The new company tripled in size by the turn of the century, employing 232 people at its growing Peru plant (145 men, 73 women, 14 children) and producing 500,000 clocks annually. 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. If you look at a Baby Ben in the 1959 Sears catalog, they sold for about nine dollars and if you go to a Wal Mart today you can still buy a Baby Ben for about nine dollars, but the quality isnt the same. 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. It was passed on to my sister and for years it was on their mantle along time until it stopped. I have an antique mantle clock given to my Aunt & Uncle for a wedding gift (approximately 1949) FROM my great grandparents. The use of Radium changed over several years but it was not until late 1960ies when the last were made. Style 5 dial design]. 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]. Radium was discovered in 1898 by Marie Curie and Pierre Curie. 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? 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. 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. We would like to redo the entrances and lobby areas and show the history of the building right on site but have not found much anywhere. I think we threw it away. [Workers assembling Big Ben alarm clocks at the Westclox plant, 1910s. Without a crystal poses a serious Health risk because the Radium paint flakes off and can become airborne. Even so, our case-less dials are certainly best left behind glass and out of reach, a sad reminder of a terrible and preventable episode in industrial history, the effects of which continued to plague the town of Ottawa for many years afterward. These paints were used on the dials of clocks and watches to make them glow-in-the-dark. As radium luminosity came under attack in the 1930s, Westcloxs other updates to the Big Ben design were far more practical and uncontroversial. When radium was discovered in the early 1900s, people were fascinated by its mysterious glow and it was added to many everyday products, including paints. 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. Your email address will not be published. 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. [Former Westclox workers Art and Mary Ann Windy (standing), 2015], This is amazing, Art said. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that watches with radium dials should not be taken apart[5] without proper training, technique, and facilities. I have been collecting, repairing, and restoring mostly Westclox Big Bens for several years. Stoddard: Its really hard to say. It has a cracked front lens that I would like to replace. Its basically all forward momentum from here. . 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. Westclox 0.9" LED Plasma Screen Alarm Clock with USB Charging Port 71014X. The only problem is a standard size D battery does not fit. Stoddard: The National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors (NAWCC) is headquartered in Pennsylvania but has chapters throughout the country. Was westclox ever manufactured in germany and if so when? 5 17 15 is May 17, 1915 . In the production of ordinary clocks adapted to the needs and means of the millions, America produces results of remarkable excellence. The clock can still give considerable amounts of radiation about 2-3 inches from the Crystal measured with a Geiger counter. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I worked here for 28 years. who can refurbush big ben still runs good perfect time purchased in 1950 cataloge #885(885). Big Ben style 1a continued in production until its discontinuation in 1935. I have never seen this mentioned anywhere. 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. From that time on, Baby Bens first and then Big Bens were available with either the plain or luminous dial. Some people just want one or two that they remember from childhood in good condition, so thats just the thing for them. Not everyone involved with the manufacturing of Westclox products was employed directly by Westclox, however. This was a wonderful article to read. Next year, well have been married for 49 years, Mary Ann said. [5] Indeed, the body treats radium as it does calcium, storing it in bone where it may cause bone degeneration and cancer.[5]. As my first name is Ben, I started to collect these alarmclocks since about 1970. 7&a half X 6..desk clock. I never realized, even working here, they made so many different models.. If you want to identify an item, try posting it in our Show & Tell gallery. its about 2 inches long maybe 1/2 in thick with holes on either end to be worn on a key chain perhaps? 1919 -1922, Luminous, Westclox in Roman text: 1923 - 1927, Luminous, projection on the "x": 1928 - 1935. 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. Theres a clock called a Crystal Regulator which is about a foot tall with a brass case and glass on all four sides. 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. A few years later my grandma gave me one that worked, and my aunt gave me another one. 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. Westcloxs Manual for Employees read, We expect you to work hard, and the pay is accordingly large . Radium is an almost pure white alkaline radioactive earth metal, and is found in nature in uranium ores. I have looked high and low in my attempts to find out how any of these resproduction style 1A were produced. Some years ago I intended to do a write-up on my collection and started researching on the internet and found the Westclox history site with a wealth of info. Gordon Goodrum Behind the light, theyd been left in the dark. I would like to find out about this clock. Then my friend and I went around the neighborhood asking people if they had anything they wanted to give away, like old clocks and cameras and tape recorders. I know it was purchased in 1937 because it belonged to my elderly friends who were married in 1938. Beginning in the 1910s, the girls instructed to put radium in their mouths didn't bat an eyelash. It is 3 diameter with Westclox on the back and PAT.APLOFOR. 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. 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. Not to mention theres the Big Bens so that doubles it right there. Production was back in full force and at an all-time high by 1956, with 3,000 employees on staff. 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. Sometimes Ive seen them for 300 to 600 dollars. I hope to document Style 5 Baby Bens this winter. About 1931 they made the first electric Big Ben, and they were plug ins. A key point to bear in mind is this: the dial is still highly radioactive. when did westclox stop using radium. 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. Advertisement: Illustrates crackle green Tiny Tim, crackle blue Big Ben and crackle pink Baby Ben clocks. Immediately after, substances like promethium and tritium were used as a luminous material, and they're still being used today. 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. I think it is a clock made by Sessions. Any guidance or help is appreciated. $26.95. I spent many an evening here, watching him bowl.. 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. WECKER (CW arrow)/UHR (CCW arrow) knob with ring: CW winds alarm; CCW winds clock. How do you set the time on a old fashioned alarm clock? 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 . The Canadian Clock Museum (http://www.canclockmuseum.ca/) may have some information. Kind regards, Ben van Vliet. T. tkarter Registered User. Within two decades she had lost all her teeth. Apr 14, 2011 501 1 18. I recently added the Big Ben Style 1 and Baby Ben Style 1 Dial and Back types. The policy of the company is one of highly specialized production. Thanks for any info you may be able to supply I Have a small brass alarm clock,which is 1-3/4 Hieght Length & Width. I have an Pine State Ice Cream Milk clock that I would like to find out how much it may be worth. Was this done so the alarm could be more easily set on the quarter or half hour? Theyre making some really nice reproductions of it in China and if you dont know what youre looking for you could be fooled easily. i have a large ansonia wall clock 32 1/2 x 32. I have a collection of clocks, and amongst my collection are Westminster chime wall clocks, I have two Keinzle and two Junghans. We have photos of all the employees between 1927-1945 at the Peterborough Ontario Location but not much else. Posted on 1 second ago; June 24, 2022 . How do you date a Westclox Baby Ben? 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. The lume used on vintage Rolex watches was radium-based, and radium remained the standard for nearly all Rolex lume until 1963, when growing health concerns forced a shift away from it. A 'radium cow' or sample of radium would continually yield a supply of the nuclide. I had developed some sort of fascination for Big Ben and Baby Ben clocks. In 2006 I started collecting vintage advertisements. Origin of the eye, forklore or legends surrounding????? [6] Decaying radium also produces the gas radon, recognized as the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States[6] and the United Kingdom. Westclox Wrought Iron Look Wall Clock 12" 32021A. In the production of ordinary clocks adapted to the needs and means of the millions, America produces results of remarkable excellence. I have a Westclox Bachelor alarm clock from probably the 50s as it was always there when I was growing up. any info would be appreciated. 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 company later changed its name to the United States Radium Corporation. Buy Now. 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). document.write(year) It was discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898. Radium was discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898[1] and was soon combined with paint to make luminescent paint, which was applied to clocks, airplane instruments, and the like, to be able to read them in the dark.[2]. Radium paint itself was eventually phased out and has not been used in watches since 1968. All the rods in my clocks are verticle that is from top to bottom of the case, four on each side at the back of the movement. Stoddard: Pay attention to quality. 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 . Among the rarities on display is a Westclox-made National Emergency Alarm Repeater. 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. Various lettering on the dial and various patent dates (later, numbers) on the Like style 1a non-luminous with dealer name on dial. Ref comment #10 from Frank Baker. His bigger job was to design a system so the power companies could regulate their generator so the clock could keep time. There are variations in the lettering on the dial and back. Could you please try to help me find out what kind of clock this is. JavaScript is disabled. can anybody tell me about this piece? I have a quite a few pieces of both of them I have even one big Ben pocket watch which is still working after , I do not know how many years. By the 1970s, radium was no . Big Ben style, and there are other styles with names instead of numbers. Instrument dials painted with radium-based paint, United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, "WWII Military Watches 'Potentially Pose Serious Cancer Risk,', "Health Effects of Radium Radiation Exposure,", "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Radium Dials,", "Lume 101: Watch Luminescence Explained,", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Radium_dial&oldid=1123475907, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Jane Brickman, "Radium Girls: Women and Industrial Health Reform, 19101935,", This page was last edited on 23 November 2022, at 23:30. Its got a round brass dial and a painting in the door, really neat. There are also some other makers clocks Ive gotten into, like the Seth Thomas 30 hour ogee, which is a weight-driven shelf clock. Just remember, old luminous clocks are full of radium! Stopping this practice drastically reduced the amount of radium ingested and therefore, the incidence of malignancy. Question: Are both 1) and 2) marriages of Style 2 mechanisms put in a Style 1A Big Ben and Style 1 Baby Ben. Dont know if someone ingraved date on when took down or if the original. I hung it on my wall and we tried to get it fixed but the repairman couldnt fix it. Thank you Eventually we became best friends and started researching together. Were finally at a point, where were ready to do more than just sit here, said Ruth Spayer, curator for the museum. . Required fields are marked *. On the Style 9, they went back to actual minute markings. Charles Stahlberg had an idea for making a better, but less expensive alarm clock. Thanks. Underneath the #12 on the face it says: G. Falconer & Co. LTD. Hong Kong. Sometimes getting parts is tough, too, although it turns out Westclox made lots and lots of spare parts. I am trying to determine the age. Westclox did make a couple of documented advertising clocks, but very few. they played a deep rich tone. var year = today.getFullYear() It emits alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. Thank you for your input. I would also like photo and more details of his clock, since I intend to write a follow-up article. I was looking at it and said, aha! (All images in this article courtesy Bill Stoddard, www.clockhistory.com), I found this article very complimentary to the Westclox company and an intriguing piece to read. 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. Ristau said he remembered when the Westclox factory was the heart of the city, and recalled enjoying his time with Westclox. Radium is highly radioactive. Westclox began as the United Clock Company of Peru, Illinois in 1885. . Westclox set up a factory in England in the 1940s and also in Scotland. I try to get all the pictures I can and keep them all chronologically and study the history. She was 18. 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?? Style Information: Plain dial: 1918 - 1935 Black luminous dial: 1921 - 1935 There are variations in the lettering on the dial and back. After several changes of ownership, it became . 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. For the town of Peruwhich had tied much of its identity to Westclox for the better part of a centurythe damage went beyond financial. The use of radium was discontinued since the 1960s. I live in Scotland but my clock was made in USA. If you do not expect to work hard and carefully, you are in the wrong place. credit: Northern Illinois University]. var today = new Date() They were told that eliminating lip-pointing had ended earlier problems. It also says that the patent was re-issued March 31, 1868. Im always interested in the history and the variations of clocks and how they fit in the scheme of things, what came before and what came after. There is a small dial inside of the clock face that has roman numerals like another clock face. I believed it was manufacturing tag. We are looking for any Westclox photographs, memorabilia etc between 1927- 1980s of the factory. They have meetings every two months, and educational programs, so thats a really great way to meet collectors and get all kinds of advice. I just had it repaired & it works & looks great. They asked me to give some programs myself at some of the chapter meetings so I became a little bit better at being a public speaker, and its been great meeting people. Did westclox stop using radioactive paint by the 1960s? Thank you. For my 14th birthday I got a book called The Treasury of American Clocks and there was a picture showing the seven types of Baby Bens. Dave, Your question about a Big Ben containing radium, and in fact about which clocks actually do contain radium, is a good one. These styles constitute the There are many Westclox alarm clock models named Big Ben. Welcome to the Westclox Clock and Watch History Database. 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. This has probably been discussed before but my search turned up nothingdo the luminous hands on a Big Ben alarm clock contain painted radium? At the top was a clock covered with a glass door. The Windys said their union confirms an old Westclox employee rumor about the long-lasting nature of a relationship struck up near a certain fountain. 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. hi, I have a cocacola square clock. Richard Ristau Jr., former plant manager, said hes happy to see the space being used for the museum. Another thing people do is make fake advertising clocks. The clock is several houndred pounds, and keeps great time. Seeking the Big 3 goals of convenience, cleanliness, and cheap production, Dreyfuss rolled out his new-look Big Ben in 1931. the clock face is 16, ca 1900. the clock belonged to pheobe appersons family at their ranch in sunol california. 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. So yes. Quite a few who try to get every basic model, but fewer who get into the rarer models and do research. It is something that we should know before everyone starts throwing away every luminous dial clock they own. when did westclox stop using radiumcapricorn and virgo flirting. It is a Medbury-4W #4910. I tried selling some of my surplus electric Big Bens on eBay and they just didnt go, you could get only about $0.99 for them. AD x Stoddard: I was pretty much on my own until college. Penetrating gamma radiation produced by some dials also represents a significant health risk. Would you please direct me to someone that can do this for me? Well, the company certainly maintained some major salesrooms here, and many of their employees came from the city and its suburbs. However, there`s no easy way for you to tell; there were no labeling requirements then as we have now. Jessie, good observation. I am reading, studying, and learning more about the Westclox. My dad was one of the top bowlers here, Ristau said. The movement is a windup almost identical to the original. 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. Thanks very mutch, I just acquired a sir w.h. I have purchased 1) Style 1 Baby and Big Ben with the Gold Leaf dial (seller stated raised letters); and, 2) a Style 1 Baby Ben with Baby Ben De Luxe on the dial. Westclox Clock Construction and Quality. While most of our Big Ben dials are black with luminous numbers, there were also white dials with black numerals in production at the same time. When many of these early Big Ben advertisements were still running, Gaston Le Roys life took a sudden and dramatic turn. They had one in Brazil for a while and I think also in Hong Kong. Can someone get back to me as to what it is and possibe age of it. Thanks, Teri. I recently added the Big Ben Style 1 and Baby Ben Style 1 Dial and Back types. Can anyone tell me about this? Before OSHA was set up, 14,000 people died on the job every year; today, it is just over 4,500. Is radium still used on watches? I took it back and the repairman told me it was like a large Timex watch and just not worth being fixed. 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 had one in Brazil for a while and I think also in Hong Kong. It is battery operated and takes a D battery. I thought, oh boy, I just need four more and Ill have them all! It can be found with some other clocks in a case in the second floor hallway. The women also left a legacy to science that has been termed invaluable.. [citation needed] The use of radium to provide luminescence for hands and indices on watches soon followed. Clocks produced in the early 1900's are particularly concerning in this regard. Soon, he was running the Western Clock Co. advertising department, and proving his worth with some clever marketing strategies. I know very little about clocks in general. 400-day clocks are also known as anniversary clocks, they would run 400 days on one winding. Unfortunately, they also hint at a tragic chapter in American industrial history, when the appeal of a luminous new kind of paint wound up putting hundreds of workersmostly young womenat great personal risk. It still works. Am I missing something here? CAN SOMEONE TELL ME HOW TO RELEASE THE CLICK ON A WESTCLOX MANS WRISTWATCH MODEL A-201? Then, on New Years Eve, as 2011 became 2012, the unthinkable happened. Recently Ive seen people taking an old Baby Ben thats worth a few bucks or so and gluing rhinestones around the bezel on the clock. 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. I was about 3ft high and recessed into the wall. About the only. His ideas were patented on as US patent #326,602. [7] A 2018 study by researchers from the University of Northampton found that a collection of 30 vintage military watches with radium dials kept in an small, unventilated room produced a radon concentration 134 times greater than the UK's recommended "safe" level. 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. 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. I am a retired mechanical engineer, the quality has floored me, hats off to this company. Ive recently acquired a New Haven decorative wall clock. Buy Now. $25.99. 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. 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. I tend to be a nitty gritty detail kind of guy.
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