El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-04-01

as the standard in order to regulate
time? Were not We a great nation
among other nations, with a splendid
observatory at the national capitol.
Washington? Why not adopt the time
Of the Washington meridian? Why go
across the ocean to the Mother Coun-
try, whom some few Americans des-
pissed. and take Greenwich? Why not
assert our own nationality. and use
Washington time? There was consid-
cradle talk OF this kind. but it did
not prevail. for the simple reason that
it is more convenient to use Green
witch time. Thus eastern standard
time is exactly five hours slower than
the time kept in England, Central time
is six hours slower, Mountain time is
seven hours, and Pacific time is eight
hours slower. At 1 p. m in San Fran
cisco 1t is-s p. m. in London
People who travel considerably know
what q convenience It is to have ac-
curate time, and not to be required
to change their watch, except by even
hours when long trip is taken east
and west Naturally Canada had no
aversion TO adopting the Greenwich
meridian, and time in the United
States and Canada became alike.
Time In Europe.
What has been done in Europe?
Spain and Belgium both use the same
time as is used in Great Britain. Ger
many, Austria. Hungary, Denmark,
Italy, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden,
and Malta use time which is exactly
one hour past, or Greenwich time.
Bulgaria, Turkey and Roumania use
time two hours fast, or Greenwich
time.
In Europe, Russia. and France were
the only great nations that regarded
their national pride of more impor-
tance than world wide convenience.
The time of the Paris observatory,
which is 9m 21s fast on Greenwich,
has been the official time in Paris
and Algeria. After many hundreds Of
years of jealous rivalry, France has at
last bowed to 'the nation Of shop
keepers across the Oh annel." and now
as one travels from france to Spain.
from France to Belgium, or from
France to England, it will not be nee
essary to alter his watch. We hope
that Russia, too, will fall in line before
many years
Eclipse of the Sun.
On April %, there is a total eclipse
OF the sun. Observers who wish to
see the corona must travel to the mid
die Of the Pacific ocean and locate
themselves on some small uninhabited
island Total eclipses are of great i'm
portance to the astronomer, and some
astronomers will travel thousands of
miles in order to photograph the cor
ona and interesting phenomena brought
out only during total eclipse.
The writer has seen three total
eclipses, has Travelled about 5000
miles in order to observe the corona
altogether for about 10 minutes of
time.
This month the eclipse will be en-
tirely invisible in Canada, or any sec
tion Of the country north and east OF
In the eastern part OF
the United States the eclipse is visible
as small partial eclipse just before
sunset, the sun setting eclipsed. The
farther west one goes the more is the
eclipse visible. At San Francisco the
eclipse begins at 3:5 p. m. and ends
at 4:30 p m. At the city of the Golden
Gate, but one quarter Of the suns d.
ameter on the southern edge viii be
covered up.
At total eclipses there is often Wis
ible the rosy flames Of the solar fire
shooting UP many thousands of miles
above the suns surface. Astrono-
mers, however. no longer are obliged
to wait for an eclipse to see these in
terestfng phenomena. They are rem