Research Division
Reprinted from "INSULATORS - Crown Jewels of the Wire", June 1970, page 26

From Bob and Carol Meszaros:

I note you don't hear from many people here on the East Coast, so I thought I'd write and give you moral support form New Jersey:

I have enclosed a picture of an insulator that I have which I don't think is too common.  At least we have not seen any others like it.  It's a Hawley helmet CD 259.  As you can see from the picture, the ears are slightly damaged, but even so we love it.  The "logo" embossing appears on the front and embossed on the back is HAWLEY, PA.

We would be interested in hearing how many of your readers have seen or heard of this Hawley helmet.

From K. L. Muse, Signal & Communication Engineer

I note in your January ("INSULATORS - Crown Jewels of the Wire", January 1970, pages 6 & 34) photographs of a ceramic insulator with a screw top.  This insulator is quite familiar to me as I have purchased hundreds of these in the last 30 years.  They were made for the Automatic Electric Company and sold to railroads, pipelines and other companies who operated telephone lines several hundred miles in length.

As you know the purpose of an insulator is to prevent leakage from the very small electrical currents carried by a telephone wire.  In a long telephone circuit with numerous bridged telephones, the drop wires leading to the telephone instrument caused considerable leakage in rainy weather, consequently the "dry-spot" insulator was developed.  This insulator was substituted for one of the ordinary glass line insulators where a telephone was to be installed.  The insulated drop wires leading to the telephone was to be installed.  The insulated drop wires leading to the telephone were brought through this insulator and the leads separated leading to each individual line wire.  This prevented electrical currents from leaking along the surface of the insulated drop wires.  There were various devices of this kind made but this is the only one, with which I am familiar, that is used as a line insulator as well as a "dry-spot."

In writing you I cannot refrain from comment on the Brookfield insulator shown on page 33 ("INSULATORS - Crown Jewels of the Wire", January 1970).  I have just recently come across this style of insulator, an in this part of the country I can assure you it is far from being common.  It is very similar to Tibbets No. 1-23, except for the drip points.  I have 5 or 6 in my collection.  The error in embossing would make the one in the photograph particularly rare, and I am sure that some day these will probably bring a nice price.

From R. E. Cleland:  This is a catalog page describing Automatic Electric Company S-4906 Dry Spot Insulator.  

Size:  4" x 5 1/4"

Front:  A.E. Co. Inc. Chicago, Ill.  Rear: Pat Pendg

Brown glaze, screw off top

From Dale Dawson:  

I enjoy the insulator magazine very much.  ("INSULATORS - Crown Jewels of the Wire", January 1970, page 27) I have seen the Bell.  It is real pretty I don't know why it was made.  I doubt if there are many around.  Southwestern Bell serves Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas and Arkansas.

Crown Jewels of the Wire, January, page 34) I have one of these in brown.  They are also in white.  I have seen the white ones, but don't have one.  I know where there are 3 or 4 of the brown ones.  I will try to draw how they work.  They are called drop cap.

  This is how its looks on the pole and arm.  The bridging wire comes up on one side and out the other to the line wire.  Bridging wires are paired.

I have the Lynchburg 38 (CD 164), Lynchburg 36 (CD 162) with and without drip points, Lynchburg 31 (CD 112) with "XO" on top of dome. (Crown Jewels of the Wire, January 1970, page 30)