Coin Slot Magazine - #015 - 1976 - January [International Arcade Museum]
family occupied two months previous to the quake, received only minor damage.
After seeing to his family's safety, Fey rushed downtown to his shopo Arriving
at the 400 block of Market Street, he found bricks strewn about* A corner of
the wall of his shop and large sections of neighboring buildings had collapsed
during the quake. A section of the wall of the adjoining building crashed through
his roof, scattering bricks throughout his shop.
Following the quake came the devastating fires. Within four blocks of Fey's shop
five major uncontrolled fires broke out. Later in the day all hope of saving this
area of Market Street was abandoned. Charles Fey hastened to a nearby livery
stable for his horse and buggy. Then he quickly returned to his doomed shop to
salvage what he could. Fortunately he did save his most prized possession, the
original Liberty Bell machine, and a few lesser valuables.
After the fire Fey returned to find the handsome edifice that housed his shop,
in a complete state of ruin. The interior of the building had been completely
gutted by the fire. All that he was to salvage was a mass of molten nickels
found in the cash can of a slot buried in a pile of rubble on the ground floor. He
mounted this souvenir of melted nickels on a casting that he was to treasure the
rest of his life as a momento of the 1906 holocaust.
The Earthquake and Fire of 1906 not only destroyed Fey's shop, but a majority
of the buildings that housed his slot locations (including the machines in those
locations). Not to be dissuaded by what appeared to be total disaster, Fey per
sonally built a new shop at 595 Jesse Street, with what little money and scarce
material he was able to muster. Soon business was again prospering as Fey
continued to invent, manufacture, and operate slots. Some of these, in addition
to the Liberty Bell, were Horseshoes, Straight Poker, Draw Poker, Fey Elk,
On The Level, On The Square, and the Silver Cup.
Fey
(the
new
that
continued in the business till 1943 producing The Duo, The Silver Dollar,
1st bell slot to accept a dollar), The Three Cadets, Three Jacks, and a
Draw Poker. There were other machines, some successful, some not,
remain unknown to this author.
Mills, Caille, and Watling continued manufacturing similiar iron cased Lib
erty Bells into the teens. Adding to this line, as early as 1910, they each
produced an Operator's Bell which used the identical iron case and mechanism.
The major difference was the Liberty Bell used card symbols and the Operators
Bell had fruit symbols. The Operators Bell continued to be produced until the
thirty's with various changes in front castings and the addition in the late teens
of wooden sides and base.
Fey, Mills, Caille, and Watling, the pioneers of the bell slot, were soon to be
joined by Jennings, a former Mills Novelty employee. Pace entered the field
in the early thirties followed by Bally's first bell in 1938, Today Bally, hav
ing surpassed Mills, has the distinction of being the worlds largest producer
of bell slots.
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Bantem Bell, h Century Bell, Baby Bell, Victory Bell, Superior Bell, Bell
Deluxe, Wonder Bell, Blue Seal Bell, and Double Bell. The majority of the
electric consoles were also given bell names.
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