The west shore., December 01, 1883, Page 307, Image 17

December, 1883.
THE WEST SHORE.
37
NEW TIME AND NEW CLOCKS.
The term " Standard time " li now used to
designate the new syitem of time adopted by the
railroads and many municipalities' in the east to
obviate as much as possible the confusion arising
from the differences between the time used as a
standard by various roads. Fifty-three different
standards of time have been in use on the railroads,
leading to much trouble and uncertainty. When
a line extends over several decrees of longitude,
while the time upon which all trains are run is
that of one of the termini of the roads or tome nf
Its divisions, there Is necessarily a difference be
tween that and the local time along the line,
So relatively important Is the railroad, that In
practice its standard supersedes the local time to
a large extent; but when two roads connect or
cross each other, each having a different standard
of time, there is a clash of authority that can not
be adjusted, and the traveler is left to solve the
problem as best he may.
The time In which the earth revolves upon its
axis is divided into twenty-four equal parts,
termed hours, and for convenience in measuring
distances the earth s surface from east to west li
divided into 360 parts, called degrees of longl
tude. The surface of the earth, therefore, travels
as many degrees in one hour as twenty-four is
contained times in 360, or fifteen. From this it
is seen that there Is a difference of one hour actual
time between each succeeding fifteen degrees of
longitude around the earth, faster going east and
slower going west The railroad officials decided
to adopt as their standard of regulation the time
of the Greenwich observatory, London, England;
and as the longitude in which their roads were
situated was so many times fifteen degiees west
ward from Greenwich, they made their standard
of time that many hours slower than Greenwich
time. The 6olh degree of longitude is four hours
slower than Greenwich time; the 75th, five hours
slower; the 90th, six hours; the 105th, seven hours;
and the 120th, eight hours thus malting five dif
ferent standards between the Atlantic and Pacific
oceans. These five standards are named: Inter
colonial, Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific
time. The 90th meridian, on which Central time
Is based, is nine minutes slower than Chicago
solar time. The 75th meridian, which gives
Eastern time, is one hour (aster than Central
time, or four minutes slower than New York City
solar time. Inter-colonial time, being based upon
the 60th meridian is two hours faster than the
Central time. Mountain time, which is based
upon the 105th meridian, is one hour slower than
Central time. Pacific time, based upon the I20tb
meridian, is two hours slower than Central time
and nine minutes and fifty seconds laster than
solar time in Portland, All railroads centering in
Portland and the large clock on the Odd Fellows'
Temple, were changed to Pacific time on Sunday,
December 16.
It was desirable that the new system make as
little variation as possible from the actual local
time, and in dividing the country into five great
belts the standard was placed as nearly as possible
tn the center of each. The 75th, 90th, 105th and
1 20th meridians run down about the center of the
respective bells to which they gin time. The
extent of the belt 00 each side of the meridian
would properly be seven and one-half degrees
making the extreme variation of lime within that
belt from the meridian only Ulf.u Wmr. but 11
was not practicable to make a rigid division of the
country on astronomical lines. All cities and
towns of acsoco or 30.000 Inhabitants get their
time from the railroads have, In fact, usually no
other means of getting it. It was necessary there
fore to have regard to the convenience of railroads,
which could not change their time within a few
miles of a terminus, simply because a meridian
crosied there. The divilon of the count nf lust
adopted is a railroad division and not an astro,
nomical one.
Eastern time or that of the seventy-fifth
meridian, which runs a little east of l'hilsdcl
phia extends over all New England, and in the
Middle States to Buffalo, Salamanca and Pitts
burg; and practically over the whole of Virginia,
West Virginia, North Carolina and South Caro
lina. In Canada occurs one of the Inequalities of
the new system compelled by the necessities of
the railroads. There is no point there al which a
change could well be made, and so Eastern
time extends as far as Windsor, opposite Detroit,
Detroit is included in the Central time belt,
and between the two cities there will he a dif
ference of an hour. The Central lime belt,
taking its time fiora the ninetieth meridian, which
runs through New Orleans and a little east of St,
Louis, covers all of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and
Iowa, with all the states north of them to the
Canada line and south to the Gulf and the Rio
Grande. The western boundary line of the
Central time belt Is an irregular line running
west of the western bolder of Minnesota, crossing
Nebraska and Kansas snd Indian Territory, and
touching the Rio Grande alraut half-way between
the Gulf and El Paso. From this line begins the
Mountain time belt, which takes Its lime from
the one hundred and fifth meridian, running close
to Denver, and has as its western border Moiv
tana, Wyoming, part of Utah and all of Arilona.
The Pacific time belt, which takes Its time
from the one hundred and twentieth meridian,
running near Santa Barbara, Col., covers all from
here to the ocean. Any-one taking the trouble lo
consult a map will see that the meridian In each
of these belts occupies a position sufficiently ccn
tral for all practical purposes.
, This is by no means the only innovation, (or
connected with it is echawre maile by many roails
in the method of reckoning time, abolishing the
' a. m. and r. M." style of dividing the day and
substituting a division of twenty-four hours.
The day begins at twelve o'clock, midnight,
and continues up lo twenty-four o'clock, the
twelfth hour being noon and the twenty-fourth
hour midninhl. The lime between mldiilghl and
one o'clock will be designated In minutes; say fire
minutes after midnight will be expressed thus 105,
showing the day lo be five minutes old; or no, or
-.20, and so on, until the end of slsty mlnetc,
when Ihetlme will be espressed Ihus; l.oo, l.lo,
I.30, and so continuing throughout the twenty,
four hours. A peculiar dock edited to the new
system hss recently been constructed in Wilmlng
ton, Del. Toe most conspicuous features of Ihe
new lime-piece are Ihe dial and new movement
of ihe wheels which operate the hands. The
minute hand, Instead of making twelve revolav
lloos lo every revolution of the how hanJ, as in
Ihe ordinary ckxlt, snakes IwenlyUr revolutions
while the boor hand pe worses! one. The
figures upon the dial are marked In Arabic Instead
of Roman numerals. The lira fnim ama l
Iwmty-four Inclusive, the space between the
figures Ihus being only half as great as those on
(he dial of ordinary twelve hour clocks. The
minute hand therefore marks the half minutes as
well a the minutes. The railroads adopting the
new system and standards will prepare new lime
tables, upon which the distinction between trains
marked a. m. and p. m., which Is often over,
looked by careless trawlers, will no longer
appear.
ANCIENT RUINS IN SONORA.
Ancient ruins have recently been discovered la
Sonom, Mexico, which, If reports are true, anr
pass anything of Ihe kind yet found on this conti
nent. The ruins are said to be aboul four
leagues southeast of Magdalene. There Is one
pyramid which has a base of 1,350 feel, and rlws
to a height of 750 feet there la a winding road.
way from the bottom leading up on an easy grade
to Ihe top, wide enough for carriages lo put over
said to be twenty-three miles In length Ihe outer
walls of the roadway are laid In solid masonry,
huge blocks of granite In rubble work, and Ihe
circles tt as uniform and Ihe grade as regular as
they could be made al this date by our best engin
eers. The wsll la only occasionally enmaed.
being covered over wilh debris and eanh, and In
many places ihe sahuaro and other Indigenous
plants and trees have grown up, giving the pyra
mid Ihe apwranc of a mountain. To ihe rest
of the pyramid a short dManc Is 1 small moun
tain, about Ihe same aise, which rise about Ihe
same height, and if reports are true, k will prove
more Interesting lo Ihe arcbarologiw than Ihe
pyramid.
There seems lo be heavy layer of 1 simcUs of
gypsum aboul half way up Ihe mountain, which la
as white as snow, and may be cat Into any con
ceivable shape, yet sufficiently hard lo retain Its
shaie alter being cut. In Ibis layer of alone a
ieople of an unknown age have cut hundred
upon hundreds of rooms from 6a 10 In 16 ll
feet npure. These rooms are cut out of ih solid
stone, and so even and true are Ihe walls, foot,
and ceilings lo plumb nod level a lo defy varia
tion. There are no windows In Ihe rooms and
but one entrance, which la always from the lop.
The room are about eight feet Kltcb fions floor to
ceiling 1 the stone la so while lhal ll seem lmol
tranirent, and lb looms are awl at all dark.
On Ihe walls of the rooms are Mmemue hirro
gtyihirs, and reprrswUlkmtof human forms wits)
hands and bet o human Wing cut in Ihe Mom
in different place. Rut, strange lo say, all Ihe
hands have five finger and thumb, and the (et
have six In. Charcoal I fuead on lb door of
any of the room, which would Indicate lhal
I hey built (ire in their house. Won Imple
ments of every oWriMi") are to be (own) to ami
alnul Ihe room. The house or room are om
(Imv Ih other lo three or mot tiotie kta I
(nil between each story there I k of races I lie
full width of Ih room blw, so lhal Ihey present
the sranr of large step trading up lb
mountain.
Who thot people were, what age the llvwl
In, mutt be answered. If answered at all "by Ihe
wis men of Ih east. Home say they wi an
cesiors of the Mayaa, race of India who still
inhibH souther Honor, who hv blue eyn, fair
skin, and light hair, and are sud to be svusl,
uvliMtrtuxs, and frugal rave of stl, who ka
wiiltca ssvfweg and know nmttihmf ataltv
emalk, Clt ari