Well, I lied a little bit when I reported in the December magazine that you would hear more "next month" about the fabulous finds at the Whitall Tatum plant. But, I'm only a month late and I thought you would appreciate seeing some of the pieces in all of their colorful splendor instead of just plain black and white. This month's cover pictures four more of the really super finds at Whitall Tatum which now reside in the collection of Bob Moss. 

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February's Cover Photo

Starting in the upper left had corner, we see an unembossed CD 151 in dark red amber. This insulator had its debut at the Houston national last year as Bob graciously consented to send it for inclusion in the CD 151 display that was coordinated by Ross Huth (we miss you, Ross.) Bob reports that this may be one of two pieces in the total grouping that may not have been produced by Whitall Tatum. His discussions with Earl DuBois did not uncover any history regarding this piece, and no documentation has been uncovered to help solve the mystery. 

Bob indicated that one possible explanation might be that this piece came back to the Whitall Tatum plant with a buyer, salesperson or researcher who might have picked it up in his/her travels. Apparently this practice was common back then, as it is today, when a manufacturer is looking for a better "mousetrap." The CD 151 style long predates Whitall Tatum's existence, but there may have been something about the color or the chemical make-up of the glass that provided a reason for bringing it back home. Bob also indicated that trips to other countries were not unusual, so maybe Marilyn Albers can add this to her foreign reference book someday, pending verification, of course. Wouldn' t you like to find a line of amber CD 151' s just waiting to be reintroduced to the hobby?

Moving clockwise to the upper right, we find a CD 176 Whitall Tatum No 12 in ice aqua. CD 176 is a rare bird to begin with. All of the one's I know of (10, I think) originated from the Ruth Kidder find many years ago in Florida, and they are all in light straw. The addition of another color to the list makes this particular find all the more desirable.

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In case you were wondering how many CD 176's there really are out there, you can start by counting the ones on the top of this test pole. The original picture (compliments of Al Perry, Mitchell, NE) is in black and white, so I can't tell if they are straw or aqua, but if you look closely, the top crossarm is filled with CD 176's. Wouldn't you have liked to have been there when they dismantled this experiment?

In the lower right corner is a CD 115 with a metallic cap. The color of the cap certainly indicates that it is made of copper, but as you can see from the picture, the surface is heavily pitted, giving it a very rough texture. I could not locate any seams on the metal cap which would lead me to believe that the metal cap would have been placed in the mold before pouring in the molten glass. However, I admit to being woefully ignorant in the ways of engineering glass and metal so there could be a number of other explanations. While a number of companies were experimenting with metallic treatments on insulators, this is the only example I can think of on a low voltage insulator. It just adds another question to the list of "unanswerables", at least for now. 

Finally, in the lower left corner, a CD 154 carnival Whitall Tatum appears. Don't be fooled by the size compared to the other pieces. I must have been so stunned that I moved the camera further away from the light box. It really is a full size CD 154! The carnivalization looks suspiciously like Hemingray's work, and Rich Wentzel has uncovered some correspondence that at least leaves open the possibility that Whitall Tatum and Hemingray were talking about the carnivalization process. At any rate, it's another beauty, and I felt privileged to be able to see this gem in person, along with the others that we have featured on the cover. 

Just one more thing! In case you are ever on the TV program Jeopardy, and the final jeopardy category is "Insulators", and the final jeopardy answer is "Corning Pyrex, Hemingray and Whitall Tatum," you can now write down in confidence, "What three manufacturers made insulators in carnival glass?" A long shot? Probably, but it might happen, .... Believe It or Not!!