Many of the employees used to play around with the product putting it on their teeth, cheeks and eyebrows. There were no established safety guide lines for the use of this radioactive paint product. They worked either at old school desks or long tables. The dial painters worked on the second and third floor of the old school. For many, this was the most money that they had made in their lives. Initially, the employees were happy in their employment. At its high point of production, there were approximately 1000 employees who produced 4,300 watch dials a day. They would apparently lick the brush before they would paint the numbers on the clock. Their job consisted in painting the dials of watches with a radium based paint called Luna. They were paid a very handsome salary sometimes up to $18 per week. The company recruited young women to work in its Ottawa plant. He was the son in law of the Flannery brothers (the founders of Standard Chemical Company) This was kitty corner to Saint Columba Church. It was on the corner of Washington and Columbus Street. As a result after one year, the company moved to Ottawa, Illinois to the unused Ottawa Township High School in 1922. It was alleged that the Dial Company was luring employees from Westclox with promises of higher wages. There apparently was some difficulty between Westclox and the Radium Dial Company. This move took place so that the production site was near the Westclox factory. In 1920, the operation was moved to Peru, Illinois. Some of its larger customers at that time were the Elgin Watch Company, the Springfield Watch Company, and the Westclox Company. There is not much information about the Chicago plant and its employees. ![]() In 1917, a Radium Dial Company was started in Chicago. Its only product was to be painting watches, alarm clocks, and wrist watches with radium paint (glow in the dark). A subdivision called the Radium Dial Company was created. More subsidiaries were established in Long Island, New York and Waterbury, Connecticut to complete these contracts.Īfter the war ended, the contracts were cancelled. This allowed for easier reading of these instruments. government contract was awarded to the Standard Chemical Company to manufacture military watches and instrument dials using the radium paint mixture on the numbers. This product was applied to several products using small brushes. Their first product using radium was Undark (mixture of radium and and zinc sulfate). They became the first large scale radium producer in the United States. Their headquarters were in Orange, New Jersey. Subsequently, the brothers established the Standard Chemical Company in 1911. They traveled to Europe to explore the usefulness of this element. In the early 1900’s two brothers Joseph and James Flannery from Pittsburgh developed an interest in the marketing of radium. The safety of this radioactive element was not evaluated before these various uses. Unfortunately, this enthusiasm was not backed with scientific research. Some also used it in the form of an oral tonic. Many thought it was a magic bullet providing cures for everything from arthritis to cancer. It’s discovery was greeted with unbridled enthusiasm. It was discovered by Marie Curie in 1898. ![]() Radium is a naturally occurring radioactive element. This is undoubtedly is one of the darker episodes in the history of Ottawa, Illinois. Occasionally, we investigate subjects not directly related to the canal. This blog has been dedicated to the Illinois Michigan Canal and it’s influence on the development of Chicago and the Illinois Valley.
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