30 KANSAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 



STANDARD TIME. 



BY PROF. H. S S. SMITH, UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS. 



In bringing this subject before the Academy, it is not my intention to dis- 

 cuss it generally, but to note briefly what has already been done in this 

 country toward the introduction of uniform standards, and to consider some 

 points connected with its introduction into our own State. With the simple 

 mention of the fact that in England and Scotland every one uses Green- 

 wich time, let us see what has been done in this country. We have no sys- 

 tem of standard time. The fact is, that there are more than seventy-five dif- 

 ferent standards in use by the different railroads; and besides these, there 

 are the innumerable local times in use by the various towns and cities. Those 

 standards that are in use over extended districts must, of course, be kept accu- 

 rately, and where this has been done satisfactorily, the use of the standard 

 has gradually spread. 



There are now ten observatories that send out time-signals regularly for 

 railroad or for general use. They are — 



1. Harvard College observatory, Cambridge, Mass. 



2. Yale College observatory. New Haven, Conn. 



3. Dudley observatory, Albany, N. Y. 



4. National observatory, Washington, D. C, 



5. Allegheny observatory, Allegheny, Pa. 



6. Cincinnati observatory, Mt. Lookout, Ohio. 



7. Dearborn observatory, Chicago, 111. 



8. Washiagton University observatory, St. Louis, Mo, 



9. Morrison observatory, Glasgow, Mo. 



10. Carleton College observatory, Northfield, Minn._ 

 The principal times employed are these: 



1. Boston time, on the railroads of New England. 



2. New York time, in Connecticut by law, and on most of the railroads 

 that run to New York. 



3. Philadelphia time, over the Pennsylvania Railroad and its branches. 



4. Washington time 



5. Chicago time, on most of the railroads that center there. 



6. Jefferson City time, over most of the railroads in Kansas and Missouri. 



7. Northfield time, over more than 5,500 miles of railroad in the North- 

 west. 



The only advantage that can arise from this multiplicity of standards is 

 the nominal satisfaction of having the sun cross the meridian when the clock 

 strikes twelve. That this satisfaction is merely nominal, can be proved from 

 the condition of affairs in this very city (Topeka). Local time is here about 

 sixteen minutes slower than the railroad time that is used. When the real 



