South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-01-20
DAYLIGHT SAYINGS
LIKE METHUSELAH
New Invention Vas Origi-
mated by Pope Sylvester
I'm 900 for Clocks.

BERKELEY. Calf Jan 81.
SCH nce again proves there is nothing
new under The SUM- Advocates ot
daylight saving advanced their plan
as an innovation. but University OF
California astronomers nave discov-
cred that So he's been practiced by
clocks ever since their invention by
Pope Sylvester H. in goo.
Director w. ". Campbell ~ Lick
observatory. made the annOunc cement
in his annual report 10 the president
Of the University Of California that
r. r. Tucker. an astronomer lu the
observatory. has made the startling
discovery that clocks run faster az
night and slower iu the daytime than
che 24-hour rates would indicate.
Record Meridian Transits.
AT the time OF preparing last
years report Or. II. r. Tucker as
tronomer I'M the Lick observatory.
rad shown that meridian transit OBJ
aervatons OF stars made at and near
sunrise and similar observations
made a. and near sunset led 20
values OF the clock correction which
were inconsistent with the weu-de-
termired average daily rate OF the
clock" said DR.. Campbells report.
Meridian transits were recorded
COS seconds Of time toe early in
tho sunset period as compared with
1ransits in the sunrise period. Fur
Their extensive study of the subject
has led DIT. Tucker 90 conclude that
tlo explanation lies in the interest
ing and unexpected fact tina, the
clocks Uhree of excellent quality
were usedl ran more slowly iu the
daytime than at night.
ITO test this important hypothesis
an extensive observing program was
entered upon. II embraces a large
list OF stars whose positions are al
ready known with high precision.
Each nights observations extend
from about p. m. TO 3 a. m, in
order 10 determine as well as pos
sible the hourly clock rates during
the night
The observing program is not yet
complete hut the results thus f1r
reached confirm The earlier hypo-
thetical conclusion that the clocks
run faster at night than the 24-hour
rates observed here from the year
1905 up to the present time would
lead one TO conclude This means,
concurreutly. that the clocks run
more slowly in the daytime than the
24-hour rates would indicate. This
conclusion is Of significance 20 an
who are concerned with the accur-
ate determination of star positions
by fundamental meridian methods.
go oh 10
positions and clock corrections made
prior TO 1905. recorded i'm three
volumes of publications of the Lick
observatory. will be utilized I'm fur
Their extension of this investigation.
Temperature Not Cause.
Thr ultimate cause Of the pho
nom,uou is obscure The thrc.
clocks are apparently not subject TO
81 diurnal range Of temperature large
enough 20 account for more than five
percent Of the observed anomalies.
The very extensive meridian observa-
tions made here in the past 2S years.
on the differential system. are essen
TALLY free from deletcrious effects
from this unforeseen source. as they
depend upon clock corrections OBJ
tanned at or near tho mid-period of
each nights program. The maximum
error introduced In the observed
right ascensious Of the stars on this
account would never exceed Dol
second.
Elm the observations by funda-
mental methods. where dependence
is placed upon the constancy of the
clock rate through the "a hours of
the day. more or less. these errors
would reach their maximum values
or between 0.02 and O.03 second at
about six hours from the mean
epoch of the observations utilized
for determining the clock corrections
that is usually. near sunrise OF
sunset. This appears TO Doe the OK
PLANTATION of the sunrisc-sunset disc
crepancies mentioned at the bcgin-
ming of this account
This cIoCk-ratc variation within
the "a hours has been Overlooked
by many generations of observers,
apparently because of lts small size
and of the errors existing Iu the
eatalogued rishe a=.cas.oHs of the
brighter stars. Systematic errors
from this source can be eliminated
uy eNterduS the fundamental OBJ
servatious thrCuSA Is luI year, and
bv adjusting tine CLOSING error foI
The wear 90 value zero.