610 KANSAS CITY REVIEW OF SCIENCE. 
JPEGs UC S: 
THE ELECTRIC TIME BALL AT KANSAS CITY. 
BY THE EDITOR. 
More than a year ago some correspondence was had between Prof. C. 
W. Pritchett, of Morrison Observatory, George H. Nettleton, President of the 
Union Depot Company, of this city, and the editor of the Review, in regard to 
the establishment of an electric time ball at the Union Depot here, which resulted 
in an agreement by Mr. Nettleton to furnish the necessary funds to put it in oper- 
ation at once. But for some reason not made known, the managers of the 
Chicago & Alton Railroad, over whose wires the signals were to have been sent, 
failed to join in the enterprise, and it was dropped temporarily. 
Within the past month or two the matter has been taken up again, and prin- 
cipally through the efforts of Prof. H. S. Pritchett, Dr. E. R. Lewis and Mr. T. 
B. Bullene, the scheme has been successfully accomplished. The city council 
appropriated a portion of the necessary money, and the remainder was made up 
by private contribution. The time ball and accompanying apparatus were placed 
upon the new building of Messrs. Bullene and Sheidley, corner of Seventh and 
Delaware streets, the tallest and one of the finest structures in the city; and on 
January 5, at exact noon, the first signal was given. Since then it has been of 
daily occurrence. Connection has also been made with the city engine house, on 
Walnut street, where the fire alarm bell gives twelve taps simultaneously with the 
dropping of the ball; also with an electric clock at the jewelry store of Cady & 
Olmstead, and with the forty telegraphic stations in various parts of the city; so 
that absolutely true time is now therule. As this is the fourth city in the United 
States where such signals have been adopted—the others being Washington, 
Boston and New York—our citizens feel quite elated, as well as indebted to 
Professor Pritchett for inaugurating an enterprise which is of great service to us 
and no little trouble to him, especially since he makes no charge for his services. 
To give our readers a comprehensive idea of the working of the electrical 
apparatus, we append some extracts from a communication to the Kansas City 
Times, by Prof. H. S. Pritchett: 
‘‘The need of accurate time increases, of course, in proportion, as the busi- 
ness of a country becomes more intricate. The business of the country is so vast 
and complicated, and all the adjustments of life are to be made with so much 
greater nicety, that accurate time is a necessity for every city—and especially for 
every business city. 
‘‘ Before accurate time signals can be distributed, however, to railroads or 
cities, it is necessary in the first place to have good instruments for the determi- 
nition of time and good clocks. It may be of interest to our readers to know 
