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INGERSOLL WATCH COMPANY. LTD.
Ingersoll House, Kingsway, London, W. C. 2 (England)
ESD/GEM
To Waterbury Clock Co.
July 2nd 1925
Waterbury, Conn.
No. 893
Gentlemen:
Dear Mr. Chase:-
I have your letter of June 22nd, with further comments
in your penned letter of the same date, and newspaper clippings
regarding the scare which the "New York World" (and perhaps other papers)
have started in regard to a possible danger to the health of those
applying Luminous Material to Watch and Clock dials, etc.
With my knowledge and experience of the subject, the first
impression I get from reading these newspaper clippings is that there
was a temporary shortage of murders or other news of a sensational
character and so some newspaper Reporter with a lively imagination has
started something.
There is no doubt but that the handling of pure Radium
or pure Radium Bromide needs to be done with care and according to methods
well known to those who make a practice of handling such material whether
in the Factories producing it or in Hospitals or elsewhere, but the amount
of Radium Bromide in the material as it comes to us for luminising our
Watch and Clock ials is so infinitesimal that to me it is the height of
absurdity to suggest that the handling of this material could in any way
be detrimental to anybody's health.
We started to luminise Watch dials a little more than
11 years ago.
We still have one girl who was with us and employed in
that Department when we first began to luminise dials, viz;- March 1914.
Another of our Operators has been employed continuously
in that Department for ten years; two others for nine years each;
two for eight years, and several others for varying periods between
five and eight years.
The luminous element in the very first material we used
was Radium Bromide. After the war started, we had difficulty in
getting supplies and had to make use of a considerable amount of material,
of which the luminous element was mesathorium or radiothorium, but as
soon as we could get the material we preferred we got back to that of
which the luminous basis was Radium bromide.
We began using
the material of the United States Corporation some six or seven years
ago.
0-2-0
During the war we probably had 40 or 50 girls employed for
several years, not only on luminising dials of our watches but carrying
out many contracts for various Departments of the British Government,
lumising instruments for aeroplanes, submarines, etc.
The War Office required the material used on their orders to
be of a standard of what they called .2 which, if I remember correctly,
meant 200 microgrammes of radium content to the gramme of material,
which would correspond with the U. S. Corporation's present grade D.
The Admiralty (which included the Air Ministry) specified .4
All the material we used for the Government had to be
tested before we used it by the National Physical Laboratory, and all
the articles which we luminised were also sent to them by the Government
for testing, and any that were not up to their standard were rejected
and returned to us.
During all this time there has never been the slightest
suspicion of any illness or injury to health of any of the people
we have employed in that Department that could by any stretch of the
imagination be attributed to their being employed on luminising these
Watches and Clocks etc.,
I do not think that even at the East Orange Factory referred to
in the Newspaper clippings that there has ever been the slightest injury to
the health of any person arising from their handling of radium
luminous material as supplied to you and to us for the luminising of
our locks and Watches, whether they are bottling or otherwise handling
the material, or mixing and applying same to Watch and Clock dials.
If there has been anyone engaged in that kind of work who has
become ill or died, and if there is any suspicion that the illness or
death was due to Radium, then it is my opinion that the injury was
caused through that person, in addition to handling the material as we
use it, having handled pure Radium or Radium bromide without taking
the well-known necessary precautions.
I have a friend from Brussels over here for a few days, who
is intimately connected with the Belgian Company who extract Radium
- 3 -
from the Ore secured in the Congo, and I will make enquiries of
him, as I am also doing of the National Physical Laboratory,
but as intimated in the early part of this letter I think the
whole thing is a scare started by a newspaper owing, perhaps, to
a momentary scarcity of sensational news.
Yours very truly,
Ingersoll Watch Company, Ltd.,
Dictated and signed by
E. S. Daniells.
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"ocrText": "COPY\nINGERSOLL WATCH COMPANY. LTD.\nIngersoll House, Kingsway, London, W. C. 2 (England)\nESD/GEM\nTo Waterbury Clock Co.\nJuly 2nd 1925\nWaterbury, Conn.\nNo. 893\nGentlemen:\nDear Mr. Chase:-\nI have your letter of June 22nd, with further comments\nin your penned letter of the same date, and newspaper clippings\nregarding the scare which the \"New York World\" (and perhaps other papers)\nhave started in regard to a possible danger to the health of those\napplying Luminous Material to Watch and Clock dials, etc.\nWith my knowledge and experience of the subject, the first\nimpression I get from reading these newspaper clippings is that there\nwas a temporary shortage of murders or other news of a sensational\ncharacter and so some newspaper Reporter with a lively imagination has\nstarted something.\nThere is no doubt but that the handling of pure Radium\nor pure Radium Bromide needs to be done with care and according to methods\nwell known to those who make a practice of handling such material whether\nin the Factories producing it or in Hospitals or elsewhere, but the amount\nof Radium Bromide in the material as it comes to us for luminising our\nWatch and Clock ials is so infinitesimal that to me it is the height of\nabsurdity to suggest that the handling of this material could in any way\nbe detrimental to anybody's health.\nWe started to luminise Watch dials a little more than\n11 years ago.\nWe still have one girl who was with us and employed in\nthat Department when we first began to luminise dials, viz;- March 1914.\nAnother of our Operators has been employed continuously\nin that Department for ten years; two others for nine years each;\ntwo for eight years, and several others for varying periods between\nfive and eight years.\nThe luminous element in the very first material we used\nwas Radium Bromide. After the war started, we had difficulty in\ngetting supplies and had to make use of a considerable amount of material,\nof which the luminous element was mesathorium or radiothorium, but as\nsoon as we could get the material we preferred we got back to that of\nwhich the luminous basis was Radium bromide.\nWe began using\nthe material of the United States Corporation some six or seven years\nago.\n0-2-0\nDuring the war we probably had 40 or 50 girls employed for\nseveral years, not only on luminising dials of our watches but carrying\nout many contracts for various Departments of the British Government,\nlumising instruments for aeroplanes, submarines, etc.\nThe War Office required the material used on their orders to\nbe of a standard of what they called .2 which, if I remember correctly,\nmeant 200 microgrammes of radium content to the gramme of material,\nwhich would correspond with the U. S. Corporation's present grade D.\nThe Admiralty (which included the Air Ministry) specified .4\nAll the material we used for the Government had to be\ntested before we used it by the National Physical Laboratory, and all\nthe articles which we luminised were also sent to them by the Government\nfor testing, and any that were not up to their standard were rejected\nand returned to us.\nDuring all this time there has never been the slightest\nsuspicion of any illness or injury to health of any of the people\nwe have employed in that Department that could by any stretch of the\nimagination be attributed to their being employed on luminising these\nWatches and Clocks etc.,\nI do not think that even at the East Orange Factory referred to\nin the Newspaper clippings that there has ever been the slightest injury to\nthe health of any person arising from their handling of radium\nluminous material as supplied to you and to us for the luminising of\nour locks and Watches, whether they are bottling or otherwise handling\nthe material, or mixing and applying same to Watch and Clock dials.\nIf there has been anyone engaged in that kind of work who has\nbecome ill or died, and if there is any suspicion that the illness or\ndeath was due to Radium, then it is my opinion that the injury was\ncaused through that person, in addition to handling the material as we\nuse it, having handled pure Radium or Radium bromide without taking\nthe well-known necessary precautions.\nI have a friend from Brussels over here for a few days, who\nis intimately connected with the Belgian Company who extract Radium\n- 3 -\nfrom the Ore secured in the Congo, and I will make enquiries of\nhim, as I am also doing of the National Physical Laboratory,\nbut as intimated in the early part of this letter I think the\nwhole thing is a scare started by a newspaper owing, perhaps, to\na momentary scarcity of sensational news.\nYours very truly,\nIngersoll Watch Company, Ltd.,\nDictated and signed by\nE. S. Daniells."
}