After the discovery of radioactivity in 1896 by French physicist and Nobel Prize winner, Antoine Henri Becquerel, many other scientists began to search for uses of radioactivity. In some respects, the early rise of the Western Clock MFG Co. is even more impressive considering the company didnt have all the resources of an established, major metropolis to draw from. The center is in the shape of the world map. At the top was a clock covered with a glass door. Columbia, PA 17512 The drinking fountain worked.. On the Style 9, they went back to actual minute markings. There are some blemishes on the wood on the right side. When did Westclox stop using radium? Lynda Hinshaw, At this moment I am research a clock by Falconer& co HongKong. I met somebody then who told me about the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors and then I joined that and in their bi-monthly magazine I found a man looking for early Westclox information, he is now one of the foremost Westclox researchers. I think it is a clock made by Sessions. German: WECKER (alarm); UHR (clock). As radium luminosity came under attack in the 1930s, Westcloxs other updates to the Big Ben design were far more practical and uncontroversial. Before OSHA was set up, 14,000 people died on the job every year; today, it is just over 4,500. Theyll take an old Big Ben from 1930 and make a new dial that says Indian Motorcycle or Victola, and put it on eBay. Soon, he was running the Western Clock Co. advertising department, and proving his worth with some clever marketing strategies. [left to right: F.W. In fact, one of their designs for the military, the terrifying sounding WarAlarm, spurred a small shopping riot in Chicago in 1944 when a small batch of the clocks was made available for commercial purchase at a downtown store. I also like some of the older American weight-driven clocks. The Forgotten Story Of The Radium Girls, Whose Deaths Saved Thousands Of Workers Lives, by Kate Moore, A Rude Awakening: The History of Alarm Clocks , Western Clock MFG Co. (Westclox), est. They can be identified by having the modern type of flat head screws Westclox - An Identification and Price Guide, The Westclox Big Ben and Baby Ben Identification Guide, Clock Repair and Hermle Chime, Mantel and Wall Clocks for Sale at Bill's Clockworks. document.write(year) When Did They Stop Using Radium On Clock Hands? Style 5 dial design]. This practice resulted in the ingestion of radium, which caused serious jaw-bone degeneration and malignancy and other dental diseases. Charles Stahlberg had an idea for making a better, but less expensive alarm clock. Gary Biolchini added more style series in his book Dont know if someone ingraved date on when took down or if the original. This end has been achieved by what is known as the Western Processa process in which the component parts of a clock are cast, or, so to speak, cemented together with an alloy, instead of staked, and in which all hand labor is replaced by automatic machinery., [Automatic machinery certainly sped up the manufacturing process, by plenty of human skill and attention was still required to make the Big Ben. The standard operating procedure of their daily work involved literally placing radium flecked paint brushes between their lips to create a finer point before application. Thats another story. Going back further in time, here is a pretty hypnotizing silent film released by Westclox in the early 1920s to promote the Big Ben and other products. Radium - The First Rolex Luminous Material. The sound is very good when I compare it with the Howard Miller and the Jauke I just purchases, its loud and resonates very well. It is and Elias Ingraham Brass Clock with a patent stamp of September 30, 1862. Donohue, like many of her young peers in the radium industry, eventually realized that her amusing glow had been a warning of severe exposure to a radioactive substance. Radiums luminosity was part of its allure, Moore writes. In clocks, as in all other lines of goods, there are two classes of consumersthe millions and the millionaires. The disease, radium-induced osteonecrosis, was recognized as an occupational disease in 1925 after a group of radium painters, known as the Radium Girls, from the United States Radium Corporation sued. Despite Westcloxs deep German roots, the Illinois factory was a huge contributor to the U.S. military again during World War II, supplying upwards of a billion small parts for use in various defense products. Jessie, good observation. Early in the 20th century there was a medical practice that revolved around a new treatment involving the radioactive material called radium. So, rather than having the classic oversized bell or double-bell on top of the unit (to smash with your palm at 6am), the ringing mechanism was housed inside the back of the case, and a big winding key occupied the summit. First, if your clock is for display only, I think it is harmless if the paint on the hands is not disturbed. One time a friend and I were down there behind the factory and we got talking to a man who was leasing the back half of the factory to make machinery for bakeries. In 1918 the Big Ben case was improved to make it dustproof, as described in patent #1,300,278 issued to Kern on April 15, 1919. This 1964 Westclox Christmas ad describes their features. In 1919 the company was incorporated as Western Clock Company, Ltd. If you want to identify an item, try posting it in our Show & Tell gallery. It is stamped on the back of the casing DRP&GM. [3] The Radiolite series, made in various sizes and models, became a signature of the Connecticut-based company. 400-day clocks are also known as anniversary clocks, they would run 400 days on one winding. 0 Comments; Uncategorized newark advertiser obituaries 2021 . Could you please try to help me find out what kind of clock this is. Its hard to fathom in retrospect, but in the early 20th century, it was generally believed that small amounts of radium were perfectly harmless to humans, and thus, the substances natural, long-lasting glow actually made it something of an attractive novelty of the time periodnot just on clock dials, but in the worlds of quack medicine, fashion, cosmetics, and even a proto version of energy water, called Radithor.. it has a picture of a huck finn type boy,carying 2 bottles of coke& a fishing pole,with his dog. Were finally at a point, where were ready to do more than just sit here, said Ruth Spayer, curator for the museum. I have looked high and low in my attempts to find out how any of these resproduction style 1A were produced. About 1920 the luminous dial using radium paint was introduced. American manufacturers were quick to see that the millionaires are a negligible quantity as consumers, and that, not chronometersnot marvels of intricacy and originalitywere needed, but timepieces within the reach and want of all. Some people just want one or two that they remember from childhood in good condition, so thats just the thing for them. I recently added the Big Ben Style 1 and Baby Ben Style 1 Dial and Back types. Thank you. Ruth Spayer at the Westclox Museum tracked down a newspaper story from the Daily Post-Tribune on March 21, 1944, describing a scene in which three women fainted, several clerks were trampled, and four showcase windows were shattered before police untangled a jam of 2,500 women and a few stout-hearted men who converged on the store.. Eventually, scientists and medical professionals realized that these workers' illnesses . In the production of ordinary clocks adapted to the needs and means of the millions, America produces results of remarkable excellence. 1919 - 1920 on a small proportion of clocks, "Westclox" in Roman text, Wide lettering at bottom: 1923, "Westclox" in Roman text, Narrow lettering at bottom:1924 to 1927, "Westclox" in Roman text, Projection on the "x": 1928 - 1935, Luminous, "Westclox" in italics: ca. On April 20, 1902, Marie and Pierre Curie successfully isolate radioactive radium salts from the mineral pitchblende in their laboratory in Paris. The work involved using luminous radium paint to make the numbers on clocks, watches and aeronautic dials glow in the dark. I am sure I can give Mr. Shields further information about his clock. A pair of teenage boys broke into the abandoned factory and set a fire that quickly spread and enveloped much of the central complex. Inhaled or ingested particles may deposit a high local dose with a risk of radiation-caused lung or gastrointestinal cancer. Credit: pinimg. Thank to several professionals who Ive met on Ebay, I have become quite skilled with my restorations plus making dials and alarm function indicators. But for years the majority were wind ups, they were so popular. In 1913, with help from the US government, Dr. Douglas formed the National Radium Institute, to mine radium from uranium ores recently discovered in Colorado. By 1930, all dial painters stopped pointing their brushes by mouth. Westclox Wrought Iron Look Wall Clock 12" 32021A. 226RA has a half life of about 1600 years and the glow of the paint used on dials and hands decreases because of the damage the alpha particles emitted by the Radium do to the ZnS . Is radium still used on watches? Selling for $2.50 in the years before World War I (or about $60 in modern money), the 5-inch diameter Big Ben and its half-pint cousin the Baby Ben combined to move over 900,000 units in just 1913 alone, and the Western Clock MFG Companynot yet officially known as Westcloxwas producing more than twice that many clocks annually in total. I have a collection of clocks, and amongst my collection are Westminster chime wall clocks, I have two Keinzle and two Junghans. Penetrating gamma radiation produced by some dials also represents a significant health risk. 2023 by Andrew Clayman. He corresponded with Westclox General Manager Ernst Roth over the weeks that followed, but after a final letter that September, he went silent. There are also some other makers clocks Ive gotten into, like the Seth Thomas 30 hour ogee, which is a weight-driven shelf clock. The dial painters soon became known as the ghost girls because by the time they finished their shifts, they themselves would glow in the dark. The company made luminescent paint. His ideas were patented on as US patent #326,602. A lot of American clocks have veneer over the base wood so if thats starting to peel it can be really expensive to get fixed. Eventually, scientists and medical professionals realized that these workers' illnesses were being caused by internal contamination from the radium they ingested. The style 1a can be distinguished from style 1 in several ways: The movement was changed for style 1a so that the mounting nuts were on the back. So yes. Nowadays, Super-LumiNova, which is entirely non-radioactive and non-toxic, is the most used lume in watchmaking. I like to find the ones before that and study their history. Junghans, Kienzle,Mauthe,Kaiser, Peter, (all from Germany) Veglia (Italy), CNIS ( France), Ingersoll (UK) as well as some Hong Kong made items. I know that it is electric and it requires a dime deposit to set the alarm on it. While the painting technique of the Ghost Girls was replaced with supposedly safer methods like silk screening, traces of radium were still used by many companies to get that desired glow effect throughout the 1940s and even as late as the 60s. Sometimes Ive seen them for 300 to 600 dollars. Sep 23, 2011 He invited us in to look around, so we got to go up and down the big freight elevator and he found some old music boxes that were never used that he gave to us (Westclox made one or two little clocks with a music box in them). Westclox - An Identification and Price Guide, and I added even more in 2012. Theres a clock called a Crystal Regulator which is about a foot tall with a brass case and glass on all four sides. For the town of Peruwhich had tied much of its identity to Westclox for the better part of a centurythe damage went beyond financial. They had one in Brazil for a while and I think also in Hong Kong. Radium paint can be ingested by inhaling flaking paint particles. I recently added the Big Ben Style 1 and Baby Ben Style 1 Dial and Back types. We pay his railroad fare on all orders for a dozen or more, we brand him with your name in lots of 24.. Underneath the #12 on the face it says: G. Falconer & Co. LTD. Hong Kong. they played a deep rich tone. I was looking at it and said, aha! Westclox 0.9" LED Plasma Screen Alarm Clock with USB Charging Port 71014X. A 2015 article by Ben Hohenstatt in the Illinois Valleys News Tribune included interviews with a few former Westclox workers who returned to see the museum and remember old times. Within in another ten years, the workforce had tripled again, powered by employee George Kerns 1908 invention of the first Big Benthe sleek, iconic model that basically set the template for the 20th century wind-up alarm clock. When I got out of college I started going to the watch and clock conventions and met a man who was giving a program about the history of Big Bens and Baby Bens. The first Big Bens and Baby Bens in 1910 were wind ups.. Radium was discovered in 1898 by Marie Curie and Pierre Curie. Am I missing something here? Once I was winding it and one of the main springs broke, so I decided to take it all apart and fix the main spring. Style 1a has four holes in the back to access the movement cap screws; Style 1 has the legs and pendant riveted to the case, on style 1a they screw on. This will broaden my view in the clock. Chronic exposure to high levels of radium can result in an increased incidence of bone, liver, or breast cancer. The movement was mounted to the inner case back. At one time they employed about 3500 people, making about 35, 000 clocks and watches per day. . Even if the Western Clock Co. wasnt born in Chicago or headquartered here, the immediate aftershocks of the companys cultural and industrial impact certainly reached our shores in a hurry, no interstate required. These paints were used on the dials of clocks and watches to make them glow-in-the-dark. But this is not how the story of Westclox began. Radium dials were typically painted by young women, who used to 'point' their brushes by licking and shaping the bristles prior to painting the fine lines and numbers on the dials. It started early in the 20th century, around 1910, when some companies began to use radium on watch dials and hands to create a "glow in the dark" effect. $26.95. Annie Moussin designer intrieur. Immediately after, substances like promethium and tritium were used as a luminous material, and they're still being used today. Sometimes extensive casework can be more time consuming than getting the movement running. I never realized, even working here, they made so many different models.. These efforts, combined with an ahead-of-its-time factory welfare department and employee benefits packages, led to a lot of workers spending their whole lives with Westclox. and again 1243 is this an antique its gold but looks brand new but also an antique at the same time does anyone know what kind of pocket watch this is or if its gold or a replica of something or what it might be worth?? I would like to know the value of a #4 black, #321(in original cardboard Christmas box), mint condition, Baby Ben alarm clock is. In 1898, the Curies discovered the existence of. As stated it is working and keeps time. It was passed on to my sister and for years it was on their mantle along time until it stopped. Was just trying to find out any information on this clock or if you may have ever come across one like it The clock is shielded From the glass crystal. This eye is horizontally elliptical in general shape, about 4 3/4 long and 1 3/4 tall with a circle in the middle making it look like a single eye. Then, on New Years Eve, as 2011 became 2012, the unthinkable happened. The women also left a legacy to science that has been termed invaluable., shifting from serif to sans-serif typefaces and from slightly ornate to more streamlined minute and second hands, all of which eased legibility; setting the clock face closer to the glass, reducing shadows; and creating a slightly smaller form overall., three women fainted, several clerks were trampled, and four showcase windows were shattered before police untangled a jam of 2,500 women and a few stout-hearted men who converged on the store., For That Healthy Glow, Drink Radiation . On 3rd January 2099, Terry Shields asked if anyone had information regarding his clock signed G .Falconer, Hong Kong. Radium was also used until the early 1970s in "glow-in-the-dark" paints, e.g., for dials on clocks, and in other industrial applications such as instrument calibration. Westclox made an excellent, almost exact, reproduction of the style 1a Big Ben in 1970. [5] Indeed, the body treats radium as it does calcium, storing it in bone where it may cause bone degeneration and cancer.[5]. Frank Baker. I had developed some sort of fascination for Big Ben and Baby Ben clocks. Former employees showed up to view a collection of watches, clocks, tools, photographs of the old factory, a short black and white film of the factory in action and remember working for Westclox. AD x Stoddard: I was pretty much on my own until college. It led to life-saving regulations and, ultimately, to the establishment of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which now operates nationally in the United States to protect workers. lds missionary clothing stores; June 24, 2022 . Luckily for Charles, however, he is living in the same small town as Frederick William Matthiessena fellow German, but one with a hell of a lot more money and business experience. Over time, she contracted terrible cancerous tumors, lost most of her teeth, and suffered countless other health problems. I was told it was long ago before even my aged family was servicing watches. Ive recently acquired a New Haven decorative wall clock. When did the use of radium stop? By the 1970s, radium was no . A Westclox Museum has been opened within the original facility, showing off rare collections from the millions of timepieces once manufactured there. Thanks very mutch, I just acquired a sir w.h. In 2006 I started collecting vintage advertisements. . . Leg model with ring on top, dustproof case. Westclox Model 66 Movement Series Welcome to the Westclox Clock and Watch History Database. It is a wind up. They are just gorgeous watches and very well made. In terms of my own collection, Im still trying to find some of the really early Big Bens. Their Scottish factory was a full manufacturing plant, at which all their clocks were assembled from start to finish with only the basic raw materials being brought in by outside suppliers. Geiger counters could pick up readings from pants returned from a dry cleaner and from clothes stored away in a cedar chest. Not to mention theres the Big Bens so that doubles it right there. Has the mechanics of the clock been changed/upgraded or could there be another issue at play? I cant find out anything about him or any other clocks by him. Buy Now. Do you have an archival dept who could give us an idea of our Western Clock which we recently acquired? The alpha particles emitted by the radium, which is taken up in bone, will kill off surrounding bone tissue, resulting in a condition loosely referred to as radium jaw. Both the Big and Baby Bens were housed in a newly refined bell-back clock case. dated:1990 ,decorated :hong cong.made in japan.cocacola tradmark. Radium paint itself was eventually phased out and has not been used in watches since 1968. Big Ben: butler nickel case, gold leaf numeral dial 1930 1932. Finally, with Catherine Donohue serving as a key witness from her death bed in 1938, a groundbreaking Supreme Court case finally delivered some long awaited justice to the victims. When did Bulova stop using radium? You just cant imagine the size of this factory its just gigantic. When I went home and washed my hands in a dark bathroom, they would appear luminous and ghostly, an original Ghost Girl named Catherine Donohue (nee Wolfe) later testified. [Westclox advertisements from WWII period, ft. It has ingraved on it 2-20-31. At the end of one hand is a star and the other hand is the moon. The Canadian Clock Museum (http://www.canclockmuseum.ca/) may have some information. So you find clocks where parts have been switched, so thats one challenge, determining originality. [9] Prior to that date, "the federal government had a limited role, if any, in ensuring the safe use of radium," according to the NRC. 7&a half X 6..desk clock. JavaScript is disabled. Clock Repair and Hermle Chime, Mantel and Wall Clocks for Sale at Bill's Clockworks. styles to organize them For me its kind of an inexpensive hobby because as a boy I could find them for about a dollar a piece, sometimes in good condition. Just as pilots in World War II had radium on the dials in their cockpits for all-condition visibility, many people who purchased Big Ben alarm clocks during the same periodincluding the very style in our museum collection (made from 1939-1946)went to bed each night sleeping next to a tiny box of radioactivity. With alarm clocks, they were so common that when people repaired them they did whatever they could to get them going. One of the objects on display in the Benton County Historical Society's Corvallis Museum is this Westclox Radium Dial Clock. These clocks were produced in the thousands and many can be bought on eBay for under $10. Instead, it would be better to take the box outside and remove the lid there, which would allow any built-up gas to rapidly dissipate." The watches tested were produced from the 1920s through the '60s, and are a mix of British, Swiss, and American origin. My clothes, hanging in a dark closet, gave off a phosphorescent glare. This has probably been discussed before but my search turned up nothingdo the luminous hands on a Big Ben alarm clock contain painted radium? I hope to document Style 5 Baby Bens this winter. It can be found with some other clocks in a case in the second floor hallway. Entertainment & Pop Culture; Geography & Travel; Health & Medicine; Lifestyles & Social Issues; Literature; Philosophy & Religion; Politics, Law & Government That summer at an antique store I came across one that wasnt even in the book, and I thought that was exciting. We have photos of all the employees between 1927-1945 at the Peterborough Ontario Location but not much else. The end of the Great War began what was, in many respects, a halcyon time for Westclox, now arguably the best-known timekeeping brand in the world. . Collectors Weekly: When did you discover that there were other clock collectors? Quite a few who try to get every basic model, but fewer who get into the rarer models and do research. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Stoddard: The prices for larger wall clocks, three feet tall and up, have increased dramatically, while prices on some of the more common clocks have remained the same for the past 20 years. The movement is a windup almost identical to the original. It was discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898. Well, the company certainly maintained some major salesrooms here, and many of their employees came from the city and its suburbs. Origin of the eye, forklore or legends surrounding????? Buy Now. Theres a seller on eBay now whos doing some really outstanding restorations of Big Bens. Contact the Webmaster for perceived copyright infringement (DMCA Registration Number 1010287). I know the site informs readers the amount of Big Bens produced in any one year, but does NOT for the reproduction model produced in 1970. The next month, Roth got a cablegram from London; his friend and valued co-worker Le Roy had died for his country. Those simple words, Roth later wrote in the November 1914 issue of the company newsletter, Tick Talk, unconsciously characterized the manunaffected, direct, devoted to his cause., [Images from a 1922 issue of the Westclox company newsletter, the very cleverly titled Tick Talk]. 1970s Many of these workers developed bone cancer . I thought, oh boy, I just need four more and Ill have them all! "Westclox" in italics, double hexagon legs: 1918, "Westclox" in italics, regular legs: 1918 -1922, "Westclox" in italics, very narrow lettering at bottom: "MADE BY WESTERN CLOCK CO., LA SALLE, ILL., U.S.A.", ca. Advertisement: Illustrates crackle green Tiny Tim, crackle blue Big Ben and crackle pink Baby Ben clocks. Could you suggest how I could go about finding out this information. You must log in or register to reply here. The story begins with a Connecticut clockmaker named Charles Stahlberg getting a patent for a new alarm clock design in 1885. I have a Seth Thomas Mantle clock that my older sisters husbands Aunt had on her mantle for years. Westclox also made about 5000 gold-plated reproductions. This past weekend, thanks to the Westclox Museum, its doors were opened and former workers were welcomed back for Homecoming Day. During World War II they had some fantastic ads that you can see on my website like, Victory Wont Wait for the Nation Thats Late, and Guard Your Big Ben where they show a bulldog and a soldier with a gun guarding a Big Ben because during the war they stopped making clocks for the consumer market and totally switched over to military work. Your email address will not be published. A well-dressed, steady and punctual chap, up to the minute and always on the job., Big Ben always comes to you straight from home, LaSalle, Illinois, read another. It is something that we should know before everyone starts throwing away every luminous dial clock they own. 1978. Any help would be appreciated. These folks here that are responsible for this are doing a marvelous job, Ristau said. I have a similar clock. Richard Tjarks introduced . Question: Are both 1) and 2) marriages of Style 2 mechanisms put in a Style 1A Big Ben and Style 1 Baby Ben. Stoddard: The main thing is the originality of the dial and if its a wooden shelf clock, having the original painting in the door would be really important. When did they stop using radium for watches? Style 1 has three screws through the bezel visible from the front, style 1a doesnt (compare figures 3 and 7); Style 1 has two screws holding the bell back, style 1a has three. About the only. Site of the Old Westclox factory 211-201 Hunter Street, Peterborough Ontario. I am looking to get an approxmiate value of this clock. From that time on, Baby Bens first and then Big Bens were available with either the plain or luminous dial. WECKER (CCW arrow) knob sets alarm time. Their use in prostate brachytherapy dates from 1926. By 1930, all dial painters stopped pointing their brushes by mouth. It is in working order and chimes on the hour and half hour. I have a sessions mantle clock duet#1. i use a 1980s I believe westclox pocket ben sweep 2nd hand, I actually had a westclox bullseye from the early 1990s when I was in elementary school. Sep 6, 2008. potz said: Afaik Radium was used right up to the 1950's. Some sources even say it was used up to 1968 in watches and 1978 in clocks. When I was eight we moved to a new house and my mom and I were looking in the attic and found an old octagon wall clock made by Waterbury, probably dated about 1880. I think we threw it away. Big Ben style, and there are other styles with names instead of numbers. I bought a 1970s Westclox pocket watch with a Hotwheels face that says authorized seller on it.
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