Omaha daily bee., 1910-08-22
PIPING OFF THE TIME o. DAY
Central Plant at Washington, and
What IL Does to Keep Clocks
on the Dot


On the outskirts Of the city of Washing
ton. In beautiful park are several white
stone and white sheet-iron buildings, all of
curious forms and with odd windows and
still odder domes upon them. Inside these
various buildings and domes and behind
these windows are many astronomical In
struments from the hand sextant to the
mighty 26-inch refractor, and busted about
them corps Of expert astronomers and
mathematicians
The world at large knows little Of the
Institution, save that 1t exists. That 1t Is
a. the bottom of the regularity Of the lives
or 100000 people is a concept almost revo-
lutionary, but as time controls the world,
and time, as regards watches and clocks
and high noon and midnight, is here deter
mined from the heavenly bodies which
make Its steady, implacable and never
varying march a possibility, the Importance
OF the institution is greater, economically
considered, than that within the other white
stone and lofty domed building wherein sit
900 lawmakers. They govern the country
but time governs them.
OF course, the finest clocks are used at
the observatory to keep the time. The
standard clock is In a vault, underground
where the temperature never changes. 1t
is In glass case, where the atmospheric
pressure is kept always slightly below that
OF the lowest possible barometer reading
ior changes even in the surrounding air
pressure make a difference IN the running
OIL the clock. The standard clock is wound
every half minute by electricity, using
very small weight, because heavy weights
and long intervals between windings cause
fluctuations in the way the clock runs. The
mechanism is as simple as that Of a clock
can be- and is as fine as the finest Of ma
terial and the finest of workmen can
make it.
But in spite of all that, the clock does
not keep perfect time. No clock or watch
IN the world keeps true time. The only
thlng In all the world that does keep time
is the earth itself and its changeless rota-
ton.
so the clock is constantly compared with
the true time derived from star or sun. An
instrument called transit, or, in the case
OF the observatory, a meridian circle is
used for this work, and for the reason that
the work 1t does is so indispensable 1t is
really this simple instrument which is the
ii'ost important in the whole institution
ana not only the mighty 26-inch refractor
Impressive and picturesque as 1t is. The
meridian circle instrument is a telescope OF
moderate size and power, mounted on bear
lnss or trunnions which point to the truA
east and west The telescope. therefore
points always at the north and south or
the great circle of heavens between the
north and south; in other words II IL
oIIented upon the meridian of Washington
VOW observations for $50 years have pro-
Vloed astronomers with many tables and
l"uch data We know to hair Just the
instant when certain star-any one
| NN
SUITS because their hour angle" with the
| LA Hai equihocual point has been accurately
uotermlned-will cross the meridian of anv
given place. So. II at the instant that II
uoes cross a certain meridian we note the
Tune the clock gives for that meridian We
KNOW the error of the clock This error.
OF rate, as 1t is called, is fairly constant.
WINE we can't make clocks that keep time
WIN the stars. they do, pretty well, keep
uihe win themselves and lose or gain an
equal amount day after day But this rate
uoes vary little, and It lie this little varta-
uoh which the observation on the star
corrects
Electrically corrected by this standard
CLOCK are two time-sendinE clocks in the
main building Of the observatory. There
are TWO so that II one breaks down time
signals VIII still be sent out Every day.
Oetore noon, eastern time, the trunk
mes OF the Postal and Western Union
le'esraph companies are cleared of all
o'"er business and instead OF the curious
mixture of dots and dashes which are rnas-
sases the saunders in the main offices Of
the country begin to beat out seconds. AT
the end OF every minute of the five minutes
oeiore IL there is a short walt of five sec
ohos. And Just before noon, for ten sec
oLds' the saunders all stop beating seconds.
ana then Just on the stroke of noon. thev
all begin to chatter hard. a long roll. Noon
Is mere The sun is at the top OF its daily
course In Washington A new lease has
been given the life of time.-The World
Today