HISTORY AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#CCFF99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="04178671esnimw.gif"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#CCFF99" FACE="Arial" ><B>ECO MAGNETO CLOCK COMPANY</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ECO MAGNETO CLOCK COMPANY"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ECO MAGNETO CLOCK COMPANY"><U><B><IMG SRC="0490e0e0.gif" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>       </B><A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ECO PORTABLE"><U><B><IMG SRC="0430e0e0.gif" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>    </B><A HREF="id34.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="48 HR/40 STATION BOSTON MAGNETO"><U><B><IMG SRC="0440e0e0.gif" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>       </B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="14"></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#336699" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="042c83b3.gif"> <bR> <div> PHILIP H HASELTON  </div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#CCFF99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>HISTORY AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS</I></div> <div>     MOST OF THE FOLLOWING MATERIAL HAS BEEN OBTAINED FROM " THE WATCHMAN'S CLOCK IN AMERICA " , A PRIVATE PUBLICATION BY PHILIP H HASELTON. MR HASELTON IS THE RETIRED PRESIDENT OF DETEX CORPORATION AND PRESENTLY HEADS UP THEIR PRIVATE MUSEUM. HE WILL BE PROVIDING ME WITH ORIGINAL COMPANY RECORDS IN THE NEAR FUTURE AND WE HOPE TO JOINTLY PUBLISH AN ARTICLE IN THE NAWCC BULLETIN. </div> <div>     TO THE PURIST, THIS IS NOT TRULY A CLOCK COMPANY AS THEY DID NOT MAKE THE CLOCK MOVEMENTS. THEY BOUGHT THE MOVEMENTS FROM SETH THOMAS AND ASSEMBLED THEM IN CASES ALONG WITH THEIR MECHANISMS AND SOLD THE FINISHED PRODUCT.  HOWEVER THEIR DIFFERENT MODELS ARE UNIQUE AND UNSUUAL ENOUGH TO WARRANT OUR ATTENTION. I HAVE NOTED OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS THAT SEVERAL EXAMPLES OF THIS COMPANIES PRODUCT HAVE BEEN LOST AS PEOPLE HAVE STRIPPED THE MECHANISMS FROM THEIR ORIGINAL CASES, EITHER TO USE THE MOVEMENTS OR TO CONVERT THE CASES TO OTHER USES.  I WRITE THIS IN THE HOPE THAT FELLOW COLLECTORS WILL APPRECIATE THEM AND RESCUE THEM FROM SUCH AN UNDESERVED FATE.</div> <div>     THE ECO MAGNETO CLOCK COMPANY IS BEST KNOWN FOR ITS ELECTRICAL WATCHMANS RECORDING SYSTEM. ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS CAN BEST BE DESCRIBED AS CENTRAL SUPERVISORY RECORDING SYSTEMS.  WITH SUCH SYSTEMS THERE ARE A NUMBER OF REMOTE POINTS TO BE VISITED BY A TOURING GUARD.  EACH POINT IS CONNECTED TO A CENTRAL RECORDING MECHANISM BY ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.  FROM EACH STATION HE VISITS, THE GUARD SENDS AN ELECTRIC SIGNAL THAT REGISTERS AT THE CENTRAL UNIT THE  TIME AND THE IDENTITY OF THE STATION FROM WHICH HE SENT THESIGNAL. THE RECORD OF ALL THE SIGNALS ON THE SINGLE RECORDING CHART REVEALS THE TIME AND PLACE RELATIONSHIPS OF THE FULL TOUR. THE TERM "SUPERVISORY" IS APPROPRIATE BECAUSE A CHIEF GUARD, STATIONED AT THE CENTRAL UNIT, COULD MONITOR THE INCOMING SIGNALS AND JUDGE THE GUARDS PROGRESS.</div> <div>     PRIOR TO THE DEVELOPEMENT OF THE ECO MAGNETO CLOCK, DIRECT WIRE BATTERY SYSTEMS SUCH AS THE E HOWARD ELECTRO-MAGNETIC WATCHMANS CLOCK PERFORMED THIS SAME FUNCTION. DIRECT WIRE SYSTEMS SUFFERED FROM THE RELATIVE EASE OF SENDING FALSE SIGNALS AND THE DIFFICULTIES AND COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH BATTERIES.</div> <div>     IN 1887 GEORGE FESSENDEN OF BOSTON, PATENTED A SYSTEM THAT NOT ONLY MADE IT MORE DIFFICULT TO SEND FALSE SIGNALS, BUT ALSO ELIMINATED THE BATTERY.  HIS SYSTEM USED A SINGLE WIRE FROM EACH STATION TO A TERMINAL IN THE CENTRAL RECORDER, TOGETHER WITH A COMMON RETURN OR GROUND WIRE THROUGH ALL THE STATIONS BACK TO THE RECORDER.  IN MOST INSTALLATIONS THIS WIRING SCHEME WOULD EFFECTIVELY SEPARATE THE TWO CIRCUIT WIRES, WITH THE RESULT THAT ILLICITLY SHORTING THE SINGLE WIRE FOR A GIVEN STATION TO THE RETURN WIRE WAS PHYSICALLY DIFFICULT.</div> <div>      THE WATCHMAN CARRIED A SMALL MAGNETO GENERATOR THAT HE PLUGGED IN AT EACH STATION.  THE IDEA OF A PORTABLE MAGNETO WAS VERY QUICKLY  ABANDONED IN FAVOR OF ONES INSTALLED IN EACH STATION.  THE WATCHMAN, ON VISITING A STATION, INSERTED A SMALL CRANK AND TURNED IT VIGOROUSLY, CREATING A SIGNALLING CURRENT.</div> <div>     AS ORIGINALLY PATENTED, THE STYSTEM UTILIZED ONLY ONE PAIR OF ELECTRIC MAGNETS AND A QUINBY SWITCH TO ACTIVATE EACH PUNCH SEQUENTIALLY AT THE RECORDER. THIS WAS MOSTLY ABANDONED IN FAVOR OF HAVING EACH PUNCH WIRED TO ITS OWN PAIR OF ELECTRIC MAGNETS. THE ORIGINAL SYSTEM COMBINED WITH A PORTABLE GENERATOR WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY COST EFFECTIVE TO PRODUCE.  THE QUINBY SWITCH CAUSED THE GUARD TO MAKE HIS ROUNDS IN SEQUENCE.  THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENT FOR FIRE CHECKS AND PRESSURE GAUGE INSPECTIONS, BUT IS NOT THE USUAL METHOD FOR MAKING SECURITY ROUNDS AS THE TOUR WOULD HAVE BEEN PREDICTABLE. </div> <div>     MR FESSENDEN'S IDEAS LED TO THE FORMATION OF THE ECO MAGNETO CLOCK COMPANY IN BOSTON IN 1888. ECO PRODUCED TWO UNITS, THE " ECO MAGNETO"  STARTING IN 1888 AND THE  "BOSTON MAGNETO" IN 1912. </div> <div>     THE "ECO" USED A CIRCULAR CHART, OR DIAL, AND THE "BOSTON" A RECTANGULAR CHART CARRIED ON A CYLINDER. THE SIMPLE CIRCULAR DIAL MECHANISM WAS LESS EXPENSIVE TO PRODUCE AND EASIER FOR THE OWNER TO MANAGE.  HOWERVE, A CIRCULAR PAPER DIAL CAN BE ONLY SO LARGE AND THUS CAN SERVE ONLY SO MANY STATIONS, BECAUSE EACH STATION MUST HAVE A SEPARATE ANNULAR AREA ON THE DIAL FOR ITS REGISTRATION MARKS. FURTHERMORE A DIAL CAN MAKE ONLY ONE REVOLUTION BEFORE NEW SIGNALS WILL OVERWRITE THE RECORD MADE ON THE FIRST TIME AROUND.</div> <div>     THE "ECO MAGNETO" CIRCULAR DIAL RECORDER WAS AVAILABLE IN STATION CAPACIITES FROM 1 TO 30 AND WITH EITHER 12-HOUR OR 24-HOUR COVERAGE.  BETWEEN 1887 AND 1920 THERE WERE 6,064 UNITS SOLD. THE RECTANGULAR CHART MECHANISM OF THE "BOSTON" WAS CONSIDERABLY MORE EXPENSIVE TO MANUFACTURE AND PRESENTED SOMEWHAT GREATER DIFFICULTY FOR THE OWNER IN CHANGING THE CHART.  HOWEVER , THE DRUM COULD BE MADE QUITE LONG, ALLOWING RECORDING SPACE FOR AS MANY AS 60 STATIONS IN THE LARGEST MODEL.  IN ADDITION, THE DRUM COULD GO AROUND MORE THAN ONCE.  AFTER EACH REVOLUTION, IT SHIFTED AXIALLY A SMALL AMOUNT, PLACING A FRESH TRACK ON THE CHART IN POSITION TO RECEIVE THE PUNCH MARKS DURING THE ENSUING REVOLUTIONS.  THE MECHANISM THAT SHIFTED THE DRUM (ALSO AN INVENTION OF MR FESSENDEN) WAS EXTREMELY SIMPLE. IF PROVIDED FOR AS MANY AS FIVE SHIFTS, THUS SIX ROTATIONS OF THE DRUM. WITH A 12 HOUR ROTATION, FIVE SHIFTS PROVIDED FOR REGISTRATIONS OVER SEVENTY TWO HOURS. IT WAS ALSO POSSIBLE TO DELAY THE FIRST SHIFT BY 12 HOURS SO THAT IN A 1913 MODEL CALLED THE TRI-RECORD ONLY TWO SHIFTS WERE MADE IN A 48 HOUR PERIOD.</div> <div>     THE "BOSTON" MAGNETO RECTANGULAR CHART RECORDER WAS AVAILABLE WITH STATION CAPACITIES FROM 10 T0 60 (IN INCREMENTS OF FIVE) FOR 48 HOUR COVERAGE AND WITH CAPACITIES FOR 10 TO 40 STATIONS FOR 72 HOUR COVERAGE.  BETWEEN 1908, WHEN A PRELIMINARY MODEL WAS INTRODUCED, AND 1920 THERE WERE 477 UNITS SOLD.</div> <div>     THE ELECTRICAL WATCHMAN'S CLOCK SYSTEM IN THE EARLY DAYS OFTEN SERVED AS THE TIMEPIECE FOR THE PREMISES. BOTH THE "ECO" AND THE "BOSTON" OFFERED AN INDEPENDENT REGULATOR THAT WAS HOUSED WITH THE WATCHMAN'S MECHANISM. THE WATCHMAN'S RECORDER COULD BE SOLD ON ITS OWN IF THE PURCHASER HAD NO DISIRE FOR A TIMEPIECE.  WITH THE ADVENT OF RELIABLE 60 CYCLE POWER AND THE SYNCHROUNOUS ELECTRICAL CLOCK, SALES OF RECORDERS WITHOUT A TIMEPIECE BECAME MORE AND MORE THE RULE. IT IS DOUBTFUL THAT COMBINATION UNITS WERE SOLD AFTER THE EARLY 1920'S.</div> <div>     PERHAPS THE OUTSTANDING CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS WERE DURABILITY, LONG LIFE AND ULTIMATE LOW COST. THERE WAS ONE THAT HAD BENN INSTALLED IN 1905 AND RECEIVED ITS FIRST SERVICE OVERHAUL 45 YEARS LATER, IN 1950.  THE CHARACTERISTIC INSTALLATION FOR THE CENTRAL PROPRIETARY WATCHMAN'S SYSTEM WAS THE LARGE TEXTILE MILL OF NEW ENGLAND AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY.  WITH HEAVY FIRE RISK AND HEAVY FIRE INSURANCE PREMIUMS, THE USE OF THE MOST RELIABLE EQUIPMENT OF THE DAY JUSTIFIED THE RELATIVELY HIGH COST OF EQUIPMENT AND INSTALLATION.  THE INSURANCE COMPANIES AND THE NATIONAL BOARD OF FIRE UNDERWRITERS OF COURSE TOOK A CONSIDERABLE INTEREST IN THESE LARGE RISKS AND RATE REDUCTIONS WERE ALLOWED WHEN CENTRAL STATION SYSTEMS WERE USED.</div> <div>     NOT LONG AFTER THE TURN OF THE CENTURY, INSTALLATIONS OF ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS BEGAN TO DECLINE, BECAUSE THE MODERN LOW COST, FULLY RELIABLE PORTABLE WATCHCLOCK ARRIVED ON THE SCENE.  FROM THAT POINT ON, CENTRAL SYSTEMS NO LONGER ENJOYED THE EXCLUSIVE APPROVAL OF THE INSURANCE AUTHORITIES, YET THEY HAD TO FACE HIGHER AND HIGHER COSTS OF INSTALLATION.</div> <div>     THE ECO MAGNETO CLOCK COMPANY DID PRODUCE A PORTABLE MODEL.  IT DESIGNED A CLOCK THAT RETAINED THE SIMPLE TUMBLER AND PIN-PRICK , HOWEVER, IT PUT THE LUG THAT DEPRESSED THE TUMBLER ON A LENGTHENED YALE TYPE COMBINATION KEY THAT EXTENDED THROUGH THE CYLINDER TO ENGAGE THE MARKING MECHANISM.  THIS CLOCK, THE FIRST PORTABLE OFFERING BY ECO, WAS LISTED IN 1905 BY UNDERWRITERS LABORATORIES,.  THE YALE TYPE KEY OBVIOUSLY MADE IT MORE DIFFICULT TO COUNTERFEIT A KEY.</div> <div>      THE COMPANY WAS ACQUIRED BY CHARLES RENSHAW IN 1916 AND KEPT SEPARTE FROM HIS NEWMAN CLOCK INTERESTS.  THE CHANGE IN OWNERSHIP MARKS THE OCASSION FOR THE CHANGE OF NAME TO ECO CLOCK COMPANY (INC).  IN 1923 IT WAS MERGED WITH NEWMAN CLOCK CO TO BECOME WHAT IS TODAY THE DETEX CORPORATION.</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>