Insulator Hunting for the Marginally Sane

Reprinted from "Crown Jewels of the Wire", July 1997, page 19

This article is dedicated to those hardy souls who will risk living through extended periods of frustration and disappointment just to have a chance for brief periods of joy upon occasion.

RESEARCH 

Finding research material on the various companies involved in the construction of telegraph, telephone or power distribution lines is fairly straight forward. Your Secretary of State Archives will have on file the original Articles of Incorporation of companies involved in early communication. 

Other sources, such as "The Telegrapher", Western Union's "Journal of the Telegraph", local newspaper articles of the period, county or state tax records, etc. will start you in the right direction. Having armed yourself with this information, proceed to the second stage of your educational process. 

That is, is this line still in existence, or did it fall prey to destruction by removal, (most states have nuisance laws on the books prohibiting derelict lines hanging across roadways possibly causing serious accidents with vehicles using the same road.) Fire (the most common reason for destruction of existing insulators), population growth, extensive agricultural expansion, wire removal to keep cattle from being injured by line wire, etc.

Sounds fairly bleak, doesn't it. Well, hang in there, it gets better.

If a line was to be removed from a roadway, it was done using hired labor and since human nature hasn't changed from the moment that man stood erect, these people only did what was contracted for, nothing else. If the roadway prescribed an arc, the line will heave the road. Continue on compass heading until again joining the roadway. (Remember, the early road builders did not have sophisticated equipment and therefore had to go around the nose of a hill instead of cutting through it) because of the fact that the line now left road alignment, there was no need to remove it. Railroad companies often discarded their insulators along their right-of-way, as there was no law to prevent this.

Most early telegraph lines in sparsely inhabited areas were cross country, using compass heading for alignment. At this time, it is important to consider the Post Roads Act, which was brought into force in 1871. The determination of a post road is as follows: 

1. The route of an existing telegraph line 
2. Any roadway used for the distribution of the mail 
3. Any roadway used for transportation 
4. The route of an existing railroad.

The Post Road Act further states that after a railroad has gone into an area, any telegraph lines must follow this route. This led to abandonment of the cross country lines, such as the "Overland Telegraph" and others, with subsequent reconstruction along the railroad. Also, because of the time frame involved, the older threadless insulators were not to specification and therefore simply abandoned.

Lines strung from town to town usually followed the stage roads. Private lines for communication were usually following compass heading from point to point. Some of these lines can only be researched from local newspaper articles of the period, as most were not incorporated. Telephone toll leads will for the most part follow the early communication alignments (Post Road Act).

Now we're ready for the basic equipment: 

1. A metal detector is highly recommended for the location of the line wire, which in most cases will be buried under overburden, etc. Even an unsophisticated metal detector will find iron wire.
2. A sturdy 3 or 4 prong rake with forged tines should be used. (Welded tine rakes will not survive insulator digging.) 
3. A compass, and the education to use it properly. 
4. All other gear, such as, first aid kit, food and water, extra dry socks, etc.

MAPPING 

Once you have researched the lines that interest you, go to your B.L.M. Office and request the original plat maps surveyed in the time frame of the line you are researching. Quite a large number of surveys will show alignment of telegraph, telephone and power lines. These are done in township and range and are compatible with modern mapping. The charge is usually one dollar, tens cents a copy. Now, we're almost ready for our field trip.

All games have rules. These should at least be considered if not completely followed:

Transfer map info on to modern mapping. This will show any changes from the original map such as roads, lakes, housing, etc. and prevent wasting your time in heavily inhabited areas. Remember also there will be a compass heading differences. between true north and magnetic north. This will be printed on your modern map.

If the line is located and side brackets are found, the general rule is attachment with square cut spikes before the turn of the century, round nails after. 

When line wire is found, early wire will break in three or four bends and break uneven. After the turn of the century, alloyed wire will be extremely hard to break and will also get hot in bend area.

If is necessary to enter private property, ALWAYS seek permission from the land owner. Also, when asking about their knowledge of lines in the area, NEVER ask a pointed question. A lot of people will give you the answer you want to hear. Instead, ask a general question and balance the information received with what you know from your research. This will save you about ten pairs of shoes.

If you are on state or federal park lands, remember it is highly illegal to remove artifacts from these areas. Once you are on alignment, remember any insulator still there for a hundred years or more will not escape while your back is turned! Work every span with grim resolve. 

It is important to inform someone about the area you intend to search. (If you are paranoid, remember that you can still trust Mom.) This will be important in case of injury, getting lost, etc.

If you complete your hunt successfully, carefully map the line for historical reference and write a short article for the entertainment and education of fellow collectors.

As a final note, as much fun as it is search for insulators in their natural habitat, you must understand that since most lines were picked up and discarded, the highest percentage of insulators will be recovered in fairly large amounts from dump sites.

Good hunting,

Ron Souza, Western Telegraph Research