Research Division

Reprinted from "INSULATORS - Crown Jewels of the Wire", February 1974, page 27

Dear Editor,

Here is something I bought the other day. I do not know what it is.

The man I got it from said he screwed it out of a metal sleeve in a mine. He said that a cable was running through the tube. As you can see, the threads are on the outside. The inside, or the hole, is threadless. The man did not say what kind of metal the sleeve was made of. He did say there were four of these tubes in the same mine, but only one of them would screw out, and it took hard work to get this one to unscrew without breaking it. 

As you can see, the tube is smaller at the bottom than it is at the top. When I cleaned this tube or insulator, or whatever it is, I removed rust from the threads from about one half of the insulator. Maybe the sleeve was of steel. Anybody know anything about this thing?

Thank you. Keep up the good work. We all enjoy Crown Jewels. 
A. L. Rash 
Rt. 3 Box 669 
Silsbee, TX 77656

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This is a floor or wall tube insulator as listed on page 55 in Dictionary of Glass & Ceramic Insulators reprint by Cranfill and Kareofelas. 

Your Editor

Dear Dora,

I have enjoyed Crown Jewels all year around. It is full of info. on insulators. I sent you a letter in March (It must have gotten lost in the mail.) asking if you know anything on an insulator I found. It stands about two inches high, and it looks like a rod went up the middle of it one and a half inches. 

The color is aqua, and it is full of bubbles. I found it broken on the bank of a creek that runs right through a logging camp, so I think it must have come from the camp. At left is a drawing of it.

Thank you,
Doug Pruitt

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Doug:

I'm sorry your first letter went astray. We find this sometimes happens when there is a lot of mail. I must admit you have me stumped on this insulator. Since you live so close, I do hope you can come to our March 16-17 show in Chico and bring it with you. There will be a lot of collectors there, and we will try to help you, or maybe some of our readers can identify it for you.

Dora

Dear Dora,

Enclosed is a photo of a few items of interest I have acquired.

Left to right:

1. Unembossed specimen, deep blue-aqua, identical to No 4 Cable.
2. CD #140 Aqua, embossed: 
   Skirt: (F) JUMBO
   (B) PAT'D JUNE 17, 1890    AUG 19, 1890 
   Base: OAKMAN M'F'G CO. BOSTON
3. CD #140 Unembossed specimen, Purple.
4. CD #140 Appears to be unembossed. Base and skirt chipping obliterates any possible embossing. Dark yellow-green.

As far as I know (3) and (4) are unique. These were used on an abandoned building. The crossarm on which they were mounted had the oversized pins to accommodate the insulators. 
Sincerely,
Joe Maurath, Jr. 
E. Weymouth, Mass.