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American Steam Pump Company Pocket Watch.

Lester Bowman

Hot Rolled
Joined
Apr 9, 2011
Location
Modesto california USA
This is a worthy cheap dollar watch made by Ansonia probably in the 1920's. More than likely an advertising " give a way " when a customer purchased a steam pump from the company.

Of course I had to buy it when it came up for sale :) It adds a rather splendid touch to my steam pump collection !

This Ansonia pocket has a cheap but interesting Movement. It loses a bit of time but still runs after all these years. The face advertising American Steam Pump is made of paper so no fine enamel but nice nonetheless. Also included was the interesting brass night stand case which no doubt helped to protect the watch all these years.

Anyone seen anything similar ?
 

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Lester:

That is an amazing artifact. That it survived all these years relatively intact is a minor miracle. I wear pocket watches every day that I need to have a watch on my person. My pocket watches are Hamilton 992 and 992B railroad pocket watches. The brass outer case of the American Steam Pump pocket watch looks almost too big to fit in a watch pocket on a pair of pants. Probably OK in the side-pocket of a man's vest, which was a common item of apparel 'back in the day' when men wore shirts with celluloid collars and wore neckties and vests more often than not.

The mention of American Steam Pump Company immediately rang a bell with me. As a little boy, I browsed thru my late father's books. He had a 3 book set of mechanical drawing texts from International Correspondence Schools (ICS) of Scranton, PA. These books taught basic mechanic drawing and then had portions dedicated to architectural drawing as well as mechanical drawing and machine design. The mechanical drawing/machine design text used a "Burnham" duplex steam pump made by the American Steam Pump Company of Battle Creek, MI as their example. Numerous 'plates' (sample drawings) of parts of the steam pump including the cylinder block with its steam passages and the water end, with a large air chamber, were shown. I loved looking at those drawings when I was a kid. The Burnham pump was an 'outside packed plunger' type steam pump, and was used for water service. I have seen and been around any number of steam pumps in the ensuing 60-odd years since I first studied the Burnham steam pump in my father's book. I can name about a dozen different manufacturers of steam pumps that I have run accross, but never saw an American Steam Pump other than in the pages of my father's book. At least in the Northeastern or Eastern half of the USA, it seemed like Worthington made the greatest number of steam pumps. I tend to think that the watch you show in your post may have been one of those things the salesmen gave out to customers or to supply firm salesmen (in the hopes they'd quote American Steam Pumps to their customers). Other items which were given out as advertising in this same era were 'watch fobs' (used to tie a pocket watch to one's watch chain or belt), and pen knives (for the purposes of cutting the ends off cigars or paring off a chunk of 'plug tobacco'). It was the era when a man was considered as well built if he was 'portly' and most men sported heavy mustaches. Old photos of successful men of this era often show them in a pose with their suit jackets open, and a watch chain spanning their vests.

One of our local pharmacists wears a suit to work, and takes his jacket off in the store. He wears a vest and always has a nice watch chain across his vest with a charm on it. When I am in the pharmacy, we always ask each other which of our pocketwatches the other is wearing (we each own a few pocket watches and wear them daily). It's an old time scene when we pull out out pocket watches and compare the time on each of them. A young lady was in the pharmacy a couple of weeks ago when this happened. She had never seen a pocket watch, and was used to getting her time off her 'phone. She found it amazing, said she was awed by the craftsmanship to make a mechanical watch, and said it seemed reassuring and comforting to see the two of us comparing pocket watches. That was a common occurrence on the railroads once upon a time.

When our son was a very small boy, he had a blood disorder he was born with. This was eventually corrected with a splenectoy (removal of his spleen when he was 6 years old). Prior to that, any cold or virus could send his already low red count plummeting. I'd check his vitals with my pocket watch as we sat up with him through some nights. At doctor's or hospitals, awaiting blood draws or transfusions, our son would sit with me and I'd take the back off my pocket watch so he could see the works. It took his mind off the immediate situation and worked well for both of us. When my son entered law school, I gave him a Hamilton 992B Railway Special pocketwatch. He graduates in a couple of weeks, so I should get him a watch chain so he can wear his pocketwatch in his vest pocket as a newly minted attorney. As I said, there is something quite reassuring and solid about a pocketwatch, unlike a digital watch or phone. I also remember my late father speaking of the Ingersoll 'dollar watch', a pocket watch made to sell for one dollar back in the twenties and thirties. My father told me how, as a student at Cornell University's Agricultural College, he had to spend a summer working on a farm. Dad was supposed to keep accurate notes of everything that went on from the time he arose in the morning (usually about 4:30 AM) to the time he got to sleep at night (about 10 PM), The professor required times to be noted. Dad was too poor to own a watch, so estimated the times. He also kept his notes using a pencil and yellow pads. This predated ball point pens by a number of years. One day, Dad's daily entries suddenly changed over to ink and exact times were noted. His entry for the day recounts how a friend from Cornell came by the farm and brought my Dad the 'most wonderful gifts': an Ingersoll Dollar Watch, a bottle of ink, a nib holder and some nibs. Nibs are steel pen tips, used to be made of blued steel about like safety razor blade material. You stuck a nib into a wooden nib holder and had a pen that you then dipped into your ink and commenced to write until you used up the ink on the nib. Dip again and resume writing. Imagine thinking a watch and pen were luxuries. Dad's notes provide a glimpse into farming on a sharecropper's farm during a summer of drought in the Depression, and the bright spots were the friend's visit, the Ingersoll Dollar Watch and the pen and ink. Your watch likely predates those times by a good bit, and if it could talk....
 
Thank you Joe for a wonderful story which carries on a tradition started hundreds of years ago in secretive Guilds which ultimately ended up shown proudly on the vests of men. I remember Paul Maro who traveled with and became part of our family three generations ago. He was born in Minneapolis and when able went to work on a steam boat. He fractured his neck on a fine summer day jumping from the deck, striking his head on some unseen obstacle. He then learned watch repair which was a very common vocation in those days.

I remember his shop quite clearly in Sacramento back in the 60's and 70's. The wall was covered in clocks all ticking away. The area behind the wooden counter had a bench with a watchmaker's lathe and bench covered with a mass of mysterious tools and bits which fascinated a curious boy. Above and on each side were wooden cabinets with little tiny drawers all filled with parts and pieces which went on forever. He had a blind eye which resulted from a buffing wheel catching a watch chain striking his Pupil. Every time I accompanied him to the shop I begged him for a wrist watch. He had an entire drawer full of junker's which apparently he valued quite highly. The old Norwegian finally relented and gave me a cheap Timex.. my first watch.

Next watch was a cheap dollar watch which was bought from money saved up from birthdays and lawn mowing. A dollar watch in name only I believe I paid ten dollars for it. Black dial and glowed in the dark ! It sounded like a grandfather clock in the deepness of a quiet night.

My folks were early antique collectors raising us kids to appreciate our wonderful heritage. Dad collected everything over the years and we kids learned about things whose names were lost generations ago. Those were the golden years of collecting and never will I forget those early antique shops and flea markets.

Dad was born with Retinitis Pigmentosa ( tunnel vision ) which gradually took his sight leaving him completely blind by sixty years old. As he lost his peripheral vision his collecting interests changed to smaller items he could still see. Old pocket watches grew to be his favorite thing. Bought through ads and yard sales and his antique dealer friends he acquired quite a collection. Many times when a stranger would come over with one for sale Dad would call me to come over and be his eyes. Mom would describe the watch to Dad ( she knew as much as he did ) then price negotiated then finally bought. They scrapped out a lot of gold and silver cases when the movements were junk.

But 992's were never scrapped. Dad loved the railroad watches the best. Many evenings when visiting Dad would reach into his drawer and pull out a newly bought or traded pocket watch. Hey Junior, take a look at this. There it was... a rare Chronometer or Illinois or Hampden or Rolex wrist watch. I remember a fine movement in a hunting case engraved with several horses with five different colors of gold inlaid. The edges all engine turned.. gorgeous. So many memories from so long ago. All gone now but the memories. I have a few old railroad watches but not like Joe's.. those 21 jewel watches are pricy...

Here is another Steam Pump advertising piece I am fond of.. Joe, check you in box for a private message :)
 

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