[BC] DST for the rest of you

[richardbrianjohnson at verizon.net]

 With the current time, commuters going to work in the AM have low-angle sun in their eyes. If there had been no time-change it would be dark in the early AM. However, commuters coming from work would have the sun in their eyes. You cannot win when playing with Mother Nature.

Blame it on the rail-roads. At one time, when the sun was at its zenith, the local deacons would ring the church bell (there was no separation of church and state). Later on the fire-bell was rung by the town crier at noon. Even later than that, the fire whistle was blown at local noon. Then the rail roads came! Everything got messed up when they tried to have all railroad stations on New York time. That's when the Congress created time-zones. It was to force the rail roads to behave.

The dependence upon the fire whistle at noon continued well into this century. In 1967, Allegheny Ludlium made a new steel plant in Johnstown Pennsylvania. For years, the townspeople set their clocks and watches according to the blowing of the fire whistle in town at noon. After the new steel plant started up, the townspeople started to complain that the clocks were no longer correct. This problem was brought up in a town meeting. The fire chief was asked how he determined to sound the noon siren. He explained that for years he just looked at his watch and when it was noon, he sounded the siren. Now, he said, we have the newfangled fire monitor from the plant. It has a digital display. He goes by that.

When the plant manager was asked how he set the time, he explained that he knew of the town's dependence upon the fire whistle. Therefore, he always set the fire monitor by the town's fire whistle!

 
 Cheers,
Richard B. Johnson
http://www.AbominableFirebug.com
 
On 11/18/13, Cowboy
cwf1.com>
cwf1. wrote:
 
On Monday 18 November 2013 01:23:17 pm Donald Chester wrote:
> It takes me about two days to re-acclimate back to standard time in autumn.

It's taking me a good deal longer.
Almost a traumatic change in nightfall.
It's dark so, so much "earlier" than it should be.