THE ELGIN NATIONAL WATCH COMPANY

             OBSERVATORY STORY

A small whitewashed and pumpkin-shaped domed building 

sits perched upon a hill.    It once overlooked the expansive site of the   Elgin National Watch Factory.  Now the Elgin National Watch Factory Observatory, the Elgin Observatory, stands alone as the last remaining symbol of one of the nation's best known manufacture of watches.  As the 1800's were coming to a close the commerce and industrial segments in America were full steam ahead.  This was especially true in the railroad industry.  In the 1880's the persuasive railroad industry lobbied successfully in getting Congress to establish four time zones.  Before this legislation was adopted time would be set by individual cities and towns. As passenger trains increased scheduling from town to town the logistics of scheduling became a horrendous nightmare.  At one time there were thirty-eight different time zones in Wisconsin and the Buffalo, New York, train station had three different clocks.

            With no real national time standards and an increasing amount of railroad traffic, the accuracy for correct time became much more significant.  Disastrous rear-end collisions occurred when the time interval between trains had failed.  Some individuals soon linked these collisions with faulty chronometers the train's engineers were carrying. The slightest speck of dust could have caused an error of a few seconds to several minutes.  An error of this sort with the close schedule the trains had could only mean deadly results.

            It would not be until 1908 that the United States government came to regard timing efficiency of such economic importance as to take a hand in its management.  It was President Theodore Roosevelt who directed the United States Bureau of Standards to set up tests for watches.  The disclosed report showed that time controls in America were totally inadequate and something had to be done about it.  Already at the forefront of watch manufacturing the Elgin National Watch Company chose to build its own observatory.  This Observatory would further help to ensure the scientific accuracy of its already famous timepieces.

            The Elgin National Watch Company Observatory was placed into service in 1910 under the direction of William W. Payne.  Before this position with the company Payne was a professor at Goodsell Observatory, Northfield, Minnesota, and founder of the POPULAR ASTRONOMY magazine. The observatory's purpose was clear to observe and record precise time from the stars and to transmit these measurements of time throughout the factory.  It was the only time observatory that was owned and maintained by a watch manufacturer in the nation.

            Because the Elgin company had decided to have the most perfect time observatory in America, the site on which to locate it was quite a problem.  After a considerable amount of research a hill a few blocks east of the main factory was chosen because of its gravel base.  The gravel would help to reduce the vibration of the Earth.  The Observatory was opened for business in February, 1910, and Professor W. W. Payne was given to what amounted to a life long directorship of the Observatory.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     DR. W. W. PAYNE

            The building is unique in form, substantial in structure, attractive in appearance and is fire proof in all areas for the protection of the instruments.  The dome is nearly a hemisphere in form with an opening in the North-South direction (the meridian) three feet wide.  This opening is covered by two steel shutters that weigh about a half ton each.  Yet, with the crank and worm gear system that was manufactured by the machinist at the watch factory it was said that the shutters open and close so easily that a boy of six could do it.

        The east part of the building has the clock vault below the Observatory's dome.  In the clock vault a series of fifty-seven light bulbs cover the outer perimeter of this room.  The bulbs which contain carbon arc filaments are used to maintain the constant 81 degree temperature within the room. By using this system of lights year in and year out the temperature does not vary more than two-tenths of one degree.  If fact the opening of the clock vault door or even heat from a human body could have had a very noticeable effect on the temperature within this room. The temperature is so critical because it is within this vault that the two master clocks of the Observatory are found. Of the two clocks in the vault, one is kept at what is known as sidereal "star" time, while the other is kept at standard time. This is the time our watches would keep.  These clocks were also recognized by their production serial number.  The "star" time clock was known as No. 220 and the standard time clock was referred to as No. 224. Both clocks are mounted to a concrete pier that goes down sixty feet into a gravel  base.  It is the gravel that will reduce any inherit vibrations that may exist due to cars or trucks that would be passing by the Observatory. 

            The Observatory was equipped with four Riefler astronomical clocks.  These clocks were recognized as the most accurate type of timepieces that existed in 1910.  The two clocks found in the vault, No. 220 and No. 224, are hermetically sealed in a long glass cylinder jar.  This is done in order to maintain partial pressure and thus eliminating barometric pressure correction.  The slightest change in air pressure just as in air temperature could affect the rate at which the clocks beat.  The clocks were so attuned that a change of one millimeter of air pressure would change the rate of the clock by eighteen thousandths of a second in a twenty-four hour period. Air could be introduced into or exhausted out of the clocks to slow down or increase their rates, respectively.
Clock Vault containing No. 220 and No. 224
        Upstairs under the dome of the observatory, is the observation instrument or the transit telescope.  This instrument which has a three inch objective lens was made by the Warner and Swasey Company of Cleveland Ohio.  Just like the clocks the transit telescope, too, was mounted on a concrete pier separate from any part of the building.  The telescope is set exactly north and south, as all time observations must be made on the meridian.  The meridian is an imaginary north-south line.    

            In a room just off of the dome is the chronograph room.  Two more Riefler clocks are found mounted to yet another concrete pier. Unlike the two clocks in the vault these two were cased within a swinging glass door. and operated at room temperature and pressure.  Again, one clock, No. 237, would keep "star" time and the other clock, No. 240, would keep standard time.  These two clocks were actually used as auxiliary clocks to the master clocks found in the clock vault.  The name of this room, the chronograph room, came from a very important piece of equipment located a bench within the room.  The chronograph is really better known as a "time recording machine."  This device would be hooked up to the "star" clock.  A cylindrical drum carries a record sheet and makes one complete revolution in one minute.  A recording pen would leave ticks indicating each second of time of the clock.  As the astronomer would be taking a reading from a star through the transit telescope he would press a key that would send a pulse to the chronograph.  This would cause the recording pen to make an irregular tick on the paper.  The result would be a series of odd little tick marks in a line that the pen traced on the paper of the recording drum.  The time, by the "star" clock, that the star crossed the meridian was obtained by placing a graduated scale on the recording paper.  In this manner each tick mark is read and the average of ten marks is the observed time by the clock when the star crossed the meridian.  The "correct" time, the actual time the star passes the meridian, which has been observed and recorded for hundreds of years is then compared to the "observed" time, the time the "star" clock would keep.  The difference between the "star" time and the "correct" time is the amount of error the "star" clock would display.  Ten or more stars would have to be observed on a clear night and the average of the whole set is taken as the clock correction.  The correction had to be within one-hundredth of a second.  The clocks were rarely in error as much as ten-hundredths of a second.   
        In every room of the watch factory where the movements of the watches were rated or regulated a sounder device much like a telegraph instrument could be heard indicating the tick of  each second of master clock No. 224.

            As the years past it became apparent that the Elgin Observatory had such popular appeal that the watch company started to use the building as their central focus of advertising.  At the Century of Progress in Chicago in both 1933 and 1934, the gates of the exposition were opened daily on the time determined at the Observatory.  In fact the Elgin National Watch Company pavilion was a replica of the Observatory, but there was to be an even bigger role the Observatory would play at the Fair.

            The greatest single event on the Fair grounds was the turning on of all the outdoor lighting.  The Fair was scheduled to open in 1932, but delays forced it to start in 1933.  1932 would be forty years since the opening of Chicago's last world's fair the Columbian Fair in 1892.  The star Arcturus, an outstanding bright star, is forty light years in distance from the Earth.  This means that light leave Arcturus in 1892 would reach Earth forty years later in 1932.   It was around this star that the lighting ceremony for the Fair would center upon.  Light emission from the star were collected and the amplified into electric current. This current was used to turn the lights on.  This was to be a one time event, but it was so successful the public wanted the ceremony to repeat each night.  The Elgin Observatory agreed to take the ceremony over.  This also meant the collection of light from Arcturus would fall on the shoulders of the Observatory.  The Elgin Observatory would continue to do the Arcturus ceremony every night throughout the operation of the Fair.  Needless to say it was a terrific advertising gimmick for the Observatory as well as the Elgin National Watch Company. 

            The Observatory clocks also supplied "ticker service" to many companies.  A large bronze clock showing Elgin Observatory time was located on the street corner of the Pure Oil Building in Chicago.  Time was supplied to the Union Railroad Station in Chicago for the starting of the first train on the New York Central Railroad when it reduced its travel time between Chicago and New York from twenty four hours to eighteen hours.  The train was know as the Twenty Century Limited.  Ticker service was supplied to various radio broadcast studios in Chicago so that the correct Observatory time could be used during big band program. This was again another way of advertising the Observatory as well as the product.

            Perhaps the pinnacle of advertising came when all Lord and Lady Elgin watches were tested for performance at the Observatory.  A special truck would bring thousands of these watch up from the factory to be tested.  Each watch would leave bearing an Elgin Observatory certificate which would indicate perfection of precision in timekeeping ability.   They were indeed "timed from the stars."
        By the 1950's the need for a primary time determination like the Observatory offered practically ceased to exist.  There now were other methods available for the gathering of correct time and in a much more accurate way.  In 1958 the Elgin Observatory was closed down.  In 1960 the Elgin National Watch Company also coming under the specter of closure deeded the Observatory over to School District U-46. In 1963 not sure as to how a school district could use a time observatory the district decided to add a planetarium in the rear of the Observatory.  This twenty-four foot domed planetarium was the first school district planetarium in the state of Illinois.   In the thirty-one years the now School District U-46 Planetarium/Observatory has seen more than 700,000 students.  The students that come to the Planetarium/Observatory have one of the most unique science experiences around.  Working along with the teachers of the district lessons involving topics of astronomy and other related science are presented in the planetarium as well as presentations and tours of the Observatory.  The past, present and future can all be represented in this one building.

            Today the role of the Planetarium/Observatory is more important than ever before.  It is one of the most unique educational tool for students to learn science and astronomy as well as the historic impact the Observatory had on  the      community.  The Observatory's historic impact was acknowledged by its listing on August 16, 1994, in the National Register of Historic Places. 

Gary L. Kutina, Director of Observatory, 1985 to Present
As of June, 2005, I retired from School District U-46 but was rehired to work
at the Planetarium for school year 2006 - 2007. 
Hope you enjoyed the story.       

Questions regarding the Observatory can be emailed to Gary L. Kutina.

The email address is gkutina@wideopenwest.com

(Above is the MARK HOUSE.  This building contained a cement pier inside
along with an apparatus which produced an artificial star.  Here the astronomer
would point the Meridian Transit Telescope to focus and orientate the scope due North)                                                                                                                                               BACK TO HOME PAGE