Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-08-05
VATICAN FORCED =
TO ADVANCE TINE
Italian Government Puts Up All
Official Chronometers an
Hour Per Day. 4
CAUSE OF CONSERVATION
No Announcement Made When
Two Minutes Are Taken, and.
Many Difficulties Result
ny CAMILLE CIANFARRA.


ROME. August 4-Besides advancing
the official time one hour, the Italian
government has quietly stolen two
minutes per day for a whole month
from the unsuspectins country until
the time was set two hours ahead
For fifteen days the theft passed. al.
most unnoticed, although it caused
the deepest CONSERVATION in every
watchmaker's shop in Italy. Watches.
chronomcters and timepieces OF every
description began to act queerly about
the second fortnight of May. when with
the completely Of the local OBSERVE
tory. the noon gun, which is fred from
Mount Marius. and by which every In.
habitant of the Eternal City regulates
MS watch, was fired two minutes ahead
of the official time. On the fourth, NTH
and sixth days the watchmakers began
to worry, and their preoccupation be-
came genuine alarm when they DIS.
covered that their watches and chro.
nometcrs guaranteed to split the sec
ond for any number Of years. insisted
on being two minutes late by the noon
gun Of the observatory.
The same thing happened in every.
other city and town Of Italy where the
official time ia daily flashed from the
capital. A government expert endeav.
ored to allay the watchmakers' fears by
saying that the ineXplicable behaving
Oh timepieccs was due to magnetic dika
turbances Of n transitory character.
but his explanation was easily confuted
by Florence University professors.
who came very near losing his Job
The government would have easily ao-
complished its purpose without aroue-
ing the public's suspicion had not tia
Vatican denounced the whole scheme
for tho tragic consequences It had In
Its relations with the outside world.
1t appears that the Vatican observa-
tory was not party to tho schene
that continued to keep the official time
for some fifteen or twenty days. ma
that the net result was that many corts-
plications and Incidents OF the moe
deplorable nature occurred. First ,cI
all. tho high prelntes transactinr busS-
ness with outsiders could hardly M
derstand why tho latter should kesa
them waiting. and second. visitors
seemed determined to get Mt the yaf3.
can long after tho hour set for thefn
audience with the Pontifr had passed.
On several occasions the Pope va
Kept waiting ten and twenty minutes.
and though at first nothing was said
about It. yet there came a day whenva
group OF visitors from northern
Italian diocese was CURLY told by the
Vatican majordomo that the time sat
Tor them to be admitted before the
Pope had passed and the audience wan
on. A Roman prince who called Nv
appointment and arrived half an ho,rr
late by the Vatican time was informed
that the Pope was not In the habit az
waiting even princes pleasure. Tha
prince looked at his watch ana. In
seeing that he had arrived on TIA
minute. endeavored to explain, but thu
prelate detailed to escort him replieti
that he had no orders to receive ak,
plantations. -,>
The secret of the strange happens
ings within the Vatican walls was or,s
day discovered by the Rev. Father r.
ri. Hagen, the American director Of
the Vatican observatory, who hastily
informed Cardinal Gasparrl. secretary
OF state. that unless he wanted to sever
relations with the outside world thu
Vatican must advance it's time another
hour. 40