Letters to the Editor

Reprinted from "INSULATORS - Crown Jewels of the Wire", April 1984, page 23

Dear Dora,

Enclosed is $10.00 for subscription. Also, I thought you might be interested in this picture of the wiring to my next-door neighbor's garage that I installed for him about 2 years ago. The 4 insulators to the left are marked "H.G. Co. Petticoat Patent May 2, 1893" and came from the old Fontaine Ferry Amusement Park here in Louisville, built around 1905. They seem to be a common type in this area. The garage originally had porcelain screw-spike insulators near the peak of the roof and when the owner wanted the wires raised to clear a basket ball goal, I decided to try some recycling.
Mike Martin
Louisville, Kentucky

Dear Don & Dora,

Here is a copy of an original letter I received as a Christmas gift. You may print it in Crown Jewels if you like.

I plan on attending the Nat'l at Sea-Tac. with my wife (her first insulator show). Hope to see you there.
Take Care,
Fritz Kettenburg

Large Image (232 Kb)

Dear Dora,

Do not know if this insulator has been reported in the past or not, but being that it is unlisted in MILHOLLAND'S, we thought it might be worth bringing to the attention of other collectors. It certainly has made a nice addition to our collection.

It is a CD-143.4 rim embossed AMERICAN. Embossing : AM. INSULATOR CO. N.Y. DOUBLE PETTICOAT - PAT'D SEPT.13,1881, NOV.13,1883. The one we have, found at a local flea mkt., is that bluish-aqua that is peculiar to AMERICAN bee-hives -- more blue than aqua. For all outward appearances it is a CD-145; however, when one turns it upside down, one discovers that it has no inner-skirt. Thus it cannot be a CD-145, but rather a CD-143.4. There is no doubt about this (not an underpour during manufacture, for example), as it is smooth, flat, and even at the point where an inner-skirt would be on a CD-145.

Other local flea mkt. finds of 1983 for us were a CD-112 NEW ENG. TEL & TEL Co. for $1.00, and a similar to CD-516 rim embossed with an SP inside a star and the numbers 1966. On the skirt it is embossed with the numbers: 6117. It is of a sparkling crystal clear glass -- and only $.25 for this foreign beauty.

We mention these "finds" as an indication to those who may feel the hobby is "drying up," that good insulators are still out there waiting to be added to your collections. Keep searching! 

So-long for now and Good Collecting! 
Sincerely, 
Jarl & Karen Anderson
East Freetown, Mass.

Dear Dora,

Well, here it is renewal time again, and I don't want to miss any issues of Crown Jewels, especially with articles like the one on Sterling insulators by Ray Klingensmith. Many thanks.

This past summer I found the following two CD133 insulators that are not listed in the book. They are embossed: W. BROOKFIED/ 55 FULTON ST/N.Y., on back CAUVET'S/PAT./JULY.25,1865/PAT.JAN.25. 1870/PAT.FEB.22.1870. The other is: W. BROOKFIELD/45 CLI ST/ N.Y., on back CAUVET'S/PAT/JULY 25 1865/JAN 25 1870/FEB 22 1870. The embossing on both is excellent, as if they were among the first from the mold.

The following may be of interest to threadless collectors. I had a CD 719 with color about like the H.G.Co. green milk. It was embossed TILLOTSON in an arc on the dome. This is the first embossed CD 719 I have ever heard of.
Sincerely,
Claude A. Wambold