The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1918-03-01
SEA CLOCKS ARE
IN Big DEMAND
War Causes Shortage Of Chro-
nometers Used in Ocean
Navigation.
NONE IN THE OPEN MARKET
Price Jumps From $500 to $500 and
over-Enolishman Who Perfected
instrument Won Prize Of $780,
900 and Thanks Of Mankind.

Washington.-Am the busiest
people supplying the United States
with war materials are the makers OF
chronometers. Great care and pre-
cision are necessary In turning out
these navigating instruments, which
are the most accurate portable time
keepers known to science.
Hundreds OF chronometers have gone
to the bottom OF the ocean since
the war began. This alone would
cause shortage in the ordinary sup
ply, while the equipplng OF the new
American merchant marine is creating
an unprecedented demand for new In
| gtrumentA
At presrsR tnerv are urtuaiiy n
chronometers 10 be had In the open
market Before the war England sup
piled the world with most OF its fine
chronometers.
In ordinary times good chronome.
ter costs about $500, The present price
is $500 or better, according to the trade
made. The supply I'm this country
passes through the hands OF few ex-
perts. who are doing their utmost TO
meet the demand.
From six months TO year and n
half are necessary TO make and adjust
a chronometer. The mechanism Is OF
the finest metals, and specially adapt
ed to resistance TO extremes OF tenn
perature.
Errors Are Noted.
No clock or watch has ever yet kept
perfect time, so there IS always a
slight gain or loss to chronometer.
For this reason the chronometer's rate
OF daily gain or loss is determined by
observation ashore, and card show
ing the rate is made out, and dellv.
cred with the instrument. This rate
Of error Is allowed In all rotations of
time made from the instrument for
working up observations made ut sea.
The chronometer completes. with
the compass and sextnnt. the trio OF
indispensable instruments required In
modern navigation. BY its aid longl.
tude. or the east or west position Of
ship, Is determined.
Longitude bafiied all navlgators un.
Ill the chronometer came into use In
1735. The ancients and later nayign.
tors, including all the great discover.
ers, could find their latitude by oh.
seryatlons Of the suns height. but they
could determine their longitude only
by dead reckoning" or estimating
their ships progress from day to day
This system was uncertain, and
caused a great many shipwrecks.
Longitude is merely the difference
OF time between two points ON the
earth's surface. and II became appar.
ent to students OF the problem II pre-.
scented that II an instrument could be
devised that Yould keep accurate time
at sea. II would be possible to find the
longitude OF ships position whenever
weather conditions were favorable
Time at the ship could be determined
by an east or west observation Of the
sun, morning OF afternoon. worked out
by accepted tables. II the time OF a
given point on shore was known
aboard the ship. the difference In time
would give the longitude Of the ship.
England was the first nation to cope
with this great problem. In TIA II ap.
pointed commissioners for the Dis.
covery Of Longitude at Sea-" and au.
thorized the payment Of large prizes
to stimulate research to the desired
end. This commission existed until
1923, and distributed more than $500.
900 in prizes.
Wins 100000 Prize.
The chief prize offered by the com.
mission. 100000, was won by John
Harrison, a Yorkshire matchmaker.
who spent his life in perfectlng the
chronometer.
Harrison made the best watches In
England. Although of limited educa-
ton, he conducted many original re-
searches in the expansion Of metals,
In search Of materials for an improved
watch or clock. that would prove i'm
pervlous to changes Of temperature.
His first great feat was the production
of "gridlron pendulum clock" the
first chronometer, which In 1875 he
took to the royal commission. It was
tested by the commission by being
sent on a voyage to Lisbon.
The test was not decisive, and Har-
rison continued to work on his chro-
nometer, seeking the great prize, for a
period of 20 years. In 1851 when six
ty-eight years old, Harrison announced
that he had solved all problems In
volved in his work. He produced a
chronometer which the commission
ent on voyage to Jamaica, to test
for heat. 1t varied but two minutes
on the entire voyage Of several months.
The commission demanded another
test, and the chronometer was sent to
Barbados, varying but two-thirds of
second a week in voyage Of five
months.
Harrison had now fairly won the