In 1893 Ball began ordering watches manufactured by E. Initially Ball marketed only 18-size Ball's Standard Railroad Watches, an 1890 advertisement indicated they were made by Dueber-Hampden Works, "being accurately adjusted to heat and cold, and six positions, they are more reliable, more durable, and particularly desirable for the services of engineers and conductors". The final testing and adjusting of almost all Ball watches was done by Ball, not the original manufacturer. Official RR Standard (ORRS) was Ball's trade mark grade name for railroad grade watches. Ball used movements from the top American watch manufacturers, including Hampden, Elgin, Hamilton, and Waltham, which were ordered to his specifications, and resold then under the Ball brand name. Ball Watch Companyīall's original jewelry business in Cleveland grew into the Ball Watch Company. Ball was honored for his accomplishments by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. Ball also contributed to the nationwide acceptance of the General Railroad Timepiece Standards adopted by the railroad industry in 1893. According to Ball in a copyrighted interview by James B Morrow in 1910, his service grew to control the inspection of watches railmen used on 125,000 miles or railroad lines, about half of the U.S.'s railroads, although the accuracy of this statement has been questioned. dealers to whom Ball was distributing watches and jewelry. The actual inspectors were the same jewelers who were Ball Watch Co.
Ball requied watch inspection every two weeks and rejected watches which did not meet standards in order to ensure accuracy and facilitate safe railroad operation.īall promoted watch standards and built a watch inspection service, the Ball Railroad Time Service, to ensure watch accuracy on a number of railroads. Ball was asked to investigate "time and watch" conditions throughout the line. In 1891 the store was expanded by adding two stories to the building, making it a total of four stories.īall was commissioned by the Lakeshore and Michigan Southern Railway as their Chief Time Inspector following horrible train accident near Cleveland, Ohio on Apwhich pointed out that the nation's railroads were not all running on reliable timepieces. was incorporated in 1891 as a wholesale and retail jewelry business. A January 1891 advertisement listed Ball as the "Official Watch Inspector and Time keeper" for six railroads. Webb C Ball was Chief Time Inspector and developed a time inspection system for railroads centered in the Cleveland area. Ball was also the first Cleveland jeweler to purchase and display a chronometer, which allowed people passing in front of his store to check the time.
3rd) St.Īfter Standard Time was adopted by the railroads in 1883, Ball became the first Cleveland jeweler to use time signals sent from the Naval Observatory in Washington, D. Ball Co., which consisted originally of 2 showcases and a workbench at Superior Ave. By 1881 he had become the sole owner of the Webb C. Ball bought an interest in Whitcomb and Metten Jewelers in Cleveland in 1879.
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