Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-12-20
ONE PUZZLE SOLVED
Why Painted Clocks Point to Eightes
Minutes After Eight,

Why Painted Clocks Point to Eighteep |
Minutes After Eight.
A reader of The Sun, who was also, as
all Sun readers are, an observing man,
recently sent letter to this office asking
why it was that every clock and watch
maker who slung an imitation clock or
watch outside his shop as sign had
the hands painted on the face at ex-
actly eighteen minutes after O'Clock.
This was poser to every clock seller
reporter asked. The signs came
to them that way, they said. The ma
jority of them had never noticed the
curious coincidence. If asked where
they got their signs painted the reply
was that they left the order with their
wholesale dealer and the sign came
along. That was all they knew about it.
Inquiries among the wholesalers in
Murray street and Maiden lane developed
the curious fact that there is no compe-
tition in the trade of painting clock
signs. A man named Groot has prac-
teal monopoly of the Chicago market
and the territory for hundreds of miles
around. In Cincinnati w. H. Smith
does the business without competition,
and in this city, and for as many miles
around as New York commands the
clock trade, W. L. Washburn enjoys q
laborious but enviable monopoly.
This state of affairs is brought about
by the wholesale clock and watch deal
ers themselves, who got used to patron
izing these three dealers many years
ago, and never got enough out of the
habit of ii to give any other painter the
| ghost of a show to succeed with an op-
position shop.
But Father Washburn," said one
wholesale dealer, sis father of them all
and of emblematic signs as well. He
was the first painter to make q sign en-
blematic of any business, and he started
in way back in SO. Why, the big con
Germs that make metal signs don't bother
him at all. He gave his ideas to tn,
whole world to copy, and the world go
rich. The friends he made back in tn,
50s have stuck to him ever since. ant
one branch Of the business has stuck S,
close thatno competitor in other branche
of sign work ever thinks of getting
clock or watch sign to make, and if b,
, chance be did, he'd probably be so scare
| ttt u SS1Iu tLlt CuSIcLDtt W EdlhtI w dSi
burn"
, Mr. Washburn was painting a cloc
on big star when the reporter called
> He was an old man with happy fac
and a white beard There were cloc
| signs mapped out, half done and finished
e hanging all around, and every blesse
one of them had the hands pointed {
/. | eighteen minutes after s O'Clock
|. The reason all the dummy clock hanC
r point to that hour said Mr.. Washbur
e lis because paint them ali, and alway
: paint that hour. When painted the fir
= emblematic sign ever painted as ma
= ter of business, back in 80. it was clocl
e don't know how put the hands. All
h remember about it is that it was for
q I. Barnum's old concern on Cortlanr
Il street, the Jerome Clock company, sin,
gone up the spout. painted the han,
II any way chose, up, down. Crosswise,
Il together, as my mood dictated, fro
r that time up to April IA, 1865. Tn
.e night the news was flashed into the ci
that Lincoln had been shot in Fort
theatre. | was working on sign f
h Jeweler Adams, who used to keep I
IS Broadway, opposite Stewards, at t
ic time. was making a great clock
10 hang outside. Adams came running
As while l was at work He was a strol
n Lincoln man. He.said:
m Point those hands ct the hour Ii
Of coin was shot, that the deed may ney
in be forgotten
Z Il painted the hands, therefore,
e oi,shtoen minutes after g. Tho fdco =trti
a me forcibly, and when came to look
ae the effect found it was the most con,
al nient arrangement, since it display
4" both the hands well, and left the top h
n of the clock free to paint in the name
~ the clock seller if desired. So threw
a. my stencils away and made new OF
,h for that hour. have never varied fri
CO the system since. and that's the reas
,n all the clock signs point as they do I
III Chicago and Cincinnati people. fiji
ed are doing the same thing. They do
sh know the story, but they probably W,
ah won to my plan by the capability of Il
Iel particular arrangement for artistic Z
en- play in painting. York Sun.