By Joe Cerniglia
[TFK's Preface: Another contribution by Joe, whose careful analyses of artifacts from the Nikumaroro village and Seven Site contribute importantly to our work, Thanks, Joe!]
On July 5,
2017, during the second “In Search of Amelia Earhart” trip to Nikumaroro,
organized by Betchart Expeditions, archaeologist Dr. Richard Pettigrew spotted
the square movement of a small alarm clock on the surface of the ground among
other artifacts near the old village dispensary.[1]
Image 1: The clock movement in situ, close-up
Image 2: The clock movement in situ, from observer's eye-level
Image 3: Clock movement, rear
The clock movement,
measuring 2 15/32” X 2 5/32” X 15/16”, appears to have been resting within the
perimeter of one of the village households. The outer casing is entirely
missing. The movement itself is warped, bent and corroded as well as oxidized in
spots with a rust-like coating.
Image 5: Measured sketch map of artifact cluster location relative to village features
Image 6: 2017 sketch-map of artifact cluster
superimposed on 1989 village sketch-map
Based on the
distinctive design of the plates, as well as the dimensions and layout of the
movement, clock expert Bill Stoddard, owner of Bill's Clockworks in Flora,
Indiana ( https://billsclockworks.com/about/index.html), has identified the artifact as an
example of a Westclox movement #66.[2] This movement, according to Mr. Stoddard,
"was used in many of the less expensive windup alarm clocks such as Bingo,
Spur and Bantam (to name a few) from the early 1930s through the 1960s."
The clock
movement is inscribed "3 54" on the northwest quadrant of the
exterior of the rear-facing plate, indicating it was manufactured in March of
1954, 17 years after the 1937 world flight of Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan.
No other letters or numbers are visible on the movement.
Image 7: Manufacture date of March, 1954.
Mr. Stoddard,
working with Gary Biolchini, author of Westclox: An Identification and Price
Guide (https://www.amazon.com/Westclox-Identification-Price-Gary-Biolchini/dp/0764318357),
determined that Westclox clocks manufactured in Scotland have the most features
in common with the Nikumaroro clock. This determination was made primarily on
the basis of the location and orientation of the date stamp. The artifact has
the date stamp on the exterior of the rear plate. Only clock movements from two of the Westclox factories' clocks were
found to have this configuration. One of these movements was from Canada,
but all Canadian Westclox clocks located so far have the inscription
upside-down, relative to the clock face, and say “MADE IN CANADA” on their
movements. Some, but not all Scottish Westclox clocks, say “MADE IN SCOTLAND”
on their movements. The only one thus far identified that does not display this inscription has “UK” inscribed to the right
of the date stamp. The Nikumaroro clock movement has no inscription other than
the date, yet it still shares more attributes with the movements from Scotland than
with those from other countries.[3]
Image 8: Inscription of the Scottish Westclox clock
movement is on left; inscription of the Nikumaroro clock is on the
right.
The material
composition of the clock movement is unknown but may be a combination of
aluminum and steel. Westclox movements from the 1950s, as the artifact is,
sometimes were made of steel gears and aluminum plates.[4]
It would seem
incredible that the island of Nikumaroro was at one time in the market for
American clocks made in Scotland, but research of the circumstances and needs
of the island coconut plantation, active from 1939 to 1963, and of the supply routes
of Westclox, amply support the existence of this market.
In September 1953,
the only clock factory in all Australia, Westclox Pty. Ltd. of Melbourne,
closed its doors due to rising labor costs. A news story about the closure reported
optimistically that imported clocks would be cheaper than those that had been
made in the shuttered factory.[5]
Even before
Westclox of Melbourne ceased operations, imported Westclox clocks from Scotland
appear to have been common and desirable in the Pacific region. In June 1949,
Pacific Islands Monthly, the premier and perhaps only news outlet for islands
such as Nikumaroro, announced exchange rates were favorable when buying
imported Westclox clocks from the newly opened clock factory in Strathleven,
Dumbarton, Scotland. Details could be obtained by writing to the Pacific
Islands Trading Co. address in San Francisco.
Image 9: 6/49 Pacific Islands Monthly article about new Westclox
clock factory in Scotland
In March
1950, the same Pacific Islands Trading Co. that was a wholesaler of Scottish
Westclox clocks purchased a half-page Westclox advertisement in Pacific Islands
Monthly.
Image 10: 3/50 Pacific Islands Monthly advertisement for
Westclox.
Clocks were
selling in the Pacific, and there is evidence that timekeeping was important to
the Nikumaroro colony as well. Lands Commissioner Paul Laxton visited
Nikumaroro in 1951 and wrote a detailed report of the island and its
inhabitants for the Journal of the Polynesian Society.[6]
In his article, he tells of the role that clocks played in the life of the
colony, and how these clocks were adapted to the island's purposes:
"The sun
rises at precisely six every morning at Nikumaroro, year in and year out. We
could not understand this at first for the island is appreciably south of the
equator, until we found that at sunrise the island clocks are set at six. Our
own watches, at zone time, did not correlate very well with this, while the
radio shack meanly observed Greenwich time. After a few weeks Nikumaroro won
and we lived by the sun."
We lack the
detailed records to substantiate that the island colony specifically purchased
a 1954 Westclox clock made in Scotland, but based on Laxton's account and on
what has been documented in advertisements and news articles, it seems entirely
possible and even likely.
A clock on
the island in 1954 makes perfect sense from the standpoint of Nikumaroro's
history. The clock was made only three years after Paul Laxton had resolved
that a steely discipline instilled in the villagers would be needed for the
colony to survive after years of British distraction with World War II and the
village’s extended mourning over the death of Gerald Gallagher, the island's first
commissioner. The clock, if not Amelia Earhart’s, is still an artifact with its
own fascinating history, symbolizing Nikumaroro's last attempt at righting
itself and becoming a going concern. Time really was of the essence, but it was
running out. Nine years after this clock was made, the colony would falter,
this time for all time. Nikumaroro's residents would repair to the Solomon
Islands for what they hoped would be a new and better life, leaving behind a
remnant of their efforts to be industrious, and on time every morning at “six
o’clock.”
Image 11: Team of Nikumaroro
expeditionaries after mapping and collecting the clock and other artifacts in the old village on
Nikumaroro. Standing, left to right, Julie Oakley-Jagger, Leonie Todhunter, Joe
Cerniglia, Capt. Rick Saber. Seated, left to right, Karla Borde, Dr. Rick
Pettigrew. Photo by team member Mike Silvert.
[1] Here is a list of artifacts found
near the dispensary in 2017, in addition to the clock:
3
folded circular foils (thick but pliable aluminum)
1
heliarc-welded aluminum tray with i-beam support slats
1
bullet flashlight with “PAT. DEC. 20, 1921” inscribed on the switch
Squarish
bottle fragments, clear and green
1 small
tea plate with dividers and fleur-de-lis design
1
aluminum belt buckle
1 boot
with 16 brass eyelets (some missing)
1
cosmetic cap for a Bourjois (Paris) jar
Assorted
corrugated iron debris and wooden posts
1
Tri-Sure fuel drum plug
[2] For photos of what the clock may have
looked like when new and in use, see Bill Stoddard's clock history website at
[3] For a database of the taxonomy of
Westclox clocks from various countries, see https://www.dropbox.com/s/et73b123hdabs1c/Westclox%20Clock%20Taxonomy.xlsx?dl=0
[4] See https://clockhistory.com/0/westclox/vm-1/example-87-1.html.
Note the similarity in the coloration of the artifact to these 1950s examples.
[6]“Laxton, P.B., 1951. “Nikumaroro.”
Journal of the Polynesian Society 60(2+3):149
No comments:
Post a Comment