Timeball’s anniversary

Press, 2 January 1985, Page 19

Timeball’s anniversary

Lyttelton’s historic timeball station recently celebrated the 108th anniversary of the sending of its first official signal. The timeball, a stone fortress-like building, is now administered by the Historic Places Trust. A spokesman for the station said that nothing special had

been done to celebrate the anniversary. From the day the first official signal was sent, December 23, 1876, to 1934. shipmasters arriving in Lyttelton relied on the timeball to check their chronometers. Each day at 1 p.m. the timeball signalled Greenwich Mean Time to shipping so that captains could adjust their chronometers to calculate their position of longitude more accurately. Shipmasters had to take note of the instant the Item wide zinc ball started to slide down the prominent wooden mast, as the whole movement took eight seconds to complete. The first timeball was built at Greenwich in 1833, and this was copied throughout the world, a total of four being built in New Zealand. However, Lyttelton’s timeball is now the only one left in New Zealand. It was reopened in 1978 after maritime enthusiasts worked hard to restore the building and timeball machinery. The timeball is open to sightseers, for a small charge, Wednesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. ARRIVALS Monday New Zealand Trader (6.54 a.m.). 8500, Auckland (S.C.N.Z.). Grafit (9 a.m.), 2100. sea (Scales). Tuesday Spirit of Free Enterprise (8.20 a.m.), 1204, Wellington (Pacifica). DEPARTURES Monday Express (3.51 p.m.), 15,939, Timaru (U.M.S.). Tuesday Nil. EXPECTED ARRIVALS High Adventure, Nauru, today (9 a.m.). Lyubov Orlova, Russia, tomorrow. Krernin, sea, tomorrow. Ruzhino, sea, tomorrow. Union Sydney, Wgtn. tomorrow. Pergamos, Dndn, January 4. Nedlloyd Bahrain, South-Esat As'ia, January 4. Oregon Rainbow, Wgtn, January 4. Godwit. Wgtn. January 5. Spirit of Free Enterprise, Wgtn. January 5. ACT 5, sea. January 6. Provincia de el Oro) sea, January 7. PROJECTED DEPARTURES New Zealand Trader, Nap, tomorrow. Spirit of Free Enterprise, Wgtn, tomorrow.

Union Sydney, Dndn, tomorrow. Lyubov Orlova, Russia, January 5. High Adventure, Bluff, January 5. Nedlloyd Bahrain, Wgtn, January 5. Godwit, Dndn, January 5. Spirit of Free Enterprise, Wgtn, January 6. VESSELS IN PORT New Zealand Trader, Cashin Quay No. 2. Holmdale, No. 3 West. Ngamotu, No. 4 East. Tae Chang No. 83, No. 4 West. Spirit of Free Enterprise, No. 7 East. Westport, dry dock.