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. It is something that we should know before everyone starts throwing away every luminous dial clock they own. Thanks. Above all else, though, the rise and fall of Westcloxand the deeper history of these Big Ben clocks, in particularis simply far too intriguing to dismiss just because of a long-distance commute. When did westclox stop using radium? [citation needed] After about 20minutes this delivers the equivalent of one whole day's worth of normal background radiation. In 1919 the company was incorporated as Western Clock Company, Ltd. Buy Now. Similarly, The Westclox Big Ben Alarm Clock Vintage is an iconic timepiece that has been around since the early 1900s. Well, the company certainly maintained some major salesrooms here, and many of their employees came from the city and its suburbs. At the end of one hand is a star and the other hand is the moon. But he only comes upon receipt of signed price agreement. Any information would be very helpful. But the chances that you have a radium clock are slim, unless it is very old. Ive recently acquired a New Haven decorative wall clock. Penetrating gamma radiation produced by some dials also represents a significant health risk. Credit: pinimg. Can anyone tell me the meaning or significance of this eye? Your response or advice would be much appreciated. But hes taken some that are really rusty and had the backs replaced beautifully and reproduced some dials, and hes actually had some selling for several hundred dollars, so thats a totally different thing. . In 2006 I started collecting vintage advertisements. Westcloxs Manual for Employees read, We expect you to work hard, and the pay is accordingly large . . Hi I need the face plate for a black face big ben with the alarm dial on its face do you have any you could sell me alonf with the radio dials, it was probably outsourced meaning westclox sold some watches to hot wheels, I had a westclox electric dialite like that. In a few short years, thanks to Dr. Douglas's efforts, the amount of radium available in the US more than quintupled. Is this a product that the company would have made or something someone created? From that time on, Baby Bens first and then Big Bens were available with either the plain or luminous dial. Can someone get back to me as to what it is and possibe age of it. I think we threw it away. It is in working order and chimes on the hour and half hour. There are also some specialty chapters, like an alarm clock chapter and a 400-day clock chapter, one that specializes in wristwatches and one on early American pocket watches. It emits alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. 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. Can you help who can refurbush big ben still runs good perfect time purchased in 1950 cataloge #885(885). Apr 14, 2011 501 1 18. Helen. It has a patent June 18-1882 and says Dakota on the back,can you tell me more? That was the first antique clock I owned myself. [9] The element was phased out of use by industry acting under its own volition as superior and safer luminous materials entered the marketplace. Origin of the eye, forklore or legends surrounding????? I Have a small brass alarm clock,which is 1-3/4 Hieght Length & Width. Posted on 1 second ago; June 24, 2022 . Located at 41.3275 N, 89.1290 W on the map, the companys former plant is admittedly on the absolute fringes of what would typically be designated Chicagoland turf. Theres a clock called a Crystal Regulator which is about a foot tall with a brass case and glass on all four sides. Do you have an archival dept who could give us an idea of our Western Clock which we recently acquired? Was this done so the alarm could be more easily set on the quarter or half hour? Has the mechanics of the clock been changed/upgraded or could there be another issue at play? UHR (CW arrow) knob sets clock time. At the start of the decade, the company brought in a skilled new industrial designer named Henry Dreyfuss; a true modernist. Ive been trying to compare lots of different clocks to find out what original parts go together. 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. Westclox Classic Alarm Clock Full Size 47602. It still works. In all my research I can not confirm that The Style 1 models every had 1) and 2) above. When did westclox start making clocks? Among the rarities on display is a Westclox-made National Emergency Alarm Repeater. Quite a few who try to get every basic model, but fewer who get into the rarer models and do research. 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. I am a retired mechanical engineer, the quality has floored me, hats off to this company. As stated it is working and keeps time. 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.. I was pained to learn how the girls had suffered while working here and sacrificed their lives to give the name of the company which it has today. It has a removable bottom decorative piece as well as a top rounded top flat piece of wood with a verticle wooden slat on the back extending to become a peg-like extension to fit and secure the decorative piece into the top of the clock. Clock Repair and Hermle Chime, Mantel and Wall Clocks for Sale at Bill's Clockworks. 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. German: WECKER (alarm); UHR (clock). can anybody tell me about this piece? Now I know that theres probably 14 basic shapes, but a lot more variations than that depending on how far you want to take things. 1888. It is stamped on the back of the casing DRP&GM. I like to find the ones before that and study their history. Then, on New Years Eve, as 2011 became 2012, the unthinkable happened. Your email address will not be published. Radium is highly radioactive. According to Periodic. [Workers assembling Big Ben alarm clocks at the Westclox plant, 1910s. Stopping this practice drastically reduced the amount of radium ingested and therefore, the incidence of malignancy. For example, Big Ben Style 1 and Style 1a are the leg model, and Style 2 is the first base model. Any guidance or help is appreciated. Theyre making some really nice reproductions of it in China and if you dont know what youre looking for you could be fooled easily. In the comprehensive Big Ben & Baby Ben Identification Guide, organized by researchers Richard Tjarks and Bill Stoddard, they credit the original brilliant marketing of these little wonders almost entirely to one mana 28 year-old French immigrant named Gaston Le Roy. Westclox also made about 5000 gold-plated reproductions. The only problem is a standard size D battery does not fit. Style Information: Plain dial: 1918 - 1935 Black luminous dial: 1921 - 1935 There are variations in the lettering on the dial and back. Can you confirm? So, does Westclox really belong in the Made In Chicago Museum? Its got a round brass dial and a painting in the door, really neat. When did Westclox close? 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. Radium dials usually lose their ability to glow in the dark in a period ranging anywhere from a few years to several decades, but all will cease to glow at some point. Westclox set up a factory in England in the 1940s and also in Scotland. Sometimes extensive casework can be more time consuming than getting the movement running. Thank you. they played a deep rich tone. Charles Stahlberg had an idea for making a better, but less expensive alarm clock. This practice resulted in the ingestion of radium, which caused serious jaw-bone degeneration and malignancy and other dental diseases. The Crystal blocks a significant amount of The radiation. Westclox Big Ben and Baby Ben Identification Guide , Remembering the Great War and The Clock That Caused a Near Riot . They call it Shabby Chic and sell it on eBay for 60 to 80 dollars. It was put away for years and last year it was given to me as I have small collection of United novelty clocks. About the only. Advertisement: Illustrates crackle green Tiny Tim, crackle blue Big Ben and crackle pink Baby Ben clocks. Buy Now. The movement was mounted to the inner case back. These styles constitute the Westclox Model 66 Movement Series Welcome to the Westclox Clock and Watch History Database. 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. Inhaled or ingested particles may deposit a high local dose with a risk of radiation-caused lung or gastrointestinal cancer. Company in 1888 and installing another talented German, Ernst Roth, as the general manager. However, there`s no easy way for you to tell; there were no labeling requirements then as we have now. 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. By Dave Margulius The style 8 Big and Baby Bens were introduced in 1964. Big Ben style, and there are other styles with names instead of numbers. As Kate Moore explains it, The radium girls case was one of the first in which an employer was made responsible for the health of the companys employees. 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. [5] Indeed, the body treats radium as it does calcium, storing it in bone where it may cause bone degeneration and cancer.[5]. [3] The Radiolite series, made in various sizes and models, became a signature of the Connecticut-based company. Richard Tjarks introduced This dustproofing is accomplished by fittings around the set knobs and winding keys and on the regulator. lds missionary clothing stores; June 24, 2022 . Radium was even used in medical applications during the 20th century. Im trying to determine if it is a legit or reproduction that someone made. In 1931 it merged with Seth Thomas Clock Co. and both became divisions of General Time Corp. 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.. Stoddard: Its really hard to say. He also recalled playing in the factory. Production was back in full force and at an all-time high by 1956, with 3,000 employees on staff. If you do not expect to work hard and carefully, you are in the wrong place. credit: Northern Illinois University]. [7], Ingestion of radium has been linked to anemia, cataracts, broken teeth, and reduced bone growth.[8]. I love the Hamiltons in particular, probably some of the best watches made in America. It is and Elias Ingraham Brass Clock with a patent stamp of September 30, 1862. They made them with wooden works until about 1840, then with brass gears and I like some of the early brass-geared American clocks. Read more about "Radium Girls" here. All Rights Reserved. If someone has restored it in the past, make sure the correct dial was put on it and the movements, which have probably been repaired a lot, have been done nicely. Don Spayer, volunteer and former Westclox employee, said the bulk of the museums collection was built through donations. 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. Westclox Scotland produced its first clock on 21 September 1948; a spring wound alarm with a 4-inch (10cm) dial. The first style 1a cases had double-hexagon legs, but after about a year they were changed to standard single hex form. Initially hired as a low level clerk, Le Roy worked his way up the company ladder in the early 1900s as an on-the-road sales rep, soliciting business from Chicago to New York to parts unknown. You just cant imagine the size of this factory its just gigantic. Both the Big and Baby Bens were housed in a newly refined bell-back clock case. Yet Mrs. Keane was a survivor who later conquered colon and breast cancer. My love is for the style 1 peg leg Big and Baby Bens; mostly Baby Bens. In clocks, as in all other lines of goods, there are two classes of consumersthe millions and the millionaires. $38.00. [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. Something about them has always been ingrained in me. In a way theyre preventing clocks from being thrown away so I cant totally condemn it, but it still seems like a funny thing to do. 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. Radium dials held near the face have been shown to produce radiation doses in excess of 10Sv / hour. On March 31, 1980, the Peru-LaSalle plant was officially closed, narrowly missing its 100-year anniversary. We pay his railroad fare on all orders for a dozen or more, we brand him with your name in lots of 24.. The thing I remember most is working with the people, Ristau said. When many of these early Big Ben advertisements were still running, Gaston Le Roys life took a sudden and dramatic turn. . 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. 2023 by Andrew Clayman. I always wondered why the dial of my Baby Ben clock, which I have had from late 60s, was marked off in 48ths of an hour instead of minutes. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 1978. Thanks, Teri. From that point on I really liked those. Without a crystal poses a serious Health risk because the Radium paint flakes off and can become airborne. I just had it repaired & it works & looks great. knowledge about vintage and antique Westclox clocks and watches. 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. 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., When I went home and washed my hands in a dark bathroom, they would appear luminous and ghostly,, My clothes, hanging in a dark closet, gave off a phosphorescent glare. In the early 1920s, when the company introduced a new series of Big Ben and Baby Ben clocks with luminous dials, the work of painting on this special, glow-in-the-dark element was outsourced to the Radium Dial Companyan independent business located just up the road in the neighboring town of Ottawa, IL.
