Evening star., 1914-11-26
CORRECT time IS GIVEN
TO ALL PARTS OIL. S.
Vessels Navigating Along Both
Coasts Also Notified
Twice Daily.
Supt. ]. A. Hoogewerh of Naval OBJ
4. servatory, in Report, Tells
Of Work Done.

| OF WOT6 OOAc.
| During the past fiscal year, the Naval
Observatory here. says Supt. j. A
! Hoogewerf, q. s. n, In his annual re-
port to the Secretary of the Navy. has
furnished the entire country east of the
Rocky mountains with the standard
time at noon. seventy-fifth meridian
| time. each day, both by telegraph and
! radio. while the chronometer and time
station. navy yard. Mare Island. Cal,
has done the same for the country west
| of the Rockies: vessels navigating the
North Atlantic ocean and the Gulf OF
| Mexico have been furnished standard
time twice each day-at noon and at 10
p.m.-by the observatory, through the
navy radio stations, and the same has
been done for the north and east Pa
cifc ocean by the Mare Island station.
The Importance to navigators OF
these two signals" the superintendent
says, "is referred to in report from
a merchant vessel which states thas
their chronometers have been checked
daily from New York to a point sou
miles north of Rio Janeiro when the
distance from Arlington was 4,l5o
miles. The noon signal also Is sent by
radio from Key>West and New Orleans:
covering the northern part of the Gulf
of Mexico Since May Z, 1914, spe-
cial 10 pm. radio signal has been sent
out from Key West for the benefit OF
our vessels in Mexican waters. In case
Of q breakdown at Arlington. the sta
tions at Newport, New York, Norfolk
and Charlesto< are directed to send
the noon signals. In case of apprecia Die
error in the signal 1t is corrected by
sending the signal one hour later. The
mean daily error in transmission for
the year was o:o55 second. and the
maximum error o:36 second. Que 20
change Of rate in the standard sidereal
clock, due to recent overhauling.
Special Appropriation Needed.
while the lag, that is. the difference
of time between the transmission OF
the signal and its arrival at a distant
point is small, 1t amounts sometimes to
some o.3 second; and in these days.
when the signals are being increasingly
used by surveyors and astronomers, 1t
is very desirable that more up-to-date
sending apparatus be installed and GER
tain return signals arranged Tor. par
ticularly by radio, in order that the ex-
act time of the receipt of signals may
be known and published. This will re-
Quire a special appropriation. Small
radio receiving sets for the time Sig
throughout the country by watch
makers, jewelers. and colleges, and nave
greatly extended the usefulness of the
time signals. These receiving sets
have proven themselves of practical
value and as they are not very ex-
pensive, the number Of them is increas-
ing rapidly.
Another special service performed by
the observatory in conjunction with
the French authorities. through the
Eiffel tower and the radio station at
Arlington, Va. was very thorough
set of observations to determine d.
rectly by radio the difference of longi-
tude between Washington and Paris.
At the same time many stations in this
country made use of those signals to
determine their own lonsitudes with
reference to Washington. -.
One of the houses erected by the
Washington-Paris longitude work is
now being used by observers from the
United States coast and Seodetic sur-
yey in the work of determining the
longitude between here and Far Rock
away and between here and the Har-
ward College observatory. This is
link in the TRANSATLANTIC eterrnination
of the difference of longitude between
Washington and Pptsdam. Germany,
being made by cable via the Azores.
Public Also Is Served.
Summarizing the other work of the
observatory during the past year. the
superintendent says that navigators.
surveyors and astronomers OF this and
other countries have been kept sup
piled with the positions of the heaven
ly bodies in a form for practical use
through the issues Of the American
Ephemerfs and Nautical Almanac. the
Nautical Almanac and the Supplement;
continuous fundamental meridian OBJ
servations of the sun. moon, planets
and stars have been kept up through
out the year. continuous observations
h
instruments of the satellites Of the
planets, of occultations OF stars by the
moon. of comets and asteroids: photo
graphs Of the sun have been taken each
clear day in order to obtain data for
the effect of changes in this body on
climatic conditions of the earth: the
navy, the revenue cutter and light
house services. have been kept supplied
gyro-compasses, the purchase. inspec-
tion. repair and issue Of which has
been done by or through the Naval OBJ
servatory, and as much opportunity as
on Of the serious practical work OF
the observatory has been given the
public to view the heavens through the
instruments.
Buildings out-of-Date.
In a special chapter regarding the
buildings and grounds of the institu-
tion. Supt. Hoogewern says:
The forty-two separate buildings
constituting the Naval Observatory
plant are. in general. In good condition;
but most OF them were built more than
twenty years ago, some of the wood Is
rotting, and the buildings require con-
slant attention and paint In order to
properly preserve them. The copper
and other roofs require going over each
spring. and the electric wiring is SO
much out-of-date that the buildings
, would not be accepted as a risk by in
surance companies.
Tho grounds are constantly improv-
| ing in condition, and the observatory
circle is now complete with the excep-
| tion of 6.7s4 acres lying north of OBJ
servatory lane, on the Georgetown side
of the circle, belonging to the Indus
trial Home School. and 3,SAS.57 square
feet of the Normanstone tract, lying
southeast of the center of the circle.
the acquisition Of which will require an
| appropriation of 1904.
THE government owns 14.449 acres
| to the eastward of the southern juno
| ton of Massachusetts avenue with the
observatory circle highway, which fs
| entirely unimproved."
..There are some 1900 cubic yards of
| grading to be done just south of the
eastern Massachusetts, avenue en-
| ...zoo u,odn neceaaarv nv the cuftiN q