iS82. 89 Tratts. N. V. Ac. Set. 



The section of country situated 7)4 degrees on either side of a stand- 

 ard meridian would adopt the time of that meridian. The greatest dif- 

 ference necessary between the frue local time of a place and the stand- 

 ard meridian would be thirty minutes. These sections of country in 

 this latitude would be about 790 miles wide ; at the equator about 1,040 

 miles wide. As we pass from section to section the time would change 

 by whole hours, the the minute and second remaining the same over 

 the whole country. 



As a step in advance, it has been proposed that the ralroad and tele- 

 graph companies adopt ihe 90° or 6-hour meridian from Greenwich, 

 (running down the Mississippi Valley and passing through New Or- 

 leans) as their standard meridian for the whole country. This time it 

 was proposed to call "Railroad and Telegraph Time." 



n the same way it has been proposed to use the meridian through 

 Washington. The meridian through New Orleans being more nearly 

 a central bisectmg line for the United States, and being exactly 6 hours 

 from Greenwich, would appear to be the one best suited to the object 

 in view. 



Some parties have gone so far as to urge the adoption of one line 

 meridian by the people generally. I can see no objection to the rail- 

 road and telegraph companies using the 6-hour meridian, provided the 

 relation of the "R. & T." time to the adopted local time at any place is 

 thoroughly understood. It is, however, too early to urge the accept- 

 ance of one meridian on the whole people. If we should adopt the 6- 

 hour meridian as the standard lor all local times, business and social 

 engagements would begin at widely different times in different sections 

 of the country. Banks would open in New York City, Boston, etc., at 



9 o'clock, theatres would begin their performance at 7 P. M. In St. 

 Louis, Chicago, etc., these same openings would occur at 10 A. M. and 

 8 P. M. In San Francisco the time would be 12 o'clock for bank, and 



10 o'clock for theatrp openings ; and in hke manner tor other business 

 and social engagements. 



But all the systems so far spoken of are but steps toward the 

 adoption of a uniform standard for the whole earth. 



This international system was proposed independently by Hon. 

 Sandford Fleming, Chancellor of Queen's University at Toronto,and 

 by Prof. Cleveland Abbe of the U. S. Signal Service. 



The proposed system is plainly outlined in the following 



Preamble and Resolution submitted to the Association for the 

 Reform and Codification of the Law of Nations, at their meeting in 

 August, 1881, at Cologne, in Rhine-Prussia, by President F. A. P. 

 Barnard of Columbia College. 



