Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1890-01-25
FILLED WATCH CASES.
Five Hundred Thousand Of Them
Made Every Year.
How james Boss Patented the Article
That Il Ono OF the Greatest Factors
In the Jewelry Trade Where
Most q tho Cases Arc Made.

There is an industry of vast impor-
tance 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's
collect ien Of industries, and carries the
fame of the Quaker City into foreign
countries that many other home produc-
tions fail to reach.
The manufacture Of gold.flled 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-manufactureda articles.
The filled case has an entertaining
history. A dingy old building at Dock
and Walnut streets was its birthplace.
ThirGy-two years ago q 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 q 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-
pioye was the workman to whom credit
is due for the great industry which
finds its leading eXponents in Phila-
delphia. James Boss was the workman,
and he was continually experimenting
with acids and metals. In his anxiety
to procure better watch case Reese
Peters unconsciously furnished the idea
which resulted in the patenting Of the
filh,d case.
One day in sheer desperation Peters
told Boss If he could get good quality
gold-wearing surface, with base cen
ter and a low-carat inside, there was a
fortune in the idea. A month later
Boss had finished the model of ma
chine that is the groundwork for all
filled case manufacturing. Two plates
= of gold were laid on either side of q 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 a die. 1t was
only by tho finest calculation and level
ing process that the surfaces would
cling to each other without the aid OF
solder.
Boss surmounted the difficulty and
made the three surfaces so smooth that
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 Tor several years
they had complete monopoly OF the
business.
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 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.
panios, and tho 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
he distinguished from solid gold case
The wearing surface Is OF fine-auality
gold and the composition lies between
this AID another plate of gold that com.
poses the inside Of the case.
The filled case Of to-day is vastly diff
fcrent in appearance from the pioneers
of Boss time. They are graceful and
handsome, and tho engraver can displa,
his art upon thcm as successfully rs he
can bcautify the solid gold case. Their
they were made by hand, but now the
most valuable machinery produces thon