This forum seems to have the most diverse knowledge base that one could find anywhere. I was hoping I could take advantage of that.
I picked up a Postal Telegraph Synchronus Electric wall clock made by the Hammond Clock Company at Hershey this week. I've always wanted a big old electric clock and this one was in such nice shape that I couldn't turn it down. While there seems to be quite a few for sale on the Internet, I haven't been able to find much information about the Postal Telegraph company or how there clocks were used (advertisement or utilitarian?). I'm guessing its from the 1930s/40s but I'm not sure.
Does anyone have ANY info about this clock?
Dan
I can shed no light on the background on this clock, but I have one exactly like it hanging in my shop. I bought mine at Hershey years ago.
Ron the Coilman
Here is a photo.
Ron
Several companies made the big electric wall clocks that were widely used in schools and businesses in the thirties and forties. A lot of them had the little indicator that would show a red dot if the power had been off. I picked up these two GE clocks at swap meets.
I bought this Telechron when Radio Recorders in Hollywood went out of business in the seventies.
Wow, all I've got is my cell phone. My Ford clock ended up getting left in the old shop after the divorce. And it was a neat one with neon and everything. It stayed with my huge double sided 1936 Socony Vaccuum Mobilgas sign with the pegasus. And all my other Mobilgas oil cans and my other old signs and one of my rolling toolboxes and half my tools. But I'm not bitter, no seriously, I'm not bitter, really I'm not, I'm not bitter at all. I mean seriously, I like living in a trailer house in Podunk calling a little tiny garage my shop. I didn't really need that welder, or parts washer or grinder or metal cutting band saw or drill press. Or that engine hoist. See I'm NOT Bitter. Well maybe it bothers me a little.
Did I go overboard a little?
No Mike,
Several of us have been through this. Some several times.
Oh good, then I'm not alone. And you're right. This was my second and I might add my last time.
Mike,
What can I say.... Never was good at picking a spouse. Never again. LOL
Mike,
I just checked your profile. "Number of times married" To funny.
No Paul, you've got it wrong, its "two funny".
Mike,
I feel your pain. Also times two.
I second that........2²
Are you guys as scared as I am you might meet someone else? I mean I'm not babe magnet but you just never know.
Mike,
I can answer that. NO. The great thing about Model T's is that if they act up you can just shut the garage door and ignore them. No need to spend any money on them until you are good and ready. I just have to remind myself that this will not work with the "fairer sex". What a laugh... After all of the money you paid your lawyer he should be able to offer a prenuptial agreement. I will never say “I do” again without one. The chances of ever saying "I do" are slim to none.
"I don't ever marry 'em. I just go out about every five years, find some woman I hate and buy her a big house and a new Mercedes." One of my favorite Faron Young quotes. I said that to my brother one time while we were sitting at a blackjack table in Reno and some blonde about 35 turned around and said, "I'll take that deal." I looked her over and said, "But I don't hate you, Darlin'." She laughed and said, "Give me about 30 days and you will."
Stan,
That reminds me of the joke about what is the difference between a divorce and a tornado. I can't provide the punch line to it on this forum.
We may be guilty of thread drift on this.
Hi All
(I tried to find the patent for a “Crying Towel” but these clock patents got in the way )
Based on a quick and sketchy read of the following patents . . .
The “Bichronous Electric Time” version slowly kept a spring motor wound,
which would keep the clock’s time accurate for periods when the power was
interrupted. The target design was to provide approximately three hours of
backup run time with the spring fully wound.
It seems the later improved version did not use a separate spring wound clock,
but used a wound spring to keep the electrical driven works from stopping.
Laurens Hammond
Evanston, Illinois
Assignor to Hammond Instrument Co.
Chicago, Illinois
Electric Clock
Patent number: 2281493
Filing date: Feb 13, 1931
Issue date: Apr 28, 1942
http://tinyurl.com/8ubae48
Laurens Hammond
Evanston, Illinois
Assignor to Hammond Instrument Co.
Chicago, Illinois
Clock
Patent number: 2281494
Filing date: Feb 13, 1931
Issue date: Apr 28, 1942
http://tinyurl.com/8mcczpk
Laurens Hammond
Evanston, Illinois
Assignor to Hammond Instrument Co.
Chicago, Illinois
Electric Clock
Patent number: 2067708
Filing date: Dec 2, 1931
Issue date: Jan 12, 1937
http://tinyurl.com/9tve2u2
Regards
Art
OK A.J.
I will tie it together.
"The target design was to provide approximately three hours of backup run time with the spring fully wound". Have you ever spent three hours with a female with her spring fully wound? LOL
Ron and Steve,
Your clocks seem to be much taller then Dan's.
I have a larger Postal Telegraph wall clock that just has two relay coils that run a stepping motor. It has been in the attic for 40 years.
John William Mackay
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John William Mackay (November 28, 1831-July 20, 1902) was an American industrialist, born in Dublin, Ireland.
Biography
Early years
His parents brought him in 1840 to New York City, where he worked in a shipyard.
Gold and silver mining
In 1851 he went to California and worked in placer gold-mines in Sierra County. In 1859 he went to Virginia City, Nevada, and there, after losing all he had made in California, he formed a business partnership with fellow Irishmen James Graham Fair, James C. Flood, and William S. O'Brien. The four dealt in mining stocks and operated silver mines on the Comstock Lode, and in 1873 discovered the great ore body known as the "big bonanza" in the Consolidated Virginia and California mine, an ore body more than 1,200 feet deep, which yielded in March of that year as much as $3,876 per ton (America: Past & Present, Vol. II, pg. 497)[vague], and in 1877 nearly $190,000,000 altogether. The four-way partnership, although formally called "Flood and O'Brien," was more commonly known as the Bonanza firm. Together they also established the Bank of Nevada in San Francisco.
Marriage
In 1866, he married Marie Louise Hungerford, a native New Yorker. Snubbed by New York society, Louise moved to Paris where Mackay purchased a large mansion for her where his wealth enabled her to became a noted society hostess, entertaining royalty and throwing lavish parties for two decades.
Communications Companies
In 1884, with James Gordon Bennett, Jr., Mackay formed the Commercial Cable Company — largely to fight Jay Gould and the Western Union Telegraph Company — laid two transatlantic cables, and forced the toll-rate for transatlantic messages down to twenty-five cents a word. In connection with the Commercial Cable Company, he formed in 1886 the Postal Telegraph Company as a domestic wire telegraph company so that Commercial would not need to rely on Western Union to collect and distribute telegraphic messages. Until Mackay and Bennett entered the field, all submarine cable traffic between the United States and Europe went over cables owned by the American financier Jay Gould. A rate war followed that took almost two years to conclude. Jay Gould finally quit trying to run John Mackay out of business. He was quoted as saying, "You can't beat Mackay, all he has to do when he needs money is go to Nevada and dig up some more".[citation needed]
The Mackay System expanded under Clarence H. Mackay's leadership, acquiring several other entities including the Federal Telegraph Company, its radio stations and research laboratories, in 1927. In 1928, the entire system was bought out by Sosthenes Behn's International Telephone and Telegraph. ITT organized the Postal Telegraph & Cable Corporation as a shell to acquire and control the Mackay System on May 18, 1928.[3] Though plagued with financial troubles during the Great Depression, the Mackay System continued to be the chief rival of Western Union until 1943. In March of that year, Congress authorized an amendment (Section 222) to the Communications Act of 1934 permitting the merger of the domestic operations of telegraph companies (clearing the way for Western Union to acquire Postal Telegraph). By May 1943 a merger plan had been put together, which the FCC approved by September, and the merger was complete by October 1943. The international communications (cable and radio) parts of the Mackay system remained with ITT.
For anyone interested in railroads. You should fins the book South Pacific Coast(HOWELL-NORTH BOOKS,1968 by Bruce A Mac Gregor). Chapter 2 "THE TOWN THE FAIR BUILT" this is the history of the man and his railroad.
This tells the story of after he hit the "mother load". The town is NEWARK CA. and the Fair home is still there (HISTORICAL LANDMARK). His Railroad (3" narrow gage )
that ran from Oakland to Santa Cruz.
Just added Info. for historical interest an interesting read..
Bob
3" narrow gauge ... is that like O gauge???
Should it be 3'
Thanks Chris, its 3', glad to see others double
post also. I do have a 3.5 " live steam model of the Rocket from England in the 50's. GRIN
Bob
Thanks for the info everyone. My clock is looks to be about the same size as Ron's although its hard to tell from the pictures. If you do a google image search on this clock, there's much fancier ones that light up and all. For now, I'll be content to hang it in the room with my old EM games. .
Dan,
Cool find on that clock ...
Mike,
Divorce is the ' gift ' that keeps on taking .....
Jim
Hi Dan
While we are OT anyway have you got a list or some photos of your EM games?
Got any pre 1947 flipper less?
Regards
Art
If you want to read about the financial shenanigans by the builders of the Union Pacific RR try this.
Since we're off topic .... I don't own it, but I was part of a 3 man team that rebuilt it and still maintains it. It's a 1922 Standard Electric. 4 faces - usually accurate - never needs winding (lucky for me)! On this day we were re-installing the gear assemblies in all four clock faces.
Garnet
Is that a clock at a Railroad Station or the town square.
Bob
Here's some pictures Art! I have one woodrail from that era which was originally flipperless. As far as I can tell, at some point early in its life, it was fitted with flippers. As you know, game operators at that time converted many games over since they were losing money to games that had flippers. My heart really lies with these early games, but I had some "newer" EM stuff which visitors seem to have more fun playing since they are faster.
1948 Exhibit "Contact"
1956 Williams "Sidewalk Engineer Crane"
1976 Gottlieb "Buccaneer"
1974 Williams "Star Pool"
Hi Dan
Great pins and really like your Crane! –
My list . . .
Williams -
1951 Sea Jockeys
1969 Miss-O
1974 Triple Action (my daughters but at my house)
Americoin -
Junk Yard (Overhead Crane and has an 8 track tape playing junkyard sounds)
Rock-Ola -
Juggle Ball
World Series
I also have a mid 20’s 5 cent Rock-Ola(Mills ) and a Mills candy vendor slot machine.
The larger machines are temporarily stored away, so the photos are ‘borrowed’.
The 2 Rock-Ola’s are accessible and all are waiting for a reno of the ‘Game’ room.
Of the EM’s the 1951 Sea Jockeys is my favourite, and of the flipperless the 1934
World Series is great to play and mechanically unique. It is totally dependent on
the spring loading from inserting a nickel and pushing in the coin slot, which allows
it keep track of the strikes, balls, hits, outs and runs etc. for half an inning of play.
Because the Juggle Ball is extremely rare, and most of the few that are known
to have survived have broken springs on the ball control lever and/or score hole guards,
I limited it’s play to those that agree skill is better than muscle, and no ‘nudging’
or ‘slam bam’ play is allowed!
The second JB photo shows my final remake of the score and instruction labels,
which are now as close as possible to the originals, and constructed pixel by pixel
to match bits and pieces of info acquired since the internet began.
Only the large red lettered JUGGLE label is original.
The black lettering JUGGLE on the brass tabs is also original and they tip up to the
position shown if you get a ball in the matching playfield hole. Scoring a complete
“JUGGLE” doubles your accumulated score. Acknowledged as the first pinball with
a method for the player to control the ball, and called a ‘cue’ it could be angled from
center and moved up and down a limited amount, and was likened to playing pool.
Regards
Art
Hmmm - Preview acting up, so hope it works when uploaded <@^@>
Whoops - should have shown the dates for the Rock-ola pins . . .
Juggle Ball - 1932
World Series - 1934
Wow! I like your early stuff. I'm actually hoping to eventually swap out my 70's stuff for games like your Sea Jockey. Those games have so much character. It's an iterative process.
Most of my games were in some state of disrepair too. It's been fun learning how to work on them. Hard to believe the amount of engineering that went into these things which were just for amusement.