Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1902-06-30
GoLD-FILLED WATCH CASES.
American Manufactures Can Barely
Supply the Demand for Export.

American Manufactures Can Barely
Supply the Demand for Export
The gold filed watchcase industry
is powerful factor in American COM
mercial life.
The manufacture of these cases en-
cages the services of over five tnous-
and skilled artisans in factories adj
lacent to New York, with an output
yearly of our or five millions. The
history of their invention is interest
ing, says the New York Tribune.
: over forty years ago a Watchcase
maker named Peters was annoyed TO
find the low carat gold in his cheap
cases tarnish quickly with wear. He
could not furnish better quality tor
the selling price, however, though ex-
periments costing many thousand dol
lars were made by him to obtain some
composition of base metal to use as
an alloy that would not give evidence
OF tarnish. His investigations were
carried on secretly at fist, but with
SO much persistence and so little re,
suit that nervous prostration ensued.
One day, finding himself no longer
able to proceed with his experiments,
he told one of his employees named
Boss, who was continually experiment.
ing with acids and metals, how
anxious he was to procure a better
watchcase, one with good quality
gold wearing surface. Boss started
his experiments, and a month later
finished model Of a machine that is
the groundwork for all filed case
manufacturing
At first Boss made two plates OIL
gold, which were laid on each side Of
being rolled out to the desired thick
| ness by heavy mills were placed
| under the machine and struck off by a
die. This required the finest cal
culation and leveling process, so that
the surfaces would cling to each other
without the aid of solder, and con-
sUmed more time than could be given
with profit to the making of the cases.
Another method was tried by which
the three surfaces were made so
smooth that they became adhesive.
and the suction thus established al
lowed one plate to bear the others
weight without artificial aid. Patents
were granted on the latter invention
and the first cases made were Gnown
as the James Boss med Weaknesses
which for several years had a
monopoly of the business. The idea
of making a gold case out of anv.
thing but gold had never been enter.
tanned by manufacturers, and the
patent secured for their making pro.
tected Boss so that his goods We're
eagerly bought. Indeed, so coniders
was he of the superior quality of his
cases that he shrewdly guaranteed
them to wear for twenty years ar
would refund the purchase money #
they did not. Boss amassed con
siderable wealth through his patene.
and then sold it to firm who were
fortunate in interesting the la+e
George w. Childs in it, who, with b,s
immense wealth and honesty of cbar.
acter, doomed the industry to colossal
proportions Some years ago tbo
patents expired, and were eagerly an
prOpriated by watchcase mann
facturers, who are barely supplying
the demand for export. The filed
case today is a vast Improvement a.,
tnat of ten years ago, and an inv ,nto,.
can display his art upon it as succoo..
fully as he can beautify the solid gold
case Europe has taken more kindly
to them than America.