Museum Artifact: Monophone 1A – Desktop Rotary Telephone, c. 1930s
Made By: Automatic Electric Company, 1001 W. Van Buren St., Chicago, IL [West Loop]
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Museum Artifact: Monophone 1A – Desktop Rotary Telephone, c. 1930s
Made By: Automatic Electric Company, 1001 W. Van Buren St., Chicago, IL [West Loop]
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
I went to Triton Jr College and I transferred to Automatic Electric’s internal auditing department. I took a cut in pay $99.40 per week! My boss said they could have given me another 60 cents.
One interesting assignment was: I had to accompany a uniformed guard to the garbage dump on Lake Street west of Mannheim Road. I had to observe a pallet of documents being dumped and destroyed. I had to write a report certifying my work.
The documents were confidential correspondence, pricing information, etc. I could tell that because I had to watch the guard throw the paperwork into to dump where it was picked up by a crane and transferred into the incinerator.
After a year I went to NIU where I majored in accounting. I passed the CPA exam in 1971.
The Northlake plant was huge. I think 15,000 people worked there.
If someone needed immediate medical attention a nurse would show up riding a golf cart that could transport a patient on a stretcher. The cart resembled a ambulance.
The plant was lit by florescent bulbs. If a light dimmed an employee would show up with a special cart that was able to extend automatically to reach the high ceiling.
The cafeteria served good food at reasonable prices. Occasionally small whole trout was on the menu.
Employees could buy some. Sylvania products at a discount
I worked at Automatic Electric in 1965 mounting electro-mechanical devices which were used to interact with the dial on a telephone. We mounted the relays on a metal rack, attached an insulator between the rack and relay. We balanced a tiny screw on a screwdriver and shoved it into the back of the rack. We then tested the device by applying on direct current probe to the base and the other probe to the relay. If a bell rang we had to remount the relay. We then gave the device to a skilled, higher paid person, who used special pliers to adjust the spring metal in order to make the electric contacts touch within tolerances.
We were paid an hourly wage with a bonus for meeting production goals. The pay varied and it was quite good for an entry level job.About $135 to &169 per week.
Automatic Electric, subsidiary of General Telephone & Electronics, (GT&E) is located in Northlake Illinois and was credited with the invention of the Strowger Switch leading to automatic dialing.
http://www.strowger.net/automatic-electric-2/
I have an old sawmill with an Automatic Electric Company badge on it. Has this company ever diversified with sawmills? I can send pictures if you would like.
Thanks