Research Division

Reprinted from "INSULATORS - Crown Jewels of the Wire",, September 1970, page 24

From Gordon Smith:

The enclosed picture depicts an interesting "jewel" we have.  Will you ask your readers if anyone has them.  The color is clear to light amethyst.

These were used by Postal Telegraph Co. and were know as "dry spots" because they created a dry spot at the end of the drop wire insulator.  The early drop wire was cloth covered and would deteriorate when moisture got under it.

From Doug Vogel:

I have a couple of K.C.G.W. insulators in my collection and am wondering what the K.C.G.W. stands for?  I have thought that K.C.G.W. stood for Kansas City Glass Works.  Most of these insulators have been found in the Midwestern part of the country.  I would like to know what your readers and you think about this.

From Gene Condon:

In "INSULATORS - Crown Jewels of the Wire", April 1970 issue, page 28, Marvin Park asked about the CD 152 Front - Hemingray / No. 40, Back -  Hemingray.  I obtained one from an antique shop last week.  First I've seen in this area (Edgefield, S.C.)

From Chris Buys:

During our trip back east this summer, my wife and I made it a point to stop in all the back country antique stores we could find.  In addition to acquiring several new insulators for our collection (including a perfect specimen of a threadless CD 731 S. McKee in light blue, we ran across an interesting telephone safety device.  We found it in a small town in West Virginia.

This two piece (2" x 3") device, shown in the drawing, was installed on insulators which connected main telephone lines with telephone lines extending to private dwellings.  Thus, during a storm, when there was a good deal of lightning flashing around, one could separate his private line from the main lines by simply pulling a rope (#1) which was connected to a part of a cone receptacle on the end of his home line.

One can easily see how this was accomplished by briefly examining the diagram.  The first rope (#1), according to the gentleman who sold it to me, hung down to the base of the telephone pole.  It was tied to a small arm of the big weight at the base of the cone receptacle.  Thus, when the rope (#1) was pulled the nose of the big weight was forced down (out of Hole A in the nose cone) causing the nose cone (and consequently the line connected to the house) to fall to the ground.

Rope #2, which was placed over a pulley in the cone receptacle and attached to the front of the nose cone could be used to pull the nose come back to the cone receptacle and thereby re-establishing contact with the main line.

It's hard to say exactly how old this device is, but is appears to be quite crudely (although ingeniously) made.  The fellow who sold it to the antique dealer said he thought it was about fifty years old.

The antique dealer just couldn't believe I collected insulators, let alone would want to purchase that silly contraption.  He told me it had lain there for over ten years and nobody had ever even mentioned it.  It don't think I would have, either, were it not for the insulator (common as it was) which was attached to this interesting piece of communication equipment.  I would be very interested to hear if anyone else has seen or owns one of these.  Maybe I'm wrong on my guess as to how it was used?