MAC's Believe It Or Not!

Reprinted from "Crown Jewels of the Wire", July 1987, page 16

FRAULEIN DISCOVERS FRAUENTHAL

During the summer of 1986, MAC and family traveled to Europe. We had hosted a student from Switzerland through the AFS program during the 1984-85 school year and we were anxious to meet him in Europe and take him with us on a tour. MAC's father-in-law arranged our travel itinerary for us and in doing so wrote letters to many hotels looking for suitable accommodations. In the town of Innsbruck, Austria, his letter of inquiry was given to a young lady who worked for the hotel. His letter mentioned that MAC and family was traveling with an AFS student and the hotel manager thought his young trainee should respond since she had also been an AFS exchange student from Austria to Sweden in 1984-85. MAC received a letter from the young gal, Astrid Hofstatter. "Believe It Or Not" Astrid was very willing to act as our guide while in Innsbruck.

Upon arriving in this beautiful Austrian town, we contacted Astrid and asked her to have dinner with us. On our walk back to the hotel, we remarked to her about the insulators bringing the electric to the street lights overhead. We told her we collected them and that Mrs. MAC edited a monthly magazine for the hobby. We wondered if there would be any chance to drop by the electric company some time during our stay since we would have someone who could speak the language. She said she would give it a try.

The next morning the phone was ringing and it was Astrid. We had an appointment with a gentleman at the Electric Company. "Could we come?" "Could we COME!?! Of course!" There we were, looking out of a hotel that had hosted guests during the 1200's, the beautiful green Inn River flowing in front of magnificent Austrian alps to our left, the golden roof of Maximillian to our right. Where we headed? To the electric company!!!

We arrived at the ELEKTRIZITSTSWERK and were escorted to the office of Ing. Pottinger. He looked like every American engineer working to keep a busy city electrified. One problem, Ing. Pottinger spoke NO English!! Astrid was amazing and a lifesaver. She speaks five languages, however, she had only had classroom English and had listened to tapes. She had never been in an English speaking country. (Those of us who have had classroom "any language" and listened to tapes are hardly fluent!) However, Astrid not only spoke beautiful English, she was also able to communicate in "insulator" to Ing. Pottinger using all the technical and "buzz" terms that we use among the hobbyists.

Ing. Pottinger

Ing. Pottinger explained that most of the aerial electric was now underground (sound familiar?) and that there were not a lot of old insulators available. He had worked for the electric company over 30 years and the only types of insulator he had ever used were porcelain and supplied by Frauenthal (see FOREIGN INSULATORS this month for more details).

He seemed somewhat disbelieving but interested in the amount of research that had been done on foreign glass and porcelain. We thumbed through pages of Marilyn Albers' books and I left several copies of CROWN JEWELS for him to peruse. Then he asked if we would like to follow him to their warehouse to see what they had down there that he could show us. (Does the reaction of Pavlov's dogs "ring a bell?") "Believe It Or Not" we began our descent into the bowels of the Electric Company building. Somehow the thoughts of Alpine world outside vanished from our minds.

If you want to see employees of the Innsbruck Electric Company laugh, watch their expressions when the "boss" tells them he is bringing in these Americans to look at their stock of insulators. Also, that they collect them. We needed no translation...LAUGH in Austrian is "LAUGH!" Ing. Pottinger showed us current insulators as well as several that had been removed from wires. We noticed the stamped markings on the insulators and opened the book to find that they were known but "unattributed." We had found an answer for Marilyn and we were thrilled. Ing. Pottinger also seemed pleased.

A check-out with an inventory clerk, a thank you to Ing. Pottinger, and a promise to send him a copy of the article when it appeared in print, MAC was on his way to become the American tourist once again. We are deeply grateful to Astrid and Ing. Pottinger for giving the insulator hobby new information to share. "Believe It Or Not!"