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. Then, on New Years Eve, as 2011 became 2012, the unthinkable happened. I have a Westclox Bachelor alarm clock from probably the 50s as it was always there when I was growing up. Its basically all forward momentum from here. [9] The element was phased out of use by industry acting under its own volition as superior and safer luminous materials entered the marketplace. I'll start with a 19j Bunn, Looking for Somebody with Some Bandwidth to do a Repair. Just remember, old luminous clocks are full of radium! When did clocks stop using radium? 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. T. tkarter Registered User. Westclox also made about 5000 gold-plated reproductions. Ive recently acquired a New Haven decorative wall clock. They arent hurting it permanently, its just kind of weird. I have an Pine State Ice Cream Milk clock that I would like to find out how much it may be worth. The first Big Bens and Baby Bens in 1910 were wind ups.. Old Rose (pink) crackle finish Baby Ben with luminous dial: 1929 1930. Was this done so the alarm could be more easily set on the quarter or half hour? I would like to find out about this clock. 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. Could you please try to help me find out what kind of clock this is. It has a cracked front lens that I would like to replace. hi, I have a cocacola square clock. So yes. Matthiessen, 1904 Western Clock MFG Co. catalog cover, and the original Peru factory in 1905]. I will be watching for more articles from Bill Stoddard $25.99. Your email (will not be published) (required), The Timeless Appeal of the Westclock Big and BabyBens, The National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, Not Your Grandmas Cuckoo: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. Copyright dated:1990 ,decorated :hong cong.made in japan.cocacola tradmark. It is a wind up. See the top of this page for a current list of Big Ben style 1a continued in production until its discontinuation in 1935. when did westclox stop using radium. I believed it was manufacturing tag. 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. 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. From 1942 to 1945, Westclox ceased all production intended for domestic civilian sale and dedicated its production resources to the war effort. 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. Westclox Radium Dial 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. It is 3 diameter with Westclox on the back and PAT.APLOFOR. Dreyfuss revised his changes at the end of the decade, designing the Style 5 and 5a Big Bens in 1938including the featured Loud Alarm dials from our museum collection. In clocks, as in all other lines of goods, there are two classes of consumersthe millions and the millionaires. 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. 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. When did they stop using radium for watches? His ideas were patented on as US patent #326,602. 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. They worked in unvented rooms, they wore smocks that they laundered at home. Back then, radium wasn't considered to be dangerous in small doses. Not to mention theres the Big Bens so that doubles it right there. Sometimes Ive seen them for 300 to 600 dollars. Underneath the #12 on the face it says: G. Falconer & Co. LTD. Hong Kong. Also Telechron, which was a big maker of electric clocks. Many thanks. 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. 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. "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. 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. Westclox 0.9" LED Plasma Screen Alarm Clock with USB Charging Port 71014X. It was passed on to my sister and for years it was on their mantle along time until it stopped. Also, its not just Americans who collect, its worldwide. Westclox - An Identification and Price Guide, and I added even more in 2012. Contact the Webmaster for perceived copyright infringement (DMCA Registration Number 1010287). 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. When did Westclox close? [5] Indeed, the body treats radium as it does calcium, storing it in bone where it may cause bone degeneration and cancer.[5]. From that point on I really liked those. We are very proud to be living in this building and would love to know more about this specific site. It is encased in hard polymer Plastic and the ends have rivets . People did some bad things over the years just to get them running. It would be very interesting if you could provide me with some pictures of the clock. The magical glow, as was widely understood by everyone involved, was created by radiuma radioactive element discovered by Marie Curie in 1898. [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.]. Behind the light, theyd been left in the dark. My dad was one of the top bowlers here, Ristau said. 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.. The movement is a windup almost identical to the original. 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. Theres a seller on eBay now whos doing some really outstanding restorations of Big Bens. It looks like you mount it to the wall. 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. 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.. 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 am pleased that I came across your article. They did some limited production (less than 200) in 1908, when they were still perfecting the design, then quite a few in 1909, but it really wasnt nationally advertised until September of 1910. As seen below, the company made something of a symbolic gesture out of honoring the last Big Ben to roll off the assembly line on July 31, 1942, the day when all production shifted to government contracts for the duration of the war. I know that it is electric and it requires a dime deposit to set the alarm on it. About 1931 they made the first electric Big Ben, and they were plug ins. It is battery operated and takes a D battery. Eventually, scientists and medical professionals realized that these workers' illnesses . It still works. I have been searching for one like as the clock went with the house after my Grandmother passed away. [Workers assembling Big Ben alarm clocks at the Westclox plant, 1910s. 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. Radiums luminosity was part of its allure, Moore writes. For example, Big Ben Style 1 and Style 1a are the leg model, and Style 2 is the first base model. . 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. In her 2017 book, The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of Americas Shining Women, author Kate Moore notes that many of the new girls at the Radium Dial factory started out painting the famous Westclox Big Ben clocks before moving on to the smaller and more challenging Baby Ben, and finally the Pocket Ben and Scotty pocket watches, all produced at the Westclox Works. Before OSHA was set up, 14,000 people died on the job every year; today, it is just over 4,500. According to Periodic. its about 2 inches long maybe 1/2 in thick with holes on either end to be worn on a key chain perhaps? 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. 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. 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. US radium dial painting factory. We thought it was 1890 or older. 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. This Christmas (1930) ad illustrates 61-F Dura Case, style 2 crackle finish Big Ben and Baby Ben, Auto Clock, Pocket Ben and Country Club pocket watches. 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. The Radium Girls were female factory workers who contracted radiation poisoning from painting watch dials with self-luminous paint. Credit: pinimg. 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. The only marking I can find are the letters ST in old english style inside of a diamond thats inside of a circle, on the clock works. 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. 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.. We are looking for any Westclox photographs, memorabilia etc between 1927- 1980s of the factory. Can you help WECKER (CCW arrow) knob sets alarm time. The greater surprise, though, is that they didnt abandon the use of radium in the years that followed. Has the mechanics of the clock been changed/upgraded or could there be another issue at play? 514 Poplar Street It was discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898. I would also like photo and more details of his clock, since I intend to write a follow-up article. All Rights Reserved. I know Bill Stoddards name from other publications on Westclox. Westclox began as the United Clock Company in Peru, Illinois in 1885. During the early 1900's, the effects of radiation exposure were not well understood, and radium was frequently . The first style 1a cases had double-hexagon legs, but after about a year they were changed to standard single hex form. Thanks, Paula. By Dave Margulius then 4 symbols a crown an 18 and to unkown symbols in a square patern but on its side square pattern. it has a picture of a huck finn type boy,carying 2 bottles of coke& a fishing pole,with his dog. Advertisement: Illustrates crackle green Tiny Tim, crackle blue Big Ben and crackle pink Baby Ben clocks. var year = today.getFullYear() Style 5 dial design]. They call it Shabby Chic and sell it on eBay for 60 to 80 dollars. In 1919 the company was incorporated as Western Clock Company, Ltd. I recently added the Big Ben Style 1 and Baby Ben Style 1 Dial and Back types. Eventually, scientists and medical professionals realized that these workers' illnesses were being caused by internal contamination from the radium they ingested. Eventually, safer options were discovered, and the use of radium was discontinued in the 1960s. You must log in or register to reply here. Your response or advice would be much appreciated. 1980 By the early 1950s, Westclox employed thousands of LaSalle-Peru residents. 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. 7&a half X 6..desk clock. It was a gift from him to her the year before they were married. 1919 -1922, Luminous, Westclox in Roman text: 1923 - 1927, Luminous, projection on the "x": 1928 - 1935. The front is in Roman Numerals with a dome shaped raised glass. 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. Westclox Wrought Iron Look Wall Clock 12" 32021A. WECKER (CW arrow)/UHR (CCW arrow) knob with ring: CW winds alarm; CCW winds clock. Same as the nickel version but in a gold-plated case. Soon, he was running the Western Clock Co. advertising department, and proving his worth with some clever marketing strategies. Condition is important, but clocks can be restored. Their use in prostate brachytherapy dates from 1926. 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 . 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. 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. I am sure I can give Mr. Shields further information about his clock. [3] The Radiolite series, made in various sizes and models, became a signature of the Connecticut-based company. 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. . When did Westclox stop using radium? German: WECKER (alarm); UHR (clock). Read more about "Radium Girls" here. There is a small dial inside of the clock face that has roman numerals like another clock face. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. Purchased from a man who claimed to have salvaged them from the backroom of an unnamed Chicago watch repair shop, each round and weathered face represents the lasting work of an international manufacturing giant at the peak of its powers.
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