MORE ABOUT THE KOOLERY

I promised quite some time ago (last August!) to fill you in with some additional information about the Koolery insulator, which is pictured on page 213 of Milholland's 4th Edition of Most About Glass Insulators.

As a matter of fact, there are two sizes of this insulator and they are shown below. As far as I know right now, neither of these will be assigned CD numbers, but that does not detract from the fascination they hold for a true collector!

Photo #1 shows the insulator that was sent by Laura Van der Endt (Sydney, Australia). She found it in Holland and she says it is an older type lightning arrester used on the overhead electrical distribution system there. It was made by Siemens and is so marked on the metal plate at the top of the insulator.

Siemens is a very large firm based in Germany that produces and distributes electrical equipment. This particular insulator has a capacity for 500 volts. Its main body is made of ice green glass with a cap and a base of copper. All three parts taken together measure 4" wide by 4" tall. It is not a threaded insulator, and in fact, has no pinhole at all.

Photo #2 shows a smaller version of the Koolery which belongs to Ted Lovett (Vernal, Utah), who very kindly loaned it to me to photograph and sketch. Of course, my roll of film turned out to be completely blank, and so guess what? No picture of Ted's insulator! And I'd already returned it to him. I called him and bless him, he had a picture taken right away and mailed it to me. He is a nice man! So that's why you get to see it after all.

This insulator measures only 3-3/4" wide by about 2-7/8" high from the metal cap to base and has the same general appearance, including the color of the glass. It was made by Siemens also, but was found in use right at the border between Finland and Russia. The marking indicates that 250 volts is its capacity. I am going to assume that this insulator was also used as a lightning arrester until it is proved otherwise.

Keith Neal (Guernsey, Channel Is.) supplied me with some information about Siemens, and I will quote from his letter:

"The name of Siemens is the most famous of all in the whole field of electricity -- telegraphy -- cables, submarine and land as well as railways, and early lighting.

"There were three brothers; Alexander Siemens, Ernst Werner von Siemens, and Sir William Siemens. All Germans, they were born in South Hanover and operated in Berlin, England, etc. etc.

"Werner was a genius! He built the first telegraph line in Germany between 1838 - 1848 from Berlin to Frankfort. Sir William Siemens was a Berlin inventor and achieved great fame. Werner Siemens started the firm of Siemens and Halske in Germany and employed 110,000 workmen between the two wars. Needless to say, they made every form of insulator in every material including ebonite, iron-clad porcelain and glass. But the insulators I either have or have seen all belong to the early period 1850 - 1870 so they are now rare. If you want to read about them, go to a good reference library and get the book, Life of Siemens, by William Pole, 1888.

"Laura has found a very rare insulator from what you describe." (He is referring to the Koolery.) "I wonder if she knows where any more are.

There was a little bird who heard that, and it flew over to Guernsey with an extra Koolery insulator. Birds are awfully good at spotting insulators and have a definite advantage, don't you think?

There are some exciting new CD's that have made their appearance on the scene lately, and I will have pictures to show you the next time my column is run. See you then.

P.S. No more blank film. I figured it out!