Part 17 (1/2)
In none of the localities defined or mentioned, would the standards proposed vary more from mean local time than has already been demonstrated to be practicable without detriment to any material interest. Convenience of use, based largely upon the direction of greater commercial intercourse, would determine the action of communities other than those mentioned, and probably somewhat modify the schedule proposed.
That no practical difficulty of usage would prevent the universal adoption of the hour-section system of time-reckoning is apparent. Its convenience has been abundantly realized. In adopting it, practically no expense whatever is incurred. The alteration of the works or faces of watches or clocks is not required. Their hands are simply set to the new standard, and the desired result is accomplished.
By the adoption of this system, the exact hours of time-reckoning, although called by different names in the several sections for every-day life, but specifically designated, if desired, for scientific purposes, would be indicated at the same moment of time at all points. The minutes and seconds would everywhere agree. The absolute time of the occurrence of any event could, therefore, be readily determined. The counting of the hour meridians should begin where the day begins at the transition line.
It would then be one of the possibilities of the powers of electricity that the pendulum of a single centrally located clock, beating seconds, could regulate the local time-reckoning of every city on the face of the earth.
_Table of Standards governing the Hour-Section System of Time-reckoning._
====================================================================== Longitude
HOUR MERIDIANS.
Simultaneous from
----------------------------------------------
hours in Greenwich.
the several
Proposed names of sectional times.
Numbers.
sections.
----------+-----------------------------------+----------+------------ _Degrees._
----------
180
Transition time
0 or 24th
12 midnight 165 west
Alaskan
1st......
1 A. M.
150
Hawaii
2d ......
2 135
Sitka
3d ......
3 120
Pacific (Adopted in U.S. and Can.)
4th......
4 105
Mountain ” ”
5th......
5 90
Central (American) time ” ”
6th......
6 75
Eastern (or Coastwise) ” ”
7th......
7 60
La Plata
8th......
8 45
Brazilian
9th......
9 30
Central Atlantic
10th......
10 15
West African
11th......
11 0
Int'l or Unvs'l (Used in Gt. Brit.)
12th......
12 noon.
15 east
Continental (Used in Sweden.)
13th......
1 P. M.
30
Bosporus
14th......
2 45
Caucasus
15th......
3 60
Ural