In all civilized countries it depends
(approximately) on the sun's meridian passage. Even the sailor on
mid-ocean refers to that phenomenon. And the solar passage, with
reasonable allowance, 20m. or 30m. one way or another, must be
recognized in all time-arrangements as giving the fundamental
time. The only practical way of doing this is, to adopt for a whole
region the fundamental time of a center of that region.
And to this fundamental time, the local time of the railway, as now
entering into all the concerns of life, must be adapted. A solicitor
has an appointment to meet a client by railway; a physician to a
consultation. How is this to be kept if the railway uses one time and
every other act of life another?
There is one chain of circumstances which is almost peculiar--that of
the line from New York to San Francisco. Here I would have two clocks
at every station: those on the north side all shewing San Francisco
time, and those on the south all shewing New York time. Every
traveller's watch would then be available to the end of his journey.
A system, fundamentally such as I have sketched, would give little
trouble, and may I think be adopted with advantage.
I am, Sir,
Your faithful servant,
G.
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