Kerfuffle over keys

Object ID FCC2020.0533.01.007-S2

As the staff at the Anoka County Historical Society continue to process the centennial collection of the Federal Cartridge Corporation, we trip over tidbits like the situation below. In 1929, FCC was only seven years old and, in many ways, Charles Horn and Bob Ehlen still had some kinks to work out of the company. In what could likely become a classic tale of employee safety standards set in place by Horn, Ehlen received instruction to change the locks on campus to Yale locks with master keys.

“It is simply nonsense to have to climb through the window and so there will be no more trouble I want uniform locks put on all doors,” wrote Horn.

In communication precipitating this response, Mr. Dickenson, the night watchman, wrote of his multi-night trials in accessing the Clock House to secure the timecards:

Oct 31, 1929

Dear Mr. Horn:

Sunday night I made my rounds and made my last round with the keys. OK. Monday night on coming to work, the key to the door of the sample room was broken. Immediately inquired of Mr. Johnson over the phone how I was to punch my clock key which hangs in this room and he told Pip to send a boy through the window to unlock the door. That evening when Mr. Johnson came back he inquired around as to how the key was broken and told me later that Tommy had used the keys. Tuesday night I came to work again to find the key in the same condition and this time I called Bob Ehlen. He said there would be a key there promptly the next night. So I got help to lift me up to the window and climbed in and unlocked the door.

Pip said, “you don’t have to do that, Mr. Johnson told me to get a boy to open it but let them get a key, I’m not going to do this every night” On Wednesday night the key still was missing and the door locked so I left it locked and therefore could not punch that key that night. I don’t know when they are going to get a key for this door but there out to be something done as the watchman should not be asked to climb through windows every night to punch keys.

After discussing another matter and then confiding to Horn of some medical issues, Dickenson requests a move to day watchman if possible.

I would appreciate this, Mr. Horn, more than you could realize, if you could see fit to give me a day job for a while. “I am willing to do anything outside of heavy lifting … If I can get back to health, I will be glad to take this job back again.

On November 1, 1929 Horn addressed a letter to Ehlen that clearly conveyed his reaction to the news from Dickenson:

Bob: I am herewith handing you report received from Mr. Dickenson which I want attended to immediately. I don’t know what the trouble is out there, but so there will be no more difficulty you will please remove from the sample room door the present lock and have a Yale lock put on for which we have master keys. I don’t want any more trouble like this to occur and it would seem Mr. Higgins should have left this key in the office. It is simply nonsense to have to climb through the window and so there will be no more trouble I want uniform locks put on all doors.

Come see more of the FCC collection in-person at the History Center, or online at AnokaCountyHistory.org. Exhibit opening in June 2022.

Rebecca Ebnet-Desens is the executive director of the Anoka County Historical Society.