Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 141, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 June 1914 — REGULATOR OF LONDON TIME [ARTICLE]

REGULATOR OF LONDON TIME

Woman Implicitly Trusted to Keep Timepieces of Great City Correct to the Second.

Women are sometimes accused of not being on time, so it may be surprising to some persons to learn that London’s champion timekeeper is a woman. Miss Anita Belleville has an office unlike any held by a woman in any other part of the world. She acts as purveyor of the correct time in London. With her chronometer, which is one of the most perfect in the world and a triumph of the watchmakers skill, she calls at the Greenwich observatory once a week and checks her instrument by that official time, then carries it around to her clients. A groat many of her clients are watchmakers, who find her chronometer able to make finer distinctions than any other instrument known. Miss Belleville is found to be much more exact than the electric clocks that are set from a central station. When tested a few days ago at the observatory, her chronometer was found to have varied only

one-tenth of a second during a whole week’s time. This Instrument has been carried all over London, but is apparently little affected by traveling on train, bus and electric tram, for it has never deviated mere than 60 seconds from Greenwich time in a week. Miss Belleville has inherited her unique occupation. Her father, Henry Belleville, £ot permission from the astronomer royal about half a century ago to take the correct time from the observatory, where he was employed by chronometer makers. After his death his wife carried on the business, and now his daughter is keeping up the work by bringing the time to watchmakers all over London.