The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1903-01-22
"WATCH SICKNESS" IN CITIES.
How Many Watchca Arc Affected by
ElcCtriCitY.

HOW Many WatchcR Arc Affected by
ctricity.
Watches, especially those OF the
higher grades, are suffering to no
small extent from an up-to-date NAL
ady, magnetiZation, and the services
Of the doctors for their ailments arc
needed in proportions to the introduc.
ton Of electricity for light and trac
ton. Doctors in watches of the fin
est make, say that it has happened
thHt a dozen timcpicccS have been
brought to their repairing counters
in one day, "knockcd out" by electric
currents. OF late much of this has
been aScribCd to tho introduction OF
electric traction on the system Of the
Manhattan railway company. The in
nuence Of such traction on watches
on the surface roads became appar-
cnt as soon as the cable system was
supplantcd by overhead and under.
ground trOllcyS.
The influence of electricity on
timcpicccs was discovered about -
years ago, when so-callcd non-mag.
nctizaDlc watches w&ro made for
electrical engineers and others who
were brought into contact with pow
crful electrical machinery, and il was
usual to ask visitor to such places
to leave his watch outside the build
ing. Such watches had their balance
OF silver or platinum alloy. and the
balance spring Of gold or palladium.
the use Of steel III any part of the
watch being avoided. But such watch
cS were Indifferent recorders OF ChrO-
noloGy, and soon wore out. In this
city ~ years ago the advance in the
utilization Of electricity was marked
by "watch sickness" and this came
to be established beyond a doubt
Wien watches out OF gear were talk
CT TO be cleaned or repaired and moth
| ing wa" found TO be the matter with
| them except ma"nctiZatiOn.
This led ut first to the trade en-
! ployin% an expert in electricity and
| chrOnOSraphS to treat all watches de.
| morallzcd by electricity, but two
| years later the principal firms found
| IL more advantageous and economical
to Install a dcmagnctizing device as
| adjunct to their repairing and clean
| ing plants, under tho charge of an OK.
pert. The dcmagncliZcr is /, simple
scientific apparatus, to which The sicl,
watch is exposed. When the watch
is drawn away from it. the evil infiu
! Cncc iS left with the machine, and Tho
timCpiCcc is restored to health.
Il do not believe" said an expert il
the employ of one OF the most impor
tant concerns in the United States
that any one not in the busincs:
knows how capricious watches arc il
| regard to electricity. Women arc
not in it. with watches when il comes
10 ff~akiShncss. Two men may 80
out together with Watches of the
same grade, and only one Of the time
pieces will catch magnctilation. A
watch magnctiZcd and dcmagnctizcd
will develop the almcnt sometimes
the next day it is worn. No watch
n.agncliZcd ever fully RECEIVERS with
out dcmagnctiZation. The unmagnct
liable watch Of high grade and fault
| less performance has not yet beer
madc. Such watches exist, and just
do: they arc not good timckcepcrs
| Or course q susceptible watch may
be kent cut of electric influences il
an India rubber bag. but when i
/ comes to that better do withou
watches. Devices to protect watch
es, such as hard rubber cases. ar,
many, but no watch is thorough,
protected by them, even without
chain. And a watch with stce
chain in such conditions would get a!
sick as one laid on dynamo
There's nothing to be done. outside 0
| ct IN m eft i
chance information about the flcctint
hours, but to watch your watch close
ly and when 1t develops the up-to-dat,
malady to take 1t to the doctor Some
day a ncn-magnetizable watch of higl
grade that will keep good time will b,
produccd-Ncw York Times.