Desert Messenger

4 www.DesertMessenger.com January 1, 2020 By Archie Lumbert Sundials were one of the earliest methods that man devised to accurately measure time. Back then, a location such as Quartzsite, Ari- zona worked very nicely, as the sun shines most every day. An object placed above a scale will mark off the hours as the sun marches across the sky. Later versions became more elaborate, project- ing the shadows onto circular or elliptical scales or refl ecting on ceilings above, and bearing descriptive names such as polar, equatorial, refl ective and analemmatic. During early times, accurate time-keeping was not as essential to the daily routines. How- ever, it was always handy to know an approxi- mate time such as high noon, so anyone could know when meetings should commence, meal or prayer times were due, or the workday would begin or end. The trouble was, high noon occurred at a dif- ferent time depending on your location while traveling east or west. Each town would have their sundial which indicated when high noon occurred. The speed of travel prior to the 19th century caused few problems to timekeeping. On a two or three day stagecoach trip from Prescott to La Paz for example, high noon would vary by less than three minutes. However with the introduction of the railroad and telegraph, accurate time keeping and stan- dardized times became essential. Weather Service Chief Cleveland Abbe in- troduced the four standard time zones for his weather stations in 1879 and they were adopted at noon on November 18, 1883, in Chicago. The telegraph lines transmitted time signals to all major cities, so clocks could be synchronized and regular train schedules simplifi ed. Fast forward to 1966, when the people of Quartzsite donated a very beautiful sundial for our museum, celebrating the Golden anniver- sary of J. S. and Matilda Brassell. It was then mounted on a stand, which was adorned by col- orful local rocks. The apparatus was erected in direct sunlight far enough outside of the build- ing to allow the device to work it's magic. However, a sundial, such as ours, is set by aiming the gnomon (the part that casts a shadow) toward Polaris (the North Star.) Gnomon is Greek for "One that knows or examines." Our spherical equatorial sundial's gnomon is the axis of the globe, where the scale or dial is located. In the position that our sundial has been installed, aiming the axis is obstructed by the eaves and fascia of the kitchen (now the of- fi ce) of the old fort. This presents a problem with properly setting up our sundial to assure accurate local apparent solar time. With the benefi t of 20/20 hindsight, some would view this dilemma as a setback, while others might recognize it as an opportunity. We've found we can better demonstrate the way sundials are aimed during daylight hours on account of this oversight. Our volunteers have targeted the sundial's axis to Polaris at night and marked its relative position under the overhanging roof for illustration during the day. Traditionally, when mounting a permanent sundial, the makers would choose a sundial motto. Maxims such as "tempus fugit" (time fl ies), "I count only sunny hours," "It's later than you think," and many others have been ascribed to sundials worldwide. Our sundial however, was installed without a motto, and now, we're seeking to correct this minor detail that was overlooked not so long ago. Beginning with the New Year, we're having a contest to designate a motto for Quartzsite Museum's Sundial. Now and Then... 2020 Sight and Time Entries will be evaluated and a contest winner and offi cial motto will be selected by our board of directors. The prize will be a Certifi cate of Appreciation along with a check for the unusual and totally appropriate amount of $20.20. Entries can be submitted until High Noon on Saturday February 29th, 2020 by telephone at 928-927-5229, via our Facebook page at www. facebook.com/quartzsitehistoricalsociety, or in person at the Quartzsite Museum at 161 West Main Street from 10AM until 4PM Wednesday thru Sunday. Good Luck and Happy New Decade. Archie Lumbert QHS 2019 Red Kettle Campaign TOTAL: $5,275.00 AMAZING!! Thank you, our Quartzsite community & our dedicated bell ringers! We are very blessed by such generosity! Quartzsite Salvation Army Family Team

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