The Irish standard., 1890-04-26
FILLED WATCH CASES.
Five Hundred Thousand Of Them
Made Every Year.

How James Boss Patented the Article
That Is One of the Greatest Factors
in the Jewe1ry Trade - Where
Most of the Cases Are Made.
There is an industry of vast impor-
lance carried on in this city, says the
Philadelphia Press, that comparatively
few Philadelphians are aware OF, and
probably three-fourths of the million
residents of the city are totally ignorant
of it's existence. Nevertheless, it is one
of the powerful factors in Philadelphia
collection of Industries, and carries the
fame of the Quaker City into foreign
countries that many other home produc-
tons fail to reach.
The manufacture of gold-filled watch
cases is the industry in question, and
one thousand skilled artisans are daily
employed in their production. AS the
filled watch case is of Philadelphia
birth, and the unrivaled product OF
Quaker City watch factories, it should
be a source of special pride to those who
dote on home-manufacture articles.
The filled case has an entertaining
history. A dingy old building at Dock
and Walnut streets was it's birthplace.
Thirty-two years ago watch-case maker
was puzzled about the tendency of the
low carat gold in his cheap cases to
tarnish. For their selling price he
could not furnish better quality; but
the persistence with which the cases
would tarnish was source of much
thought to him. The case-maker's
name was Reese Peters, and his en-
ploye was the workman to whom credit
is due for the great industry which
finds it's leading opponents in Phila-
and he was continually experimenting
with acids and metals. In his anxiety
to procure a better watch case Reese
Peters unconsciously furnished the idea
which resulted in the patenting of the
filled case.
One day in sheer desperation Peters
told Boss if he could get good quality
gold-wearing surface, with base CEN
ter and low-carat inside, there was a
fortune in the idea. A month later
Boss had finished the model of a ma
chine that is the groundwork for all
filled case manufacturing. Two plates
of gold were laid on either side of a CEN
trail piece Of metal, which after being
rolled out to the desired consistency by
heavy mills were placed under the ma
chine and struck off by die. It was
only by the finest calculation and level
ing process that the surfaces would
cling to each other without the aid of
solder. ......
Boss surmounted the difficulty and
they became adhesive, and the suction
established would allow one plate to
bear the others weight without artificial
aid. Boss was in high spirits over his
success and soon forwarded the model of
his machine to Washington. The patent
was granted, and the first cases made
were known as the James Boss filled
watch cases. Peters took his workman
into partnership, and for several years
they had complete monopoly of the
business.
The first appearance created a big
sensation in the jewelry business, for
the idea of making gold case out OF
any thing but gold had never been en-
tertained. The patent was regarded to
be the most important ever known to
the trade and Boss cases were eagerly
purchased. So confident were the pat
entees of the superiority of their new
case that they furnished written guar
antee with every case, STIMULATING that
unless the case wore for twenty years
they would refund the money of the
purchaser. This shrewd policy made
the filled case more famous than ever,
and they could not be made rapidly
enough to supply orders. Boss sold out
his patent few years later to John
Stuckhart, a case-maker, who continued
their manufacture until he died from a
disease contracted while using the acids
needed to prepare the plates. His pat
ent was disposed of to Hagstoz & Thorpe,
who began their work in the Ledger
building, and were fortunate enough to
arouse the interest of George W. Childs.
With the money thus obtained the in
dustry was doomed, and soon assumed
COLOSSAL pfopOitAOuo. II property was
purchased at Nineteenth and Brown
streets, and a plant erected upon the
site now occupied by the Keystone
Watch Case Company.
When the patents expired they were
eagerly appropriated by watch-case COM
panies, and the filled case was manu-
featured in far larger quantities than
gold cases ever were.
Philadelphia has retained the lead
she secured, and is in the van Of all
hlled-case manufacturing cities. Near
ly 100000 gold-flled cases is the yearly
capacity of our factories. They can not
be distinguished from solid gold case
The wearing surface is of Inequality
gold and the composition lies between
this and another plate of gold that COM
poses the inside OF the case.
The filled case of to-day is vastly diff
ferent in appearance from the pioneers
of Boss time. They are graceful and
handsome, and the engraver can display
his art upon them as successfully as he
can beautify the solid gold case. Then
they were made by band, but now the