Letters Sent to Mr. Chase, July 2, 1925

INGERSOLL WATCH COMPAITY. LTD. Ingersoll House, Kingsway, London, W. C. a (Rngland) ESD/GEM To Waterbury Clock Co July 2nd 1925 Waterbury, onn. No. 893 Gentlemen: Dear Mr. Chase: I have your letter of June 23nd, with further comments in your penned letter of the same date, and newspaper clippings regarding the scare which the "New York "orld" (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 temporery shortage of nurders or other news of a sentational character and so some newspaper Reporter with a lively inagination 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 Jmown to those who malce a practice of handling such material whether in the Factories producing it or in Hospitals or elsevhere, but the amount of Radium Bromide in the material as it comes to us for luninising 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 henlth. We started to luminise Watch dials a little more than 11 years ago. We still have one girl the was with and employed in that Department when we first begen to luminise dials, vis;- March 1914. Another of our Operators has been employed contimiously 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. the wex 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 radiothoriun, but as soon as we could get the material we preferred we got back to that of which the luminous basis was Badium bromide. We began using the material of the United States Corporation some six or seven years ago.