It was passed on to my sister and for years it was on their mantle along time until it stopped. That summer at an antique store I came across one that wasnt even in the book, and I thought that was exciting. I am sure I can give Mr. Shields further information about his clock. I never realized, even working here, they made so many different models.. It still works. I know that it is electric and it requires a dime deposit to set the alarm on it. These styles constitute the 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. By 1930, all dial painters stopped pointing their brushes by mouth. Theyre making some really nice reproductions of it in China and if you dont know what youre looking for you could be fooled easily. As radium luminosity came under attack in the 1930s, Westcloxs other updates to the Big Ben design were far more practical and uncontroversial. Radium - The First Rolex Luminous Material. From that time on, Baby Bens first and then Big Bens were available with either the plain or luminous dial. 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. Any help would be appreciated. Like many East Coasters, he decides to pursue his fortune out West, but unlike many of his peers, he skips the bustling Second City in favor of a promising river & railroad region downstate; where the towns of Peru, LaSalle and Ottawa intersect. A Big Ben typical of those made from late 1910 to mid-1915. Another thing people do is make fake advertising clocks. Radium is highly radioactive. Thanks very mutch, I just acquired a sir w.h. The clock is shielded From the glass crystal. they played a deep rich tone. when did westclox stop using radiumcapricorn and virgo flirting. Thank you for your input. 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. 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. 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. 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. Im trying to determine if it is a legit or reproduction that someone made. So I brought it home and left it hanging and would wind it up every once in a while. I have an antique mantle clock given to my Aunt & Uncle for a wedding gift (approximately 1949) FROM my great grandparents. Radiums luminosity was part of its allure, Moore writes. Dozens of radium dial painters around the country developed similar symptoms, although the effects could take years to manifest, making it more difficult to pinpoint the phenomenon from its first cases in the early 1920s. US radium dial painting factory. its about 2 inches long maybe 1/2 in thick with holes on either end to be worn on a key chain perhaps? It looks like you mount it to the wall. It is a wind up. I thought, oh boy, I just need four more and Ill have them all! As stated it is working and keeps time. I bought a 1970s Westclox pocket watch with a Hotwheels face that says authorized seller on it. 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. The internet is fantastic, you can find out anything about just any kind of clock, exchange pictures easily, correspond with people and work together on research. He corresponded with Westclox General Manager Ernst Roth over the weeks that followed, but after a final letter that September, he went silent. [7], Ingestion of radium has been linked to anemia, cataracts, broken teeth, and reduced bone growth.[8]. Eventually, scientists and medical professionals realized that these workers' illnesses were being caused by internal contamination from the radium they ingested. These paints were used on the dials of clocks and watches to make them glow-in-the-dark. when did westclox stop using radium old restaurants in lawrence, ma . The work involved using luminous radium paint to make the numbers on clocks, watches and aeronautic dials glow in the dark. 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. Handle on top: down alarm off; up alarm on. We pay his railroad fare on all orders for a dozen or more, we brand him with your name in lots of 24., unconsciously characterized the manunaffected, direct, devoted to his cause., Radiums luminosity was part of its allure,, 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. I would like to find out about this clock. When Did They Stop Using Radium On Clock Hands? These clocks were produced in the thousands and many can be bought on eBay for under $10. Before we get to that, though, we have to start with the issue of geography as it concerns the business in question. I would like to know the value of a #4 black, #321(in original cardboard Christmas box), mint condition, Baby Ben alarm clock is. Your response or advice would be much appreciated. Thanks so much That was the first antique clock I owned myself. Even today, with the considerable help of a thing called Interstate 80, its still about a two-hour journey from LaSalle Street to LaSalle County. How do you set the time on a old fashioned alarm clock? Can anyone direct me on how to find this clock? 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. Can anyone tell me about this? Contact the Webmaster for perceived copyright infringement (DMCA Registration Number 1010287). 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. 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., In this particular branch of the clock industry the Western Clock Manufacturing Company has achieved great results in the last twenty years. Read more about "Radium Girls" here. 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. 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. then 4 symbols a crown an 18 and to unkown symbols in a square patern but on its side square pattern. $38.00. 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. The story begins with a Connecticut clockmaker named Charles Stahlberg getting a patent for a new alarm clock design in 1885. Westclox Radium Dial Clock. Sometimes extensive casework can be more time consuming than getting the movement running. [Workers assembling Big Ben alarm clocks at the Westclox plant, 1910s. Buy Now. 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. 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. Well, the company certainly maintained some major salesrooms here, and many of their employees came from the city and its suburbs. Eventually, scientists and medical professionals realized that these workers' illnesses . I had developed some sort of fascination for Big Ben and Baby Ben clocks. In 1898, the Curies discovered the existence of. When did Bulova stop using radium? There is a small dial inside of the clock face that has roman numerals like another clock face. Behind the light, theyd been left in the dark. While studying the types of Big Ben style 1 and 1A in WestcloxHistory.com, I noticed the reproduction style 1A, and have acquired about 5 of them. It was put away for years and last year it was given to me as I have small collection of United novelty clocks. Ristau said he remembered when the Westclox factory was the heart of the city, and recalled enjoying his time with Westclox. 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. 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. At this moment I study horology at West Dean College in the UK. The first Big Bens and Baby Bens in 1910 were wind ups.. Copyright 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. 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. Accueil; Services; Ralisations; Annie Moussin; Mdias; 514-569-8476 As the 1960s began, over 50 million Big Ben clocks had been produced in total, and additional Westclox plants were now in operation everywhere from Athens, Georgia, and Ontario, Canada, to Scotland and Australia. when did westclox stop using radium. Next to the original Westcloxes I have an interesting collection of European copies by a.o. i have a large ansonia wall clock 32 1/2 x 32. Most importantly, they were forbidden to point the tip with their lips, and they avoided to ingest or inhale the luminous paint. 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). Radium was even used in medical applications during the 20th century. I was told it was an antique at that time. On April 20, 1902, Marie and Pierre Curie successfully isolate radioactive radium salts from the mineral pitchblende in their laboratory in Paris. Clocks produced in the early 1900's are particularly concerning in this regard. So I swapped them, and its worked perfectly ever since. The drinking fountain worked.. All Rights Reserved. Production was back in full force and at an all-time high by 1956, with 3,000 employees on staff. However, there`s no easy way for you to tell; there were no labeling requirements then as we have now. I also like some of the older American weight-driven clocks. The clock can still give considerable amounts of radiation about 2-3 inches from the Crystal measured with a Geiger counter. I will be watching for more articles from Bill Stoddard It was a gift from him to her the year before they were married. Charles Stahlberg headed a group from Waterbury, Connecticut, who came to Peru in 1884 to build clocks based on a new idea by Stahlberg. One of the objects on display in the Benton County Historical Society's Corvallis Museum is this Westclox Radium Dial Clock. The company later changed its name to the United States Radium Corporation. I cannot date it. Westclox Big Ben Style 1a Alarm Clock Date Summary: 1918 - 1935 (and a reproduction was made in 1970) Characteristics: Ring on top, two legs in front, no screws through the front of the bezel. Stoddard: Some of the old American pocket watches are just beautiful so I have several in my collection. Also, its not just Americans who collect, its worldwide. Is this a product that the company would have made or something someone created? It also says that the patent was re-issued March 31, 1868. Quite a few who try to get every basic model, but fewer who get into the rarer models and do research. 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. When many of these early Big Ben advertisements were still running, Gaston Le Roys life took a sudden and dramatic turn. Any guidance or help is appreciated. In 1919 the company was incorporated as Western Clock Company, Ltd. The trademark "Westclox" which had appeared on their Big Ben alarm clocks as early as 1910 was officially registered in January 1916. Your cooperation would be greatly appreciated. All the aforementioned to ask you if you know how many of the 1970 style 1As were made. Thanks for any info you may be able to supply Was just trying to find out any information on this clock or if you may have ever come across one like it According to Periodic. 514 Poplar Street His bigger job was to design a system so the power companies could regulate their generator so the clock could keep time. 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. Many thanks. It has ingraved on it 2-20-31. 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. Your email (will not be published) (required), The Timeless Appeal of the Westclock Big and BabyBens, The National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, Not Your Grandmas Cuckoo: Decapitating, Rat-Eating Clocks of the Black Forest, The Care and Repair of 19th-Century American Clocks. I read (but cant remember where) that about 40,000 were made. The Canadian Clock Museum (http://www.canclockmuseum.ca/) may have some information. Westclox closed its Peru factory 35 years ago. Over time, she contracted terrible cancerous tumors, lost most of her teeth, and suffered countless other health problems. You do not want to open them up, lest you breath radioactive dust from old paint or spread it around. [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. They have meetings every two months, and educational programs, so thats a really great way to meet collectors and get all kinds of advice. Beginning in the 1910s, the girls instructed to put radium in their mouths didn't bat an eyelash. When did they stop using radium on clocks? 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? Among the rarities on display is a Westclox-made National Emergency Alarm Repeater. $26.95. Ref comment #10 from Frank Baker. AD x Stoddard: I was pretty much on my own until college. 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. 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. The magical glow, as was widely understood by everyone involved, was created by radiuma radioactive element discovered by Marie Curie in 1898. I also need it repaired so that it will be functional and need to find someone that will do that for me. 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. When did they stop using radium for watches? With George Kerns new alarm clock, specifically, Le Roy decided it would be wise to craft a new brand name, and to leave the Western name off of the clock face entirely, since the company was overly associated with cheap goods at the time. 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. Immediately after, substances like promethium and tritium were used as a luminous material, and they're still being used today. document.write(year) "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. There are many Westclox alarm clock models named Big Ben. [Former Westclox workers Art and Mary Ann Windy (standing), 2015], This is amazing, Art said. 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. Geiger counters could pick up readings from pants returned from a dry cleaner and from clothes stored away in a cedar chest. 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. Any suggestions of where to get a replacement preferably in Canada? But he only comes upon receipt of signed price agreement. Westclox Big Ben and Baby Ben Identification Guide , Remembering the Great War and The Clock That Caused a Near Riot . Origin of the eye, forklore or legends surrounding????? the clock face is 16, ca 1900. the clock belonged to pheobe appersons family at their ranch in sunol california. I live in Scotland but my clock was made in USA. On the Style 9, they went back to actual minute markings. Created with WordPress. Entertainment & Pop Culture; Geography & Travel; Health & Medicine; Lifestyles & Social Issues; Literature; Philosophy & Religion; Politics, Law & Government The first style 1a cases had double-hexagon legs, but after about a year they were changed to standard single hex form. Henry Warren invented a little synchronous motor that could go inside a clock.
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