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{
    "localId": "75722147",
    "label": "Letters Sent to Josiah Stryker, December 12, 1927",
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    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Letters Sent to Josiah Stryker, December 12, 1927",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75722147",
    "collections": [
        "Safety Light Collection",
        "Records Related to Radium Dial Painters"
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    "seq": 3,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "document",
    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/SLC/Radium/SLC_0001154.pdf",
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    "ocrText": "December 12,1927.\nMr. Josiah Stryker,\nc/o Lindabury Depue and Faulks,\nBroad Street,\nNewark, N.J.\nDear Mr. Stryker:\nWe have checked up on all the points covered in\nthe conference at Mr. Roeder's on November 30th, with the exception\nof interviewing Dr. Cameron of the Radium Chemical Company. Dr.\nCameron has not been available until this week, and we propose to see\nhim at the earliest date.\nAs regards the decrease in the number of our employees\nin the application plant after the trouble was first discovered - we\ndo not believe that this information will be of particular value since\nour employees were only a few. When we first learned of the difficulty\nwe immediately had our people examined by the Life Extension Institute,\nand we find there were only a total of 6 at that time.\nWe continued to run our application plant with more or\nless help as the business demanded until about May 1925, when we\nstarted the Starkey Dial Company of New York City, in the application\nbusiness. We continued in Orange with two or three operators until\nthe end of the year. Of course there was more or less uncertainty on\nthe part of our employees, and some undoubtedly quit on account of the\nnewspaper publicity, but this department was so small that the facts\nof the case would not be of any great importance.\nWe are enclosing herewith copies of these examinations\nmade by the Life Extension Institute in March 1924. Dr. Fisk, Director\nof the Institute says that he was impressed by the earnestness of our\ndesire to find out if there was anything wrong with our employees. They\nmade tests for metalic poisoning, and found only what he considers con-\nditions common to the general run of factory workers. There is another\npoint in this connection which may be of importance, and that is that\nthe original reports on these examinations were given to the girls. You\nwill notice that these reports advise them to consult their family\nphysicians. Had we been disposed to \"cover up\" as the plaintiff's charge\ncertainly we would never have given reports of these examinations to\nour employees.\nWhile the Life Extension Institute are not particularly\nanxious to become mixed up in any litigation, Dr. Fisk states that they\n-2-\nwould not shirk their duty in this instance, and if we think it of\nadvantage to have them testify they will gladly do SO. He states that\nhe could not testify as to any dangers from radio-active substances, or\nif the same had anything to do with the conditions of our employees over\na period of time. They could testify, however, as to our sincerity\nand apparent desire to get to the bottom of the situation, and that the\nconditions revealed were only those common to employees generally.\nDr. Fisk stated that probably the reports themselves, and his letter\nwhich was submitted at the time would be sufficient for our purposes.\nWe are enclosing herewith copy of his letter to us at that time.\nAs regards the notice which was posted in our plant by Mr. Viedt,\nwe are unable to find a copy of this notice. I do find, however,\nreference to it and copies of broofs of the supposed notice. It is my\nopinion that a series of statements or bulletins were used as the\ninvestigation of the condition developed and was reported to us from time\nto time.\nWe are enclosing copies of letters received from Doctors Moore and\nLind.\nIt would seem to /importance to have the question settled\nas soon as possible as to whether we shall need them on the 12th of January.\nVery truly yours,\nPresident.\nCBLee:RH\nenclosures"
}