The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-09-25
Why Greenwich Time Is Used
Conditions Which Led America and Other Countries to
Adopt the English Standard

! p. M, at which hour the Greenwich
time ball is dropped automatically.
Formerly each country determined
its own official time from observations
at its chosen national observatory, but
more than half a century ago Otto
Strive of the Russian National obser-
vatory predicted to Sir George Airy,
then astronomer royal. that every
body would n day use Greenwich
time. just as nearly all seamen use
charts with longtitudes measured from
Greenwich.
The Standardization of time on rail-
ways became a pressing need when
the great line to San Francisco was
built. and an American professor nam
ed Dowd in 1870 suggested that the
states should be divided into sections,
whose standard time should differ by
whole hours instead of awkward and
irregular intervals determined BY the
exact longitude of the local observa-
tory. Sanford Fleming of the Cana
dian Pacific railway in 1879 suggested
a universal day. using Greenwich
time instead of Washington, as Pro-
lessor Dowd had proposed. The next
important step, after the conference
had agreed on the advantages of some
such scheme, was the Washington
prime meridian conference in October,
1884; but before this the American
railways had practically adopted into
i've zones" four, five, six, seven and
eight hours respectively slow with
reference to Greenwich.
The practical support of American
railways brought about the adoption
OF Greenwich az the prime meridian,
in spite Of the claims set up on behalf
of Jerusalem, Rome or some unap-
propriated island, with a view to
avoiding international jealousy. Since
then one country after another has
adopted a time" based on Greenwich,
though in some cases there is an odd
half hour Of difference, notably in
South Africa, South Australia, New
Zealand and some parts of India. Two
countries held out, however, in favor
OF their own observatory time.
The meridian Of Paris is less than
ten minutes east of Greenwich, so that
the obvious plan, in order to come
into line with other countries, was for
France to adopt Greenwich time. This
small change, though it passed the
French chamber of deputies before,
has only within the last week succeed
ed in overcoming the patriotic" op-
position of the senate. There will be
no rioting, as in the days of 1852, when
the Gregorian reform of the calendar
was adopted in England, for, instead
of the semblance of a loss of IL days,
all that can happen in France will be
the addition Of about nine and one
half minutes to one Of the days, which
will very likely be done by simply
stopping clocks for the required pc
Rod.
The other outstanding country is
Ireland, where Dublin time is still Of
fetal. 1t has been mooted as a grew
ance by some Irishmen that the ad-
herence to Dublin time gives them Is
minutes additional darkness" in
which they have to pay for artificial
light, but this practical view does not
seem to appeal widely to the Celtic
temperament. OF course the altera.
ton in the case of Ireland to Green.
witch time or to half an hour slow on
Greenwich would not involve the in.
consistency which is one Of the hu.
mors OF the so-called Daylight Saw.
ing Bill" as 1t would be made once
for all. The anomaly of ireland hae
prevented Great Britain from urgine
the adoption of universal standard
time elsewhere, al the retort cour.
teous would be too obvious. The near.
ly unanimous support of Greenwich
as the. prime meridian has been due
not only to American support, but also
to that of many other countries, sucf
as Italy, and to the practical common
sense Of the representatives of Ger
many. One hopes that Ireland, too
will soon come into line.
Chimney and Furnace Cleaning.