In 1914, Dr. Sabin Arnold von Sochocky and Dr. George S. Willis founded the Radium Luminous Material Corporation. the clock face is 16, ca 1900. the clock belonged to pheobe appersons family at their ranch in sunol california. Westclox Big Ben Alarm Clock Vintage. This 1964 Westclox Christmas ad describes their features. As stated it is working and keeps time. A radium dial clock from the 1930s. I wonder if the younger generations are as interested in the older things as we are, although there are some younger collectors out there learning how to do clock repair. They made the most of the perk, wearing their good dresses to the plant so theyd shine in the dance halls at night, and even painting radium onto their teeth for a smile that would knock their suitors dead.. 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. After several changes of ownership, it became . Then, on New Years Eve, as 2011 became 2012, the unthinkable happened. She was 18. Eventually, scientists and medical professionals realized that these workers' illnesses were being caused by internal contamination from the radium they ingested. But it had always just been a matter of time (pun less intended) before industrial mass production made a wide-scale phenomenon like the Big Ben possible. He corresponded with Westclox General Manager Ernst Roth over the weeks that followed, but after a final letter that September, he went silent. credit: Northern Illinois University], According to a 1909 article in Commercial America, In clocks, as in all other lines of goods, there are two classes of consumersthe millions and the millionaires. People will still look for a good wind up but the quality declined in the later years just because the companies tried so hard to keep the prices low. Was just trying to find out any information on this clock or if you may have ever come across one like it 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. It is and Elias Ingraham Brass Clock with a patent stamp of September 30, 1862. There are variations in the lettering on the dial and back. They were officially Americas preferred wake-up call provider. I live in Scotland but my clock was made in USA. Radium was even used in medical applications during the 20th century. Westclox set up a factory in England in the 1940s and also in Scotland. Westclox closed its Peru factory 35 years ago. 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. Westclox Big Ben and Baby Ben Identification Guide , Remembering the Great War and The Clock That Caused a Near Riot . Fortunately, in the years since, theres been a noble effort to retain surviving parts of the building and some of the important local history that the empty factory once represented. When did westclox stop using radium? I have a similar clock. Can you confirm? Its basically all forward momentum from here. 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 worked here for 28 years. 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. You must log in or register to reply here. I recently added the Big Ben Style 1 and Baby Ben Style 1 Dial and Back types. Stoddard: My grandma gave me an old Baby Ben alarm clock that didnt work when I was seven. I cant find out anything about him or any other clocks by him. Westclox also made about 5000 gold-plated reproductions. UHR (CW arrow) knob sets clock time. Credit: pinimg. [Former Westclox workers Art and Mary Ann Windy (standing), 2015], This is amazing, Art said. [3] The Radiolite series, made in various sizes and models, became a signature of the Connecticut-based company. Matthiessen [pictured below], who owns the powerful Illinois Zinc Company and most other things in Peru / LaSalle, decides to swoop in and save Stahlbergs little clock business, incorporating it as the Western Clock Mfg. The Ghost Girls might have been the envy of the other girls in town, but no one yet realized just how much danger they were being subjected to. I am sure I can give Mr. Shields further information about his clock. I read (but cant remember where) that about 40,000 were made. Radium dials were produced throughout most of the 20th century before being replaced by safer tritium-based luminous material in the 1970s and finally by non-toxic, non-radioactive strontium aluminatebased photoluminescent material from the middle 1990s. I would like to find out about this clock. By 1930, all dial painters stopped pointing their brushes by mouth. Welcome to the Westclox Clock and Watch History Database. 1970s Many of these workers developed bone cancer . The pioneering spirit is there, but the business skills soon appear lacking. In the production of ordinary clocks adapted to the needs and means of the millions, America produces results of remarkable excellence. when did westclox stop using radium. Before we get to that, though, we have to start with the issue of geography as it concerns the business in question. It is in working order and chimes on the hour and half hour. Created with WordPress. [citation needed] The use of radium to provide luminescence for hands and indices on watches soon followed. The clock is shielded From the glass crystal. Many folks might not realize that early vintage clock dials were painted with radioluminescent paint, which is a mixture of fluorescent salts (these produce the glow) and radium-226, which is a dangerous and highly radioactive element. The incidents occurred at three different factories in United States: one in Orange, New Jersey, beginning around 1917; one in Ottawa, Illinois, beginning in the early 1920s; and a third facility in Waterbury, Connecticut, also in the 1920s. I have a collection of clocks, and amongst my collection are Westminster chime wall clocks, I have two Keinzle and two Junghans. Stoddard: I was pretty much on my own until college. I know Bill Stoddards name from other publications on Westclox. The women also left a legacy to science that has been termed invaluable.. One of the objects on display in the Benton County Historical Society's Corvallis Museum is this Westclox Radium Dial Clock. The aim of the Western Clock MFG Co. in entering the manufacture of alarms was to apply to nickel clocks, features which were previously found only in high-priced timepieces, and prohibited in low-priced lever clocks by the high cost of production involved. The Radium Girls were female factory workers who contracted radiation poisoning from painting watch dials with self-luminous paint. We thought it was 1890 or older. Next year, well have been married for 49 years, Mary Ann said. . 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. Accueil; Services; Ralisations; Annie Moussin; Mdias; 514-569-8476 can anybody tell me about this piece? Stoddard: The first Big Bens and Baby Bens went on the market in 1910 and they were wind ups. From 1942 to 1945, Westclox ceased all production intended for domestic civilian sale and dedicated its production resources to the war effort. Seeking the Big 3 goals of convenience, cleanliness, and cheap production, Dreyfuss rolled out his new-look Big Ben in 1931. Only reason I can think of and it looks pretty odd not to have minutes on a clock face. For the town of Peruwhich had tied much of its identity to Westclox for the better part of a centurythe damage went beyond financial. Henry Warren invented a little synchronous motor that could go inside a clock. it has a picture of a huck finn type boy,carying 2 bottles of coke& a fishing pole,with his dog. My moms father had a small collection of antique clocks and when I was a little boy he showed me how to wind them and regulate them. 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. . JavaScript is disabled. The style 7 Big Ben and Baby Ben (1956 to 1964, the first Bens with concentric alarm hand) has minute markings. Gordon Goodrum For example, Big Ben Style 1 and Style 1a are the leg model, and Style 2 is the first base model. The use of radium was discontinued since the 1960s. As radium luminosity came under attack in the 1930s, Westcloxs other updates to the Big Ben design were far more practical and uncontroversial. $38.00. Various lettering on the dial and various patent dates (later, numbers) on the Like style 1a non-luminous with dealer name on dial. Westclox Wrought Iron Look Wall Clock 12" 32021A. My father (Richard Ristau Sr.) worked here for 48.. 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. I cannot date it. In clocks, as in all other lines of goods, there are two classes of consumersthe millions and the millionaires. I have a collection of alarm clocks, but slowly selling many. Could you suggest how I could go about finding out this information. They were told that eliminating lip-pointing had ended earlier problems. I recently added the Big Ben Style 1 and Baby Ben Style 1 Dial and Back types. How do you set the time on a old fashioned alarm clock? Yet Mrs. Keane was a survivor who later conquered colon and breast cancer. That way I got myself another Baby Ben, bringing my collection to three by age 12. Can someone get back to me as to what it is and possibe age of it. Any suggestions of where to get a replacement preferably in Canada? The NAWCC has an online forum with a lot of different categories. Stoddard: The National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors (NAWCC) is headquartered in Pennsylvania but has chapters throughout the country. But for years the majority were wind ups, they were so popular. It has a patent June 18-1882 and says Dakota on the back,can you tell me more? Any help would be appreciated. I hope to document Style 5 Baby Bens this winter. [Left: The first national Big Ben advertisement appears in the Saturday Evening Post in 1910: Big Ben is a thin, beautiful and punctual sleepmeter with a silent motor that will not annoy you on your lie-awake nights and a deep musical voice that will call you on your sleepiest mornings. Right and Below: A style 1A Big Ben from our museum collection, circa 1920s.]. Quite a few who try to get every basic model, but fewer who get into the rarer models and do research. $26.95. Not to mention theres the Big Bens so that doubles it right there. Westclox Big Ben and Baby Ben Identification Guide ClockHistory.com, Keeping Time in Peru Chicago Tribune, October 18, 1998, Remembering the Great War and The Clock That Caused a Near Riot WestcloxMuseum.com, For That Healthy Glow, Drink Radiation Popular Science, August 17, 2004, The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of Americas Shining Women, by Kate Moore, 2o17, The Forgotten Story Of The Radium Girls, Whose Deaths Saved Thousands Of Workers Lives, by Kate Moore, Buzzfeed.com, One-Day and Alarm Clocks Commercial America, Vol VI, 1909, A Rude Awakening: The History of Alarm Clocks ThroughoutHistory.com. It is in the manufacture of alarm and one-day clocks that these results are the most noticeable, because in this field the quality of the product had always been subordinated to the market value, and the general feeling was one of let good enough alone., [Automatic machinery certainly sped up the manufacturing process, by plenty of human skill and attention was still required to make the Big Ben. When the Radium Dial Company moved to Ottawa in the 20s to better serve its number one client, Westclox, they were welcomed with enthusiasm, particularly by the young, working class women in the town. They call it Shabby Chic and sell it on eBay for 60 to 80 dollars. Although old radium dials generally no longer produce light, this is due to the breakdown of the crystal structure of the luminous zinc sulfide rather than the radioactive decay of the radium. Underneath the #12 on the face it says: G. Falconer & Co. LTD. Hong Kong. The thing I remember most is working with the people, Ristau said. Can anyone direct me on how to find this clock? Westclox Radium Dial Clock. thanks for your time, was doing research.. Appears from search engine a conversation about D batteries but cant find it in the text.. Can anyone inform me of the different size of D? I have been searching for one like as the clock went with the house after my Grandmother passed away. A Big Ben typical of those made from late 1910 to mid-1915. First, if your clock is for display only, I think it is harmless if the paint on the hands is not disturbed. Hundreds of thousands of clocks were produced a year, until closing its doors in 1980. 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. I know that it is electric and it requires a dime deposit to set the alarm on it. Dave, Your question about a Big Ben containing radium, and in fact about which clocks actually do contain radium, is a good one. When I walked along the street, Iwas aglow from the radium powder., [Mrs. Charlotte Purcell, like Catherine Donohue, was one of 15 former workers at the Radium Dial Company who contracted cancer and sought justice in the late 1930s]. However, there`s no easy way for you to tell; there were no labeling requirements then as we have now. [9] The element was phased out of use by industry acting under its own volition as superior and safer luminous materials entered the marketplace. At the top was a clock covered with a glass door. Westclox did make a couple of documented advertising clocks, but very few. They arent hurting it permanently, its just kind of weird. Thanks. On March 31, 1980, the Peru-LaSalle plant was officially closed, narrowly missing its 100-year anniversary. [citation needed] This rate probably only represents the dose rate from gamma emission, as the alpha emission will be stopped by the lacquer, or crystal, or case; hence, the dose rate following ingestion or inhalation of the dust could be much higher. Their factory in LaSalle, Illinois closed down in about 1980 when they moved all their production down south, but the building is still there. 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. I think we threw it away. lds missionary clothing stores; June 24, 2022 . its a Gold coloring and the bottom is well worn like it was slid into something regularily. The Westclox building remained there in all its glory well into the 21st century, as plans were tossed around for some sort of repurposing of the huge, historic facility. The front is in Roman Numerals with a dome shaped raised glass. Radium was discovered in 1898 by Marie Curie and Pierre Curie. It was only with the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 that the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was given oversight of the use of radium. How can people be exposed to Radium? Buy Now. Big Ben Style Series. At the start of the decade, the company brought in a skilled new industrial designer named Henry Dreyfuss; a true modernist. I'll start with a 19j Bunn, Looking for Somebody with Some Bandwidth to do a Repair. 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. 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. Importantly, the health risks tied to these old clocks is generally believed to be quite minimal, so long as one avoids long-term exposure or directly ingesting the paint as the Ghost Girls had. If you do not expect to work hard and carefully, you are in the wrong place., Big Ben is a handsome, well built, refined and bright looking fellow with a clean-cut open face and a deep cheerful voice,, 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,, But he only comes upon receipt of signed price agreement. But he only comes upon receipt of signed price agreement. Any guidance or help is appreciated. . Could you please try to help me find out what kind of clock this is. It also says that the patent was re-issued March 31, 1868. The radium isotope (226Ra) used has a half-life of about 1,600years,[6] so radium dials remain essentially just as radioactive as when originally painted 50 or 100 years ago, whether or not they remain luminous. I bought a 1970s Westclox pocket watch with a Hotwheels face that says authorized seller on it. The policy of the company is one of highly specialized production. The Ingersoll Watch division of the Waterbury Clock Company, a nationally-known maker of low-cost pocket and wristwatches, was a leading popularizer of the use of radium for watch hands and indices through the introduction of their "Radiolite" watches in 1916. I am looking to get an approxmiate value of this clock. All the aforementioned to ask you if you know how many of the 1970 style 1As were made. There are also some other makers clocks Ive gotten into, like the Seth Thomas 30 hour ogee, which is a weight-driven shelf clock. Did Westclox use radium? From that time on, Baby Bens first and then Big Bens were available with either the plain or luminous dial. 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. Radium - The First Rolex Luminous Material. The NAWCC is dedicated to providing association services, promoting interest in and encouraging the collecting of clocks and watches including disseminating knowledge of the same. Ironically, the war that had cost them Gaston Le Roy had also stifled much of the companys European competition, opening up an even bigger share of the world marketplace in the 1920s. Stoddard: Pay attention to quality. 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. The alarm mechanism was also improved as part of Kerns new patents, with an intermittent ringing that kind of acted as an archaic form of snooze alarm. Patton, had joined Charles Stahlbergs original start-up back in 1886 at the age of just 13, and he was still on board in 1936, 50 years later. I have an antique mantle clock given to my Aunt & Uncle for a wedding gift (approximately 1949) FROM my great grandparents. These paints were used on the dials of clocks and watches to make them glow-in-the-dark. I am a retired mechanical engineer, the quality has floored me, hats off to this company. It has a cracked front lens that I would like to replace. When Westclox changed over to the style 8 Big Ben and Baby Ben in 1964, they used 4 divisions per 5 minutes, I believe to make the alarm easier to set. This dustproofing is accomplished by fittings around the set knobs and winding keys and on the regulator. Thank you Something about them has always been ingrained in me. 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. I was given an Elias Ingraham Clock many years ago and would like to know a bit more about it and its value. 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. Thank you, i have a pocket watch that says (inscribed inside) g. falconer ,,,rona & london or kona & london i dont know its in old english and says kona or hona it has 1243 all inscribed on the inside where when u open it u can see the gears, looks like an a8 and a crown with a 18 on the middle inside cover (that covers the gears) and also a 1243 and what looks like an 8 or an infinite symbol (sideways 8)then again on the part that clasps over everything on the inside an A3 or A8? [5] Indeed, the body treats radium as it does calcium, storing it in bone where it may cause bone degeneration and cancer.[5]. they played a deep rich tone. Stoddard: Ive been there several times. Company in 1888 and installing another talented German, Ernst Roth, as the general manager. WECKER (CW arrow)/UHR (CCW arrow) knob with ring: CW winds alarm; CCW winds clock. I would like to know the value of a #4 black, #321(in original cardboard Christmas box), mint condition, Baby Ben alarm clock is. Is radium still used on watches? In the 1970s, radium was phased out of wristwatches and clockdials. 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. Style 10 is the last numbered . I love the Hamiltons in particular, probably some of the best watches made in America. when did westclox stop using radium. I have a Westclox Bachelor alarm clock from probably the 50s as it was always there when I was growing up. Leg model with ring on top, dustproof case. The work involved using luminous radium paint to make the numbers on clocks, watches and aeronautic dials glow in the dark. 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]. They can be identified by having the modern type of flat head screws with shoulders instead of round head screws, and by having a 1910 patent date on the back even though the case is style 1a. Never underestimate the value of an alarm clock when yours broke two years ago and nobody has manufactured a new one since. They managed to extract 1 mg of radium from ten tonnes of the uranium ore pitchblende (uranium oxide, U 3 O 8), a considerable feat, given the chemically methods of separation available to them.They identified that it was a new element because its atomic spectrum revealed new lines. Chronic exposure to high levels of radium can result in an increased incidence of bone, liver, or breast cancer. It would be greatly appreciated. Radiums luminosity was part of its allure, Moore writes. My clothes, hanging in a dark closet, gave off a phosphorescent glare. Were finally at a point, where were ready to do more than just sit here, said Ruth Spayer, curator for the museum. When I walked along the street, Iwas aglow from the radium powder., The radium girls case was one of the first in which an employer was made responsible for the health of the companys employees.
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