by Neal McEwen, K5RW
Only a few instruments bearing the "Shawk and Barton" mark remain from this prosperous but short lived operation. In May of 1869, Elisha Gray, a physics professor from nearby Oberlein College, author and renowned telegraph inventor best known for the Harmonic Telegraph, was one of Shawk and Barton's first customers; he purchase parts and had models made there. Gray had approached George Shawk about a partnership before Enos Barton became a partner. Shawk refused Gray the first time, not wanting the shop to be wrapped up in Gray's developments. Shawk preferred revenue generating production over research.
Gray and Barton found they shared an enthusiam for the future of electrical apparatus - particularly telegraphic devices. Barton foresaw a long range devleopment for the company in which he had invested all of his capital. He wanted to make the operation into a manufacturing plant capable of playing a leading part in the dawning electrical age. Gray shared his convictions. Shawk, however, felt such plans were too ambitious and offered to sell his half interest to Gray and thus Gray replaced Shawk as senior partner. Gray and Barton was founded with and investment of $2,500 each. Shawk then entered into business with Foote.
More than a few fine instruments bearing the "Gray and Barton" mark from the likewise successful operation remain. Besides mainstream telegraph instruments, Gray and Barton manufactured Professor's Gray's printing telegraph. The plant employed more than forty men. In the photo to the right, Elisha Gray is seen on the first row hold his printing telelgraph. Enos Barton is in the third row, second from the left with the top hat.
The success of the company attracted the attention of the General Superintendant Anson Stager of the Western Union Telegraph Company. Stager, chief of the U.S. Military Corp during the Civil War, positioned himself, with his own personal funds, as an equal partner with with Gray and Barton. Stager, in fact, had earlier loaned Gray the money to become a partner with Barton. He moved the operation from Cleveland to 220 Kinzie St in Chicago in late1869, a condition he placed on the reorganization. (Stager is also remembered for developing cypher correspondence and field telegraphs for the Union Army during the Civil War.)
From the outset, the company gained a reputation for integrity and quality workmanship in the manufacture of telegraph aparatus, fire, and burglar alarms, the Gray telegraph printer and other devices. The great fire of 1871 ravaged Chigcago. The flames were extinguished only two blocks from the Gray and Barton plant. The plant won great public acclaim for making replacements for all the electrical instruments destroyed in the fire.
In 1872, Western Union purchased the operation and the business was incorporated as the Western Electric Manufacturing Company. It soon became a major manufacturer of Morse instruments and begain greater production of the Gray printer telegrpah. Barton's dream was realized.
Western Electric was associated with the development of new technology. It employed skilled machinists and sought the work of other inventors besides founder Elisha Gray. Though his title was simply 'electriciain' while employed at Western Electric, Gray continued to innovate and is reponsible for the development of the answer back call box used by the American District Telegraph system, the needle annunciator for hotels and elevators and towards the end of his career in the late 1880s the telautograph, a device for transmitting facsimile wrting and drawings.
In 1881, the company was reorganized as the Western Electric Company. A year later in 1882, it was purchased by the American Bell Telephone Company (later AT&T, 1899) by acquiring Jay Gould's interest. The same year, Bell also purcashed the operation of Charles Williams Jr2., a leading telegraph and telephone maker in Boston with the intent of merging the two operations. After the purchase by Bell, Western Electric branched out to telephone manufacture and research and became the sole supplier of equipment to the Bell system. Bell Telephone Labs grew out of this interest in research. Western Electric and Bell engineering departments were combined in 1907 and became Bell Labs in 1925
Thus we have a unfalable method for determining the vintage of instruments from Western Electric. Pre-1881 instruments bear the "W. E. Manuf. Co." mark and post-1881 instruments bear the "Western Electric Co." mark.
In 1897 a large facility was constructed at 463 West Street in New York City. In 1926 Western Electric formed a new company solely for the distribution of its plant output. It was called Graybar in honor of the founders, Elisha Gray and Enos Barton.
Most all Western Electric instruments of the 19th century appear to be nickle plated. Western Electric seems to be the first or one of the first to plate telegraph insturments. Perhaps they perceived nickel plate a more durable finish than instrument laquer.
Telegraph collectors associate four designs with Western Electric, the
Lewis key, the Steiner key, the "double rod" key and the 'tube'
sounder. Josef Steiner was granted a patent for his key in December of
1886. Steiner's patent drawing is shown to the right. Bunnell was granted
the patent for the steel lever key in 1881. Perhaps this was Western Electric's
attempt to fend off the Bunnell design.
Note that a flat spring at the rear of the key. This positions the lever
and functions to return the lever to the resting position. Steiner also
patented a sounder of similar design. It is not know if Josef Steiner was
an employee of Western Electric. However, the patent lists his address
as Brooklyn, which is near the Western Electric plant.
1. It is interesting to note the many other telegraph insturment makers in Cleveland, among them Sherman and Lyman, I.H. Moses, American Electrical Works, Nelson Buell, W.B. Cleveland, George Hicks, Lannert and Deckert, J.A. Lannert, Shawk and Foote, Standard Electric Works, Telegraph Supply and Manufacturing Co., D&K Manufacturing and A.B. Lyman.
2. See related story on Charles Williams, Jr.
Boettinger, H.M. The Telephone Book: Bell, Watson, Vail and American Life 1876-1976. New York: Riverwood Publishers, 1977.
Fagen, M.D., editor A History of Engineering and Science in the Bell System: The Early Years (1875-1925). Bell Telephone Laboratories, 1975
Iardella, Albert, editor Western Electric and the Bell System. Western Electric Co., 1964
Israel, Paul. From Machine Shop to Industrial Laboratory: Telegraphy and the Changing Context of American Invention, 1830 - 1920. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1992.
Lucent Technologies web page.
Palmer, William M. Editor. Great Men in Electronics, Vol. One. Fort Worth, Texas: Electronics Digest Periodicals, 1970
Prescott, George B. Electricity and the Electric Telegraph. New York: Appleton, 1877.
Raven, Greg. Conversation with Neal McEwen, January 1998
Reinke, Roger. American Telegraph Instrument Makers, 1837 - 1900. 1986.
B. Neal McEwen, K5RW nmcewen@metronet.com