Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1890-06-13
FILLED WATCH CASES.
Five Hundfed Thousand Of Thorn
Mado livery Year,
How James DosS Patented tho Article
That IL Ono OF tho Gfcatcst Faotors
In tho Jcwelry TrAdo : Where
Moot Of thc Cases Aro Masee.

tahCo carrlc" on IN THIS city, says tho
Philadelphia Ptcss, that comparatively
few Philadelphians aro aware OF, and
probably thrce.fourths of tho million
residents of ttiS city are totally ignorant
OF It's 6xistonco. Nevertheless, It is ono
OF tho powerful factors in Philadclphia's
collection of industries. and carries tho
fame of tho Quaker City into foreign
countries that many other homo produo-
tions fail to reach.
Tho manufacture Of gold-flllcd watch
cases is tho industry In question, and
one thousand skilled artisans arc daily
employed in their production. As tho
filled watch case Is of PHILADELPHIA
birth, and the unrivnlod product of
Quaker City watch factories, 1t should
DO source OF special pride to those who
doto on home-manufacturcd articles.
Tho filled caso has an entertaining
history. dingy old building ut Dock
and Walnut streets WAS It's birthplace.
Thirty-two years ago q watoh-case maker
was puzzled about tho tendency of tho
low carat gold In his cheap cases to
tarnish. For their selling prico no
could not furnish better quality; but
the persistence with which tho cases
would tarnish was source of much
thought to him. Tho oase-muker's
name was Reese Poters, and his en-
ployo was tho workman TO whom credit
Is due for tho great industry which
hnds Its loading oxponcnts in Phila-
dolphin. James Boss was tho workman,
and no was continually experimenting
with acids and metals. In his anxiety
to procure n bettcr watch case Reese
Peters unconsciously furnished tho idea
which resulted in tho patcnting OF the
fled case.
Ono day In sheer desperation Pcters
told boss II he could got good quality
gold-wearing surface, with n base oen-
ter and low-carat inside, thcro was n
fortune In tho idea. month Inter
Ross had finished tho model OF n ma
chino that Is tho Rround-wurk for all
nlled case manufacturing. Two plates
of gold wcro laid on either side OF a con-
trail picce of metal, which after being
rolled out to tho desired consistcnoy by
heavy mills were placed under tho mn.
chino and struck of by die. 1t was
only by tho finest calculation and level
Ing process TINT tho surfaces would
cling To onch other without the mid of
solder.
Boss snrmounted tho difficulty and
rnndo tho thrce surfaces 30 smooth that
they became adhesive, and tho suction
established would allow ono plato to
boar the others weight without artificial
aid. loss WAS in high spirits over his
success and soon forwarded tho model OF
ais machine TO Washington. Tho patent
WAS granted, and tho first casos made
kn,,un an N Iep N n
watch cases. Peters took his workman
Into partnership, ana for several years
thcy had complete monopoly OF the
business.
Tho first appearance created big
sensation in tho iewclry business, for
the idea Of making gold case out of
any thing but gold had never boon en-
tertained. Tho patent was regarded to
be the most important over known to
tho trade and boss cases wero eagerly
purchased. So confident were the pnt-
entees OF the superiority OF their new
case that they furnished written guar
anteo with every case, stipulating that
unless the case wore for twenty years
they would refund the money of the
purchaser. This shrewd policy made
tho hlled case moro famous than over,
and they could not bo made rapidly
enough to supply orders. boss sold out
his patent q few years later to John
Stuckhnrt, caso-makor, who continued
their manufacture until he died from
disease contracted while using tho acids
needed to prepare tho plates. His pat
ont 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 proportions. A property was
purchased at Nineteenth and Brown
streets, and a plant erected upon tho
site now occupied by tho Keystone
Watch Case Company.
When the patents expired thoy wero
eagerly appropriated by watch-case COM
panies, and the filled case was manu-.
factured in far larger quantities than
gold cases ever were.
Philadclphis has retained the lead
she secured, and is in tho van of nil
f1lled-case manufacturing cities. Near
ly 500, 900 gold-fillcd cases is the yearly
capacity of our factories. Thoy can not
be distinguished from solid gold case
Tho wearing surface is Of Inequality
gold and the composition lies between
this and another plato Of gold that COM
poses the inside Of the case.
The filled case of to-day is vastly diff
ferent in appearance from tho pionecrs
of Boss time. They arc GRACEFUL and
handsome. and the engraver can display
bis art upon them as successfully as hC
can benutify the solid gold case. Thor,
thay were made by hand, but now the
most valuable machinery produces them
with great rapidity.
Philadelphia gold-hlled cnses arc
known all over the civilized world. Tho
expectation Of tlled cases is very largo.
Europe has taken moro kindly to tho
American case than it would be sup.
posed, but their superior finish and
wonderful durability havo mado them
universal necessity wherever watches
arc worn.
The Tltten Trying to i,Itc.
Say" said the hossl-kccper to tho
feporter fif there'a ,orta thino 7 40 .ot