Recently while looking over my shelves of insulators, I picked up the odd porcelain piece pictured here. My records indicate I bought the piece in 2000 from Doug Williams on eBay for about $10. Recess-embossed on the unglazed bottom is a block of text that reads, "E.L. KLINGEL." Another recessed-embossed block of text under this reads, "ST. PAUL." Embossed on the top is "PARALLEL / KNOB / PAT APPL FOR". After closer inspection a few days later in better light, I also noticed an M in a triangle. This Triangle-M marking indicates the piece was made by Illinois Electric Porcelain in Macomb.

Edward L. Klingel of St. Paul, Minnesota received patent 2,307,277 on January 5, 1943 for this insulator that would avoid the use of a tie wire for telephone drop-wires. The drawing in the patent is nearly identical to the actual white glazed porcelain insulator. Two things are missing from the patent: the dimensions and molding details.

The wire support is 1.75 inches tall, 2-1 /8 inches deep, and 2-5/8 inches wide. One interesting difference in the insulator not revealed in the patent drawing is how the insulator was manufactured. Because of the complexity of the piece (i.e., holes running different directions, undercuts and wire-gripping-ribs), the insulator is made in two pieces (top and bottom) and glaze welded together.

For many inventors, insulator collectors know no more than this kind of information so I am happy to report some additional details I have uncovered about Mr. Klingel. The Minnesota Historical Society website (mnhs.org), for example, lists the following:

Both the Minneapolis Morning Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press ran obituaries on July 16, shortly after his death. The Tribune gave me his home address on 964 Ohio St., W. in St. Paul; that services were at Unity (Unitarian) church; a list of relatives and that the internment was to be at Forest Lawn Cemetery. From the Pioneer Press, I learned he was a telephone engineer who headed the E.L. Klingel Co., 128 Concord St., which was founded in 1919. The Pioneer Press went on to indicate "He was active in telephone research and equipment 61 years and held several patents relating to the telephone industry. Mr. Klingel was a member of the Minnesota Telephone association and life member of the U.S. Independent Telephone Pioneer association."

This research was done in Minneapolis while heading to a swap meet in Oronoco, MN so I had time to locate his grave at the Forest Lawn Cemetery. I found directions and drove there to find that he had been cremated and his ashes spread over the Memorial Pond of the cemetery. I took some photographs of the Memorial Pond but didn't think too many people would be interested in seeing them here.

While doing research in Washington, DC in August, I checked on the other patents that Mr. Klingel supposedly held. I found two. United States letters patent #1,954,592 was issued on April 10, 1934 for a "Wire Support." Patent #2,510,182 was issued on June 6, 1950 for another "Wire Support."

There are over a thousand patents related to insulators with almost that many inventors. This research took place over a four month period which I considered to be relatively fast. Even at this rate, I estimate it would take me 200 years to research them all. I sure could use some help. Interested?

Editor's Note: Rick Soller call be contacted at the following email address:

com574@clcillinois.edu

Or, call him at 847-782-8602