October 1975 Porcelain Insulator News

Preferably direct porcelain news items and questions directly to Jack H. Tod, 3427 N. 47th Place, Phoenix, Ariz. 85018. All mail will be answered if reply stamp is enclosed, and the most newsworthy items and questions of general interest will be published as space permits.

I'd like some information on the following two insulators. I believe both are "Smith & Stone".

The 5897 marking is on a standard 3" secondary rack spool and is recess-embossed around the top.

The pin type is about a U-294A, and the double Diamond-S is applied on the crown.
John Berard
Port Alberni, B.C.

You are correct. Colin McIntosh ("Canadian Insulators", $3), page 74, states this is Smith & Stone's trademark.

Company information from my files: Smith & Stone Ltd., 2 Glen Road, Georgetown Ontario, Canada. Established 1920. Among many other things, they manufacture both wet process and dry process porcelain insulators.

McIntosh says this is the only Smith & Stone pin type, and I hadn't heard of one in the flesh until your report. Other Canadian collectors should be seeking this company marking, so it might be a good swapper.

The nail knob at the left in undoubtedly West Virginia Porcelain Co., New Haven, W. Va. This company was founded in 1919 and became defunct (bankrupt) in 1925. Subsequently it became Superior Porcelain Co., and see pages 28-29 of the June 1974 Crown Jewels for complete plant history.

The marking on Paul's screw knob at the right above is unattributable by me. I can't match up the S. C. with any porcelain company in my historical files or old directories.

Gerald Brown (Colo.) got this antique greeting card from Rod Wing (Mich.) and which is an artist's painting of bluebirds alighting on the wires - all of which led Rod to comment that this proved porcelain insulators are for the birds! The insulators are a foreign style, and Ken Schumacher (Ohio) told me in 1973 that catalogs showed insulators identical to these were made by Thomas (for export?). We'll give a gold star to anyone who can tell us why the hole in the crown.

After futile attempts to get a printable photo of this color card, Gerald made for us this reproduction of the insulator portion of it.

The one with the bold, recess-embossed diamond is probably Diamond Porcelain Co., Trenton, N.J. I never could find any location for or reference to this company while in Trenton. We only know it was one of several companies which ended up becoming General Porcelain Co. in the 1913 mergers.

Emma Almeida (One Bay Drive, Shrewsbury, MA 01545) reports having two more previously unreported cleat markings.

The RELIABLE is undoubtedly for Reliable Electric Co., Chicago, Ill., mostly involved with telephone and telegraph equipment -- fusing, lightning arrestors, etc. I've seen their name on numerous such items, and also a RECO. marking they used on porcelain items, but this is the first report of their name on wiring cleats.

The C. I. Co. is for Colonial Insulator Co., Akron, Ohio -- now defunct. Briefly, the plant history was:

Initially founded (date ??) as Akron Insulator & Marble Co. (A. I. & M. Co. marking on insulators). Consolidated with Colonial Sign Co. in 1904 to become Colonial Sign & Insulator Co. (C. S. I. Co. and C. S. & I. Co. markings on insulators). Subsequently (after 1920) changed name to Colonial Insulator Co. (the above C. I. Co. marking).

Image text:

No. 14 STAND-OFF INSULATOR One piece Black Porcelain. Rugged, strong, attractive. Screws and Leatherheads included .45 ea list.

Walter Lehnert (Minneapolis) sent a copy of a catalog page of M. M. Fleron & Son, Trenton, N.J. showing this item reported in the June 1975 CJ to be a stand-off insulator for radio use. Thanks Walt; you're a walking encyclopedia for any of these radio items.

Here's another interesting mystery marking on a U-610 I got at the San Diego show. This bold, incuse cents sign is stamped on top of one crown ear. The insulator is a No-Name, but it looks like a Locke Insulator Corp. product.

The parade of errors in marking stamps used by Imperial Porcelain Works continues with this one just reported by Paul Mohre (Michigan City, Ind.). Note the N.I. for New Jersey.

Reference Fred M. Locke marking stamps, April 1975 CJ page 29, Robert Winkler (Indiana) reports he recently captured a U-964 glazeweld with marking #6-1 but which has "Sept 24" instead of "Sept 28" -- and he compared it with the other marking on a different specimen.

Ed & Judy Gish (Texas) were the first ones to report the Fred Locke error in the dating stamp used on insulators. Theirs is on a U-925, and the manufacturing date reads SEPT 12, 9101.

Jerry Turner (Ohio) also got one with this error while visiting Fred Richardson (Colo.) on the way back from the San Diego National. It's also a U-925. More importantly, Jerry also reported getting a U-925 with the #3-1 marking, and this is the first I knew of Imperial Porcelain having made any of these U-925 for Fred Locke.

Paul Mohrs (Indiana) sent us three new Fred Locke marking stamps and completed or corrected several more. All you Locke fans can add these to the listing. All are incuse handstamps, serifed letters except as noted below.

F. M. LOCKE, VICTOR, N.Y.	0-7
F M. LocKE PAT DEC. 15 . 96	1-5	(correction) No period after F -- high period after 15 instead of a comma.
Pat'd June 7,1898 FRED M. LOCKE.	1-9	Lower case letters in top line. No address.
Pat'd June 7, 1898 FRED M. LOCKE.	1-10	Similar #1-9, but big type for 1898, low 7.
PAT. NOV 24 & DEC 15 '96 SEP. 28, 97 June, 7 98 F. M. LOCKE VICTOR, N.Y.	4-1	(Correction) Caps top row all same size, two commas instead of periods. Sans serif.
PAT'D NOV. 24 & DEC 15 96 SEP-28 & JUNE 7 98 FRED. M. LOCKE VICTOR. N.Y.	4-3	(Correction/completion) PAT'D instead of PAT. Extra small N.Y. sans serif letters

As a reminder, lower case (small) letters are shown that way above. Underscored capitols are larger type than other capitols in the stamp.

It's getting pretty obvious the Victor plant had a whole raft of miscellaneous handsetting type ole Fred probably bought from a defunct printer at the flea market of the 1890's. The workers set this type up in a sloppy fashion and probably locked it up with a rubber band or some tape.

When the mess fell apart, they probably reset it or started all over. In any event, this probably accounts for the numerous minor variations in these many marking stamps used during the 1898-1909 period by Fred Locke. I'm sure our listing isn't complete yet, and we may still have some inaccuracies, but we'll keep chipping away at it. Everyone has said that the listing has been a tremendous help in their cataloging and swapping activities.

Chris Hedges (K.C., Mo.) writes wanting info on a Fred M. Locke similar to U-447. Usual light tan glaze, marking #1- 8 on skirt.

As different from the U-441 Fred Locke with the tiny top groove, this later item is the original Locke #2 cataloged in 1902 and 1905 Locke catalog just as Chris described it. This design continued essentially without change for many years, still U-447 in the 1913, 1916 and 1925 Locke catalogs. In more recent years, the Locke #2 underwent some evolutionary changes in general shape, mostly changes in the crow design and an extended petticoat.

A number of collectors now have the U-441 Fred Locke, but this is the first U-447 Fred Locke reported to us.

Gerald Brown (Two Buttes) writes that the Plank brothers (La Junta, Colo.) have a small knob with the EMILY marking in conjunction with P. P. Inc. and wonder if this attributes the EMILY.

Well, No! The EMILY is a generic name for "screw eye" insulators sold by everyone, just as everyone sold "B & D" cleats. What would be a real victory is if we could find out who or what Emily was.

Incidentally, the 1925-26 on this screw eye are not dates but are catalog numbers of Findlay (later P. P. Inc.) for these gismos. Their use of catalog numbers in the 1900- 2000 block on knobs, screw eyes and wireholders causes considerable collector confusion as to their appearing like dates.

Ron LaSalle (Rome, NY) reports yet another mystery marking, incuse on the dome of a P.R. Hat similar U-297. We'll never know what these stamps meant, but they're interesting nevertheless.

Just purchased this odd piece and would like some information please. I'm primarily a glass collector, but do have a few porcelain pieces.

This in a pretty heavy insulator & dark brown in color. Thanks for the help & also for the information I get from "Crown Jewels".
Jeff Franklin
Menasha, Wis.

We printed this answer in the July 1973 issue and again in Feb 1974 but questions on it are up to better than once a month again so it's time for a repeat answer.

This is a "primary fuse cutout" (a plug-type fuse cutout), and they have been made from the mid-1890's up to modern times. There are many minor variations due to different company manufacture and design evolution, but they all generally have the same appearance and all serve the same function. The majority have poleline hardware company markings, but some have porcelain manufacturer markings when these companies carried them as catalog items. Early ones just plain look crude and antique like. More modern ones have a more streamlined appearance.

These are meant to mount on crossarms (with the two bolt holes) at the service transformer poles, and they provide the fusing for the primary (high voltage) side of the transformer. The removable plug in the bottom has a renewable fuse wire attached to it.

The more modern (current) fusing method is a link-type fuse which is held in spring clips mounted at the ends of the lightning arrestor housings on the transformer poles. These fuses can be changed from the ground with long telescopic poles made for that purpose. This is not only much easier, but the older plug-type fuses weren't termed "suicide boxes" without good reason.

If you look at the transformer poles in the alley behind your house, you can see the fusing method used. There are other plug-type primary fuses besides this general design, and some oddballs may still be in use in some areas of the country.

Edgar B. Smith (Union Springs, NY) has what I think is a most unusual factory marking error. This is the C.N.R. handstamp struck over the C.P.R. marking, presumably on on the usual beehive pin type. Ed furnished this marking sketch but wasn't specific as to which of the several different handstamps were involved.

All these white beehives were made for these two Canadian railroads by Pittsburg High Voltage. A standout error item for anyone collecting railroad items!

... Have a U-816B marked LOCKE / 2355. These may be seen in the air just outside of St. George, Utah. The line also had some large Pyrex pin types. Must admit to doing a double take when seeing them in the air for the first time. Not successful in attempts to purchase insulators from the local utility there.
Howard Sussman,
Santa Ana, Cal.

Re your article in August 1975 CJ, page 29. We're on vacation and saw some U-816B on a line together with some large Pyrex glass insulators. They are in Utah, northeast of St. George, north of Hurricane towards LaVerkin on Route 15....
Mr. & Mrs. Wes Gordon,
San Diego

Yes, I too just returned from a two-week trip to Tennessee and spotted a U-816D on a line west of Oklahoma City along 1-40. All the other insulators on this line (about 20 miles) were large multis except for this single U-816B, and I watched it again on the way home.

When you see one of these on a line, "double take" is an understatement. I never saw anything quite so wierd looking on a pole, and I've seen some very oddball pole-line construction in my travels. This U-816B was obvious several poles away, and I nearly broke my neck staring at it as we passed by at 55 mph.