Its basically all forward momentum from here. Behind the light, theyd been left in the dark. 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. Question: Are both 1) and 2) marriages of Style 2 mechanisms put in a Style 1A Big Ben and Style 1 Baby Ben. Radium was discovered in 1898 by Marie Curie and Pierre Curie. 2023 by Andrew Clayman. Many thanks. (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. 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. 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. I am trying to determine the age. Your cooperation would be greatly appreciated. While promoting Westclox products in Europe, the breakout of World War I and the laws of mandatory military service in his native France forced Le Roy to get his affairs in order and head for the front in 1914. That way I got myself another Baby Ben, bringing my collection to three by age 12. I took it all apart and asked my dad to help me put it back together, but he cut his finger on the spring. WHAT IS A Moonbeam clock? - Thecrucibleonscreen.com 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]. His ideas were patented on as US patent #326,602. I hung it on my wall and we tried to get it fixed but the repairman couldnt fix it. [7], Ingestion of radium has been linked to anemia, cataracts, broken teeth, and reduced bone growth.[8]. You must log in or register to reply here. If you want to identify an item, try posting it in our Show & Tell gallery. Stoddard: I was pretty much on my own until college. Westclox History Database Main Menu It has a cracked front lens that I would like to replace. It is in working order and chimes on the hour and half hour. During the early 1900's, the effects of radiation exposure were not well understood, and radium was frequently . In 2006 I started collecting vintage advertisements. 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. Contact the Webmaster for perceived copyright infringement (DMCA Registration Number 1010287). The movement is a windup almost identical to the original. Radium dial - Wikipedia . The precise, delicate skill of painting clock dials with radium powder promised a much higher salary than most factory jobs available to women at the time (upwards of $18 a week), and the company soon employed as many as 200 female workers in its Ottawa plant. styles to organize them Among the rarities on display is a Westclox-made National Emergency Alarm Repeater. 1978. . It emits alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. Thanks, Teri. Luminous Processes employees interviewed by a journalist in 1978 stated they had been left ignorant of radium's dangers. when did westclox stop using radium - Dev.decourbaine.com They had one in Brazil for a while and I think also in Hong Kong. Who makes Westclox? - Wise-Answers Hot Times in "Radium Hospital": The History of Radium Therapy at MSK It is encased in hard polymer Plastic and the ends have rivets . US radium dial painting factory. Never underestimate the value of an alarm clock when yours broke two years ago and nobody has manufactured a new one since. 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. 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. Westclox set up a factory in England in the 1940s and also in Scotland. Thanks. It led to life-saving regulations and, ultimately, to the establishment of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which now operates nationally in the United States to protect workers. A clock without hands might seem indifferent to the passage of time, but these old Big Ben and Baby Ben dials have some serious stories to tell. 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. Origin of the eye, forklore or legends surrounding????? It was a gift from him to her the year before they were married. 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. Underneath the #12 on the face it says: G. Falconer & Co. LTD. Hong Kong. [3] The Radiolite series, made in various sizes and models, became a signature of the Connecticut-based company. . Through a friend I purchased an apparently antique key wind up long wooden and glass cased clock. 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. Inhaled or ingested particles may deposit a high local dose with a risk of radiation-caused lung or gastrointestinal cancer. Radioactivity in Antiques | US EPA Radium is an almost pure white alkaline radioactive earth metal, and is found in nature in uranium ores. 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. Back then, radium wasn't considered to be dangerous in small doses. Westcloxs Manual for Employees read, We expect you to work hard, and the pay is accordingly large . I read (but cant remember where) that about 40,000 were made. My father (Richard Ristau Sr.) worked here for 48.. The Crystal blocks a significant amount of The radiation. Benton County Museums: Westclox Radium Dial Clock - Blogger It had beneath that four long tubes and they were the chimes for the door bell. The greater surprise, though, is that they didnt abandon the use of radium in the years that followed. A 'radium cow' or sample of radium would continually yield a supply of the nuclide. When did clocks stop using radium? 0 Comments; Uncategorized newark advertiser obituaries 2021 . Going back further in time, here is a pretty hypnotizing silent film released by Westclox in the early 1920s to promote the Big Ben and other products. 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.. 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. National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors Inc (A 501c3 non-profit corporation). when did westclox stop using radium - Flycloud.vn The whole clock seems to be origional and was maintained by my grandfather who was a watch/clock repairman. when did westclox stop using radium - Simssuccessgroup.com Required fields are marked *. Which is interesting because many of the electrics are scarcer but people just arent into collecting electric clocks. 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. WECKER (CW arrow)/UHR (CCW arrow) knob with ring: CW winds alarm; CCW winds clock. 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. 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. You just cant imagine the size of this factory its just gigantic. Westclox Big Bens and Baby Bens are full of the stuff. Health effects of Radium radiation exposure | Mass.gov About 1931 they made the first electric Big Ben, and they were plug ins. In the production of ordinary clocks adapted to the needs and means of the millions, America produces results of remarkable excellence. 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. Collectors Weekly: When did you discover that there were other clock collectors? So yes. Next year, well have been married for 49 years, Mary Ann said. Copyright These efforts, combined with an ahead-of-its-time factory welfare department and employee benefits packages, led to a lot of workers spending their whole lives with Westclox. Westclox - An Identification and Price Guide, and I added even more in 2012. 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. Can anyone tell me about this? Westclox Big Ben Alarm Clock Vintage. Stoddard: My grandma gave me an old Baby Ben alarm clock that didnt work when I was seven. The movement was then used with minor changes in Loud Alarm models until 1956. Production was back in full force and at an all-time high by 1956, with 3,000 employees on staff. Unbelievable true story of the 'radium girls' - NZ Herald I live in Scotland but my clock was made in USA. var year = today.getFullYear() Westclox Radium Dial Clock. 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. By Dave Margulius Any information would be very helpful. I love the Hamiltons in particular, probably some of the best watches made in America. 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. Thanks so much 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. 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]. 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. I Have a small brass alarm clock,which is 1-3/4 Hieght Length & Width. 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. Only reason I can think of and it looks pretty odd not to have minutes on a clock face. Various lettering on the dial and various patent dates (later, numbers) on the Like style 1a non-luminous with dealer name on dial. 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. Most are in nickel finish cases, but some were made in gold plated cases. I would also like photo and more details of his clock, since I intend to write a follow-up article. How did I get interested in clocks? Within in another ten years, the workforce had tripled again, powered by employee George Kerns 1908 invention of the first Big Benthe sleek, iconic model that basically set the template for the 20th century wind-up alarm clock. 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. Style 5 dial design]. While the painting technique of the Ghost Girls was replaced with supposedly safer methods like silk screening, traces of radium were still used by many companies to get that desired glow effect throughout the 1940s and even as late as the 60s. England. Nowadays, Super-LumiNova, which is entirely non-radioactive and non-toxic, is the most used lume in watchmaking. Radium - Element information, properties and uses | Periodic Table I just had it repaired & it works & looks great. I would like to find out about this clock. Style Information: Plain dial: 1918 - 1935 Black luminous dial: 1921 - 1935 There are variations in the lettering on the dial and back. 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. 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. I have a collection of clocks, and amongst my collection are Westminster chime wall clocks, I have two Keinzle and two Junghans. In 1898, the Curies discovered the existence of. The Westclox Big Ben Alarm Clock Vintage is an iconic timepiece that has been around since the early 1900s. He also recalled playing in the factory. Gary Biolchini added more style series in his book Most importantly, they were forbidden to point the tip with their lips, and they avoided to ingest or inhale the luminous paint. Westclox closed its Peru factory 35 years ago. On the Style 9, they went back to actual minute markings. Also, its not just Americans who collect, its worldwide. 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. A Big Ben typical of those made from late 1910 to mid-1915. 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. For at least four generations, the Western Clock Manufacturing Company, aka Westclox, was the lifeblood and largest employer in the small town of Peru, Illinois (with a mailing address in its twin city of LaSalle). I have a similar clock. That batch was in production non-continuously from 1939 to 1946, housed in gunmetal cases with nickel trim. into groups of similar models. Westclox began as the United Clock Company of Peru, Illinois in 1885. 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. My Grandmother had a Westclox in her house. 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? when did westclox stop using radium; when did westclox stop using radium. As the dark cloud of fear and suspicion grew over the small town of Ottawa into the 30s, the Radium Dial Company itself refused to take any responsibility, claiming innocence and ignorance. The only problem is a standard size D battery does not fit. radium - Encyclopedia Britannica | Britannica Some people just want one or two that they remember from childhood in good condition, so thats just the thing for them. 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. I hope to document Style 5 Baby Bens this winter. The company later changed its name to the United States Radium Corporation. Thanks for any info you may be able to supply Apr 14, 2011 501 1 18. It led to life-saving regulations and, ultimately, to the establishment of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which now operates nationally in the United States to protect workers. The front is in Roman Numerals with a dome shaped raised glass. 514 Poplar Street Theyre just scattered in different places all over the country, little collections of hands, springs, screws, and things like that. However, there`s no easy way for you to tell; there were no labeling requirements then as we have now. 1888. I have a Seth Thomas Mantle clock that my older sisters husbands Aunt had on her mantle for years. What replaced radium in watches? - TimesMojo 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. Thanks, Paula. Radium Baby Ben by Westclox ( Still Glows) : r/clocks - reddit Dave, Your question about a Big Ben containing radium, and in fact about which clocks actually do contain radium, is a good one. Buy Now. We have photos of all the employees between 1927-1945 at the Peterborough Ontario Location but not much else. Their factory in LaSalle, Illinois closed down in about 1980 when they moved all their production down south, but the building is still there. 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 would like to know the value of a #4 black, #321(in original cardboard Christmas box), mint condition, Baby Ben alarm clock is. Westclox began as the United Clock Company in Peru, Illinois in 1885. i use a 1980s I believe westclox pocket ben sweep 2nd hand, I actually had a westclox bullseye from the early 1990s when I was in elementary school. JavaScript is disabled. The work involved using luminous radium paint to make the numbers on clocks, watches and aeronautic dials glow in the dark. My dad was one of the top bowlers here, Ristau said. Both the Big and Baby Bens were housed in a newly refined bell-back clock case. its about 2 inches long maybe 1/2 in thick with holes on either end to be worn on a key chain perhaps? Matthiessen, 1904 Western Clock MFG Co. catalog cover, and the original Peru factory in 1905]. Westclox Wrought Iron Look Wall Clock 12" 32021A. By the 1960s production went offshore to achieve economies of scale . 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. Lynda Hinshaw, At this moment I am research a clock by Falconer& co HongKong. Westcloxs Manual for Employees read, We expect you to work hard, and the pay is accordingly large . Theyll take an old Big Ben from 1930 and make a new dial that says Indian Motorcycle or Victola, and put it on eBay. By 1930, all dial painters stopped pointing their brushes by mouth. $38.00. 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. I will be watching for more articles from Bill Stoddard 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. The magical glow, as was widely understood by everyone involved, was created by radiuma radioactive element discovered by Marie Curie in 1898. Your response or advice would be much appreciated. Penetrating gamma radiation produced by some dials also represents a significant health risk. I cannot date it. Facts About Radium | Live Science The use of Radium changed over several years but it was not until late 1960ies when the last were made. The factory contained a bowling alley, and Ristau said his father was an excellent bowler. Can anyone tell me the meaning or significance of this eye? One employee, R.D. when did westclox stop using radium - Trustedacquisitions.com How We Realized Putting Radium in Everything Was Not the Answer 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. How do you set a manual alarm clock? - AnswersAll So I brought it home and left it hanging and would wind it up every once in a while. Stoddard: Ive been there several times. In a few short years, thanks to Dr. Douglas's efforts, the amount of radium available in the US more than quintupled. Finally, with Catherine Donohue serving as a key witness from her death bed in 1938, a groundbreaking Supreme Court case finally delivered some long awaited justice to the victims. Westclox travel alarm clock made in China - Antique And Vintage Clocks [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.]. Here you can see production dates, original retail prices and other The company made luminescent paint. Ive recently acquired a New Haven decorative wall clock. "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. I like to find the ones before that and study their history. How old is my Westclox? - Rampfesthudson.com But the chances that you have a radium clock are slim, unless it is very old. Westclox did make a couple of documented advertising clocks, but very few. it has a picture of a huck finn type boy,carying 2 bottles of coke& a fishing pole,with his dog. Your email address will not be published. We are very proud to be living in this building and would love to know more about this specific site. I try to get all the pictures I can and keep them all chronologically and study the history. Radiums luminosity was part of its allure, Moore writes. I have an Pine State Ice Cream Milk clock that I would like to find out how much it may be worth. In 1914, Dr. Sabin Arnold von Sochocky and Dr. George S. Willis founded the Radium Luminous Material Corporation. When was Westclox Big Ben made? - WhoIsWh 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. Westclox 0.9" LED Plasma Screen Alarm Clock with USB Charging Port 71014X. We thought it was 1890 or older. According to Chemistry Explained, radium is extracted today from uranium ores in much the same way that Marie and Pierre Curie did in the late 1890s and early 1900s. Do you have an archival dept who could give us an idea of our Western Clock which we recently acquired? Kind regards, Ben van Vliet. 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?? 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. 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 have a Westclox Bachelor alarm clock from probably the 50s as it was always there when I was growing up. Eventually, scientists and medical professionals realized that these workers' illnesses . [Former Westclox workers Art and Mary Ann Windy (standing), 2015], This is amazing, Art said. I have been purchasing these clocks as and when I got an opportunity. Museum Artifacts: Luminous Big Ben & Baby Ben Clock Dials (1940s) and Style 1A Big Ben Alarm Clock (1920s), Made By: Western Clock MFG Company, aka Westclox, 350 5th St., Peru, Illinois [LaSalle]. Stoddard: The first Big Bens and Baby Bens went on the market in 1910 and they were wind ups. Stoddard: The National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors (NAWCC) is headquartered in Pennsylvania but has chapters throughout the country. With alarm clocks, they were so common that when people repaired them they did whatever they could to get them going. Was westclox ever manufactured in germany and if so when? It is 3 diameter with Westclox on the back and PAT.APLOFOR. 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. [Workers assembling Big Ben alarm clocks at the Westclox plant, 1910s. After several changes of ownership, it became . Stoddard: Pay attention to quality. Could you please try to help me find out what kind of clock this is. Charles Stahlberg had an idea for making a better, but less expensive alarm clock. 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. On 3rd January 2099, Terry Shields asked if anyone had information regarding his clock signed G .Falconer, Hong Kong. Because it was one degree removed from the radium business itself, Westclox seems to have largely dodged the controversy and lawsuits altogether. Not to mention theres the Big Bens so that doubles it right there. Seeking the Big 3 goals of convenience, cleanliness, and cheap production, Dreyfuss rolled out his new-look Big Ben in 1931. Stoddard: Its really hard to say. See the top of this page for a current list of She was 18. 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 can be found with some other clocks in a case in the second floor hallway. It sits on a small brass stand with Westclox on it. My clothes, hanging in a dark closet, gave off a phosphorescent glare. Jessie, good observation. Advertisement: Illustrates crackle green Tiny Tim, crackle blue Big Ben and crackle pink Baby Ben clocks. 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. The Radium Girls were female factory workers who contracted radiation poisoning from painting watch dials with self-luminous paint.