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How a Waltham Watch 

 Set England's Time 



26 Ormiston Road, Westcombe Park, 



London, S. E., England, 



10-2-'97. 

 American Waltham Watch Co., 



Waltham, Mass., U. S. A. 



Gentlemen : About three years since, acting on the advice 

 of a friend who had had one of your watches for about eighteen 

 years, I purchased a Lever Waltham Watch. I am happy to 

 say it has turned out a marvel of accuracy, and under the cir- 

 cumstances I feel I am only doing my duty in bringing this 

 fact to your notice. . . . But perhaps its most unique per- 

 formance, and the one of which I am especially proud, is the 

 fact, that by its aid I was able to detect an error in the fall of the 

 time-ball at the Royal Observatory , Greenwich, which gives the 

 standard time to the civilized world. It happened as follows : 

 I make a practice of watching the fall of the time-ball each day 

 at one o'clock p. m., whenever the air is clear enough, and one 

 day, to my surprise, I found the ball had dropped some few sec- 

 onds before I had expected it to. I had such confidence in my watch 

 that I did not believe it was at fault, and felt sure that some mistake 

 had been made at the Observatory. On telling some of my friends 

 of my convictions, I was simply laughed at for my impudence 

 in daring to pit my Waltham watch against the accuracy of 

 the Royal Observatory. However, to set the matter at rest, I 

 wrote to the Astronomer Royal, telling him of my conviction, 

 and asking him if he would let me know whether I was right 

 or wrong. In return I received a courteous reply from the Astronomer 

 Royal, stating that I was quite right, and that on the day named, 

 owing to an accident, the ball was dropped about eighteen sec- 

 onds too soon. This seems to me such a remarkable proof of 

 the reliability of your watches that I feel justified in bringing 

 it to your notice. If you would care to have the Astronomer 

 Royal's letter as a memento, I should be pleased to hear from 

 you to that effect. Wishing every success and prosperity to 

 your deservedly world-famed Company, I remain, 



Yours very sincerely, 



Thomas Wheate. 



The Reply From the Astronomer Royal 



Royal Observatory, 

 Greenwich, London, S. E., 



1&94, March 10. 

 Dear Sir : In answer to your letter of yesterday the Astron- 

 omer Royal requests me to inform you that on Thursday last 

 the time-ball was through an accident dropped about eighteen 

 seconds before one o'clock. 



Yours truly, 

 T. Wheate, Esq. H. P. Hollis. 



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PRESS OF JUDD & DETWEILER, INC., WASHINGTON, D. C. 



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