Jeff Hess
08-01-2006, 01:36 PM
Must have been tough back then...these inspectors werer middle men of sorts and not only made their living, fixing, inspecting and selling watches on credit, often with Ball's help, but also had agents on other parts of their territory.
This is from a speech by Watch inspector Hafner at a meeting of watch inspector of the Missori, Kansas and Texas Railway talking about the trials and tribulations of selling watches "on time" held in Dallas Juneof 1917:
In the good old days when we used to get $65 for a 999 Ball movement in Royal case a watch deal with a switchman was largely a battle of wits between the salesman and the buyer
Time has wrought many changes. The Boomer of the old school has all but passed way.
It is possible now a days to sell and collect for a standard watch without having to guard your customer day and night, switchman getting the big end of the bargin.
The old Boomer knew he wouldn’t be believed anyway so he rarely ever bothered to tell the truth.
The local inspectors of the old school soon grew to be real experts of the Sherlock Holmes type in making correct deductions from the spiel that Boomer put up. For instance if a bullet headed red faced big shouldered switchman drifted in and struck a friendly conversation and after showing his union card and eagle pin told you how long he was with the Pennsylvania and how he left them for the B & O and came from there to the Illinois Central after which he went with the Vandalia; then to the Southern then west to the U P lines from which road MR Pettibone induced him to join the Santa Fe and how he left the Santa Fe and joined the Katy because the general superintendent was a personal friend then you knew at once he was fixing to stall for a watch.
If he told you he had $40.00 time coming and no deductions, and you sold him you usually found upon investigation he had made 1 trip extra, bought 2 meal books, owed for a switch key and lantern, YMCA fees, insurance, and had signed P.A. at the local merchant for a new Stetson hat and patent leather shoes. Then began the chase to get back your watch. Sometimes you got the watch and sometimes you got whipped and occasionally you lost the watch and got whipped to boot. I got whipped so much at Smithville that I advertised and placed the biggest jeweler I could find there for a while and he was a wonder. He sold watches - sold more then any of us ever did, and he licked to a frizzle every man that tried to skin us. For a while. One night a big double-jointed brakeman came in looking for trouble and found it. Our man smashed him a terrible blow in the face. It was a good thing he got in that lick for it was his only one. That brakeman walked over that man after he floored him and kicked in his ribs he used him for a mop. Next day our man wired us from another state. As follows:
"Whipped by a switchman send another man in my place" After that experience we sold watches be correspondence only."
And you think you have it tough?? LOL
Jeff Hess
This is from a speech by Watch inspector Hafner at a meeting of watch inspector of the Missori, Kansas and Texas Railway talking about the trials and tribulations of selling watches "on time" held in Dallas Juneof 1917:
In the good old days when we used to get $65 for a 999 Ball movement in Royal case a watch deal with a switchman was largely a battle of wits between the salesman and the buyer
Time has wrought many changes. The Boomer of the old school has all but passed way.
It is possible now a days to sell and collect for a standard watch without having to guard your customer day and night, switchman getting the big end of the bargin.
The old Boomer knew he wouldn’t be believed anyway so he rarely ever bothered to tell the truth.
The local inspectors of the old school soon grew to be real experts of the Sherlock Holmes type in making correct deductions from the spiel that Boomer put up. For instance if a bullet headed red faced big shouldered switchman drifted in and struck a friendly conversation and after showing his union card and eagle pin told you how long he was with the Pennsylvania and how he left them for the B & O and came from there to the Illinois Central after which he went with the Vandalia; then to the Southern then west to the U P lines from which road MR Pettibone induced him to join the Santa Fe and how he left the Santa Fe and joined the Katy because the general superintendent was a personal friend then you knew at once he was fixing to stall for a watch.
If he told you he had $40.00 time coming and no deductions, and you sold him you usually found upon investigation he had made 1 trip extra, bought 2 meal books, owed for a switch key and lantern, YMCA fees, insurance, and had signed P.A. at the local merchant for a new Stetson hat and patent leather shoes. Then began the chase to get back your watch. Sometimes you got the watch and sometimes you got whipped and occasionally you lost the watch and got whipped to boot. I got whipped so much at Smithville that I advertised and placed the biggest jeweler I could find there for a while and he was a wonder. He sold watches - sold more then any of us ever did, and he licked to a frizzle every man that tried to skin us. For a while. One night a big double-jointed brakeman came in looking for trouble and found it. Our man smashed him a terrible blow in the face. It was a good thing he got in that lick for it was his only one. That brakeman walked over that man after he floored him and kicked in his ribs he used him for a mop. Next day our man wired us from another state. As follows:
"Whipped by a switchman send another man in my place" After that experience we sold watches be correspondence only."
And you think you have it tough?? LOL
Jeff Hess