Letters
Reprinted from "Crown Jewels of the Wire", December 1996, page 7
MORE INFORMATION ON SIMONDS PATENT
A New Insulator
W.E. Simonds, of Hartford, Conn., has invented an insulator on the principle
suggested in THE JOURNAL of June 1. A description has been sent us, but without
cuts, which however, are unnecessary. Beneath the bell of the ordinary glass
insulator, and of such diminished diameter as to be inside of it, is affixed a
cup filled with paraffine, which offers a successful obstacle to moisture
passing from the stem to the wire. This is practically the whole of the
inventions. W. W. Smith, Esq., Vice-President of the Cincinnati and Indianapolis
Railroad, has an insulator in use similarly formed. Its merit is in the
retention of ordinary forms, and their strength, with the paraffine barrier,
which is preserved in place even when melted by heat. We will refer to it again.
Journal of the Telegraph,
July 15, 1869
and a second article...
The Simonds’ Insulator
In a few hurried words respecting Mr. Simonds insulators which we found very
handsomely illustrated in the Scientific American, we gave the idea that it was
the fruit of a suggestion of our own. As the date of the patent appears to be as
early as our own suggestion, and the thought of the device must have preceded
the patent, we desire to give Mr. Simonds proper credit for his invention, and
to recall any word of ours which might seem to detract from the merit of its
invention. Our suggestion was crude and unstudied, but written under an
impression that an advantage lay in that direction. We hoped that some one,
perhaps Mr. Brooks himself, or Mr. Farmer, or some other electrician would give
it what thought it merited. A cheap, durable, perfect insulator, even admitting
the excellence of those in use, is still by many a demand. At least there must
exist desire for all possible improvements in an article so radically connected
with telegraphic success.
One feature of the Simonds’ insulator we overlooked in our notice of it.
The glass bell is not a simple arc as in the ordinary insulator, but is made to
arch down in the center and thus enters and is immersed in the paraffine cup
which is supported on the pin. This gives continuity to the insulator until it
reaches the outer edges of the paraffine cup. The merit of the insulator,
therefore, would appear to be in retaining all the strength and economy of
ordinary forms with the intercepting qualities of paraffine in such condition as
to be retained.
Journal of the Telegraph,
August 15, 1869
- - - - - - - - - - -
You probably recognize the cover from the October 1996 issue of Crown Jewels
of the Wire. Beginning on page 4 of the same issue, Dick Bowman tells the story
of this fascinating insulator and its patent model. In response to the article,
Ron Souza and Jim Sanders, members of Western Telegraph Research Group,
forwarded copies of two Journal of the Telegraph articles relating to the
Simonds’ insulator. Same old story of “who had the idea first.”
Thank you for sharing some of the vast amount of research with CJ readers
that you have in your files.
Carol
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