been very busy aud much-harasscI /,
old gentleman, for there were in cX-
s.cuce no less than halt-ahundred !
systems OF measuring time. In Nov
is tWcnty.siX years ago there was a
general rcso,ting Of watches and
clocks all over the United Sta'cs and
Canada and the four great time zones
one hour apart into which The country
is divided came into being. Prac .ically
everyone knows that there are four
different standards of time prevailing
in the United States-Eas.ern Cen
tral. Mountain and Pacific time
but there are few that know that the
adoption of this method Of regulat-
ing time was due almost entirely TO
the Efforts OF one man. a New York
cr
by general consent the credit of
this work OF bringing order where
chaos rcigued before Is given TO W
f.. Allen. secretary and treasurer =.
the American Railway Association,
and since lS72, editor of the Oncial
Railway Guide. in recognition OF
this achievement Mr.. Allen Is often
referred to as Father Time or the
"Fa,hcr Of STANDARD Time" HIS is
the distinction OF having caused a
greater change In the habits Of the
people in The United States and Can.
ada than any o:her man now living.
Mr. Allen Is the only man WIZ
ever lived that once caused Trinity
clock to stop three and onehalf min
utcs in the middle OF ,hc day, while
thousands OF people STOOD around the
corner of Wall street and Broadway
in NcW York, watches in hand, wait
ing for the stroke which would show
tina IL was exactly T. o'clock in Wash.
ius,on Baltimore, Philadelphia, New
York, Boston, Portland and u P.ttsburg;
IL o'clock In Chicago, New Orleans
and Omaha; 10 o'clock in Laramie,
Wyo. and salt Lake City, and
o'clock in san Francisco; it being
o'clock in Stka, Alaska p. IN. IL
san Juan, Porto Rico; o'clock in
, London. aud a. N. the mex. day in
Manila, Philippine Islands.
| Tne day on which this almost
worldwide revolution in measuring
/ time took place was November is,
1888. There are people who will re-
call what cNcitment IL caused at the
lime. There were those VINO declared
such a thing an outrageous and i'm
pertinent meddling with the affairs OF
the Almighty, and there was one
clergyman in Charleston, $. c. who
declared tha, this presumption on tno
part OF puny humans would be follow
ed by some terrible visitation signi.
tying the anger oi the Heavenly pow
ers The Charleston earthquake did
follow soon after, and no doubt the
worthy clergyman considered this a
special fu.fllment of his dire prop,
hesy
Previous 70 1883 the methods OF
measuring time In the United Sta'e3
were so varied and 50 numerous a.
20 be ludicrous. There we're f!fsy
different standards used In the Unit
ed States from coast 70 coast. and on
one road between New York and
Boston. whose actual difference Is
twelve minutes, there were three dis.
;inct standards of time. Even small
towns had two different standards,
one known as town" or local time
and the other railroad" time. Nat
urally this condition of affairs caus.
cd endless complications, and rail-
road officials were harricd 10 the
point of despair in their efforts 10
make out time tables that could be
understood by the lay public.