WIRELESS TIME FOR ALL THE WORLD.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XVIII, Issue 12070, 25 October 1913, Page 3 (Supplement)

WIRELESS TIME FOR ALL THE WORLD.

All of the important countries of the world hue now adopted the zonesvstem of time, based on Greenwich Observatory as a centre, the time ior each zone 'flittering by just one hour from that in the next. The earth s surface contains twenty-four of these zones and the well-known railway-time zones of the United States —"central time," "eastern time," etc.—are parts of the system. "With a time-system that is now for the first time worldwide, it becomes increasingly important that the time should be widely and, "accurately distributed.. This is generally done" at present by telegraph, and. the accuracy of the distribution leaves 'much-to be desired, we are told by Commandant G. Feme, of the French Navv, who writes on the subject m the lleviie Scientifique (Paris). Says Commandant Ferrie: - ■■■ _ "The principal disseminating agents of the time are the railways and L-lie telegraphs, for which the knowledge of tlie "precise time is particularly necessary. The principal centres'of administration receive the time directly from the neighboring observatories, by telegraph or telephone, and retransmit it in like manner'to the important stations or telegraph offices. These send it again to other secondary points where special agents or watchmakers receive it and transmit it to all "sorts of places, bv means of watches which-serve "to regulate public clocks, •" from which, finally, individuals take their time. . '■■ "Tliis distribution is thus made in cascade,' and the number of retransmissions necessary before the time from an observatory reaches aiiy particular clock is often very considerable. The precision thus obtainedi is very slight, because of the accumulation or errors of the intermediaries. . "For the needs of individuals, this defect in- exactitude has generally no serious inconveniences: but it is not so with public services—the railroads, tor instance, at .a station where a relatively small error in time might cause an accident. Navigators require suit greater precision: : . . ". For geoTlesists, seismologists, explorers, etc., the precision necessary is yet greater. .....-'" • "The use of wireless telegraphy . . • avoids all the difficulties and solves all the problems noted above, by suppressing totally, When" necessary, all the intenuedirmes between 'rtn observatory' and anv particular clock. All that is urcessarv is to connect'the observatory with a wireless station equipped to send;. xime-sicnaJs. ."".'-. '.' These signals sent out in all directions with the speed of light may be perceived, oh land 'or sea at considerable distances by any number of operators having timepieces to regulate." '•■■ ' . ' ' The" universal system of signals also, th=- writer goes oh to say, fits' in particularly well with the new world-wide time-zoiic-s. In fact, :the recent international time congress decided that,-be-ginning oh July"! last, time-signals by wireless should be sent out : in;the same manner throughout the civilised 5 wol-ld. Time- stations have been especially recommended-to compare and mutually adjust their signals, so that, for instance, a vessel:within call of two_ stations may not be confused by receiving these at slightly different intervals. Such comparison of-time, also,..makes possible verv accurate redeterminations of longitude". Such a determination is "now going on. the writer tells us, between the Eiffel Tower af Pans and our own- great Government, station at Arlington," Va.. hear Washington. There has been some trouble in the exchance of communications over so great a distance; but there seems to be Jio doubt that owing to.this unification of the world's time by wireless telegraphy, not'onl'v will arbitrary-time-differences be-red need'to a. system, but the/differences of longitude of stations over -the globe will bo edtermined anew with vastly greater precision.