Questions Answered By N R Woodward

Reprinted from "INSULATORS - Crown Jewels of the Wire", November 1972, page 12

Author of The Glass Insulator In America

A NOTE CONCERNING THIS COLUMN: Some of these questions are very late in getting answered, and we are sorry. We have had a very busy summer. Mr. Woodward was on vacation and traveling the latter part of the summer, so he was a little hard to catch up with. Don and I did have the very distinct pleasure of having him visit our home and collection one afternoon and just wish he could have stayed longer, but we were delighted to have even this short visit out of his busy schedule.

Since we have so many new collectors and subscribers, I feel I should mention that some time ago Mr. Woodward graciously offered his services to try to answer your questions on glass insulators that may be puzzling you. We are very fortunate for this opportunity to take advantage of his years of research and collecting. Mr. Woodward is one of our foremost and advanced authorities on threaded glass insulators and originated the C.D. (Consolidated Design) numbers. Please send your questions addressed to him in care of Insulators, Route 1, Box 475, Chico, California 95926.

Question sent in by Ruby and Don Bryant, Miami, Fla: Can you find out about an insulator I traded for? It's a cable, about a CD 292 or 293. No C.D. No. on this yet. It's embossed "N.E.G.M. CO." in front, and in back "Triple Petticoat." It's a pretty blue full of big bubbles. It's 4-1/2" wide x 3-1/2" high, 3 skirts. The man I got it from said he got it in Canada.

In reply to Ruby and Don Bryant: The insulator lettered N.E.G.M, CO. / TRIPLE PETTICOAT is CD #294. There is no specific data on this item. It is doubtful that many will be found and should probably be considered a rare insulator.

Question sent in by Tom Raczkowski: I have a CD 154 Hemingray-42 in blue in mint condition with no drip points. They were not ground off or removed in any way. Could you please tell me how rare it is, or how common it is?

In reply to Tom Raczkowski: A very few HEMINGRAY-42 with smooth base rim have been located. At the same time, an old timer who was involved with the manufacture of these insulators states that the 42 was never made without drips. It would appear, therefore, that only a very few were made in this way, perhaps one time only, and escaped the attention of this particular employee. It would be a realistic guess to assume that a customer requested an order of 42 with smooth skirt at some time. During that same era, the 19 was often produced with smooth base rim, although the standard one had drip points.

Question sent in by Mrs. Norman Lauback: Could you tell me if this is an insulator? Height 2-1/2"; diameter: top, 1-3/4"; base, 2-1/4".

In reply to Mrs. Norman Lauback: It would seem unlikely that the blue glass article is an insulator, although I have no idea what it is. It would not be a line insulator, since it lacks suitable means of attaching to a support or of holding the line wire. It could possibly be an insulating piece out of some type of equipment.

Question sent in by Marjorie Rider, 799 Cleveland Dr., Buffalo, New York 14225: Just recently acquired a C.D. #102 No Name - F: Crown embossed Christian Cross; B: Information too dim to read. In mint condition. Wondered if you or your readers have any information on the manufacturer or what the patent dates are supposed to be. Although Milholland states that there are patent dates on the back, mine has blurred information on both front and back crown area. This is one insulator that I was really thrilled and surprised to find in this area!

In reply to Marjorie Rider: The C.D. #102 pony with the cross marking on the crown is a Brookfield. Since I do not have the insulator, I will not attempt to give the exact data shown in the mold. The cross is a lot or shop mark, the same as the large numbers and letters commonly used on Brookfield insulators of that era. Since the meaning of these marks applied only to the immediate time of manufacture, identifying the lot or shop source of the insulator within the plant, it is doubtful that any further interpretation of the cross will be possible at this time.

Question sent in by Edward M. Patrick, 39 Ga. Ave., Merritt Island, Fla.: While researching for insulators the other day I was reading The Telegraph in America by James D. Reid, published in 1879. On page 505 he said, "Experience with numerous modes finally led to the adoption of Cornell's glass and pin method of insulation, used for the copper wires of the early lines, but now enlarged, modified in form, and strengthened for bearing the iron wire. Of these, several forms were introduced, but which were all essentially alike. The Cauvet insulator, glass and pin, was introduced in 1865. Then followed the screw glass and pin of the California Electrical Construction and Maintenance Company, which is essentially the insulator now in general use."

This seems to imply that the first threaded Insulator was produced by the California Electrical Construction and Maintenance Company. This does raise a question in my mind, and it would help explain Cauvet's name on some of the Brookfield threadless. Has anyone else found information about this?

In reply to Ed Patrick: The July 25, 1865 patent issued to Louis A. Cauvet specifically covers an insulator produced with an internal screw thread. The exact date that the threaded insulator actually went into production and was first placed in service is not known; but every indication is that the Brookfield family was the first to make them. It is true that Electrical Construction and Maintenance Company came into being very soon thereafter; but I don't see that James D. Reid indicates that the Cauvet Insulator of 1865 was not threaded.

There is no particular mystery concerning that Cauvet insulators that are not threaded. For quite some time after the introduction of the threaded insulator, the threadless ones were used to an extent, at least as replacements on existing lines. These were being made in the same style as the early threaded insulators, and all that was involved was a change from a threaded to a smooth mandrel. The same molds could be, and were, used. While the Cauvet patent did not specifically apply to an unthreaded insulator, it would do no harm, either. Patent references often appear on items which are not actually protected by that particular patent.

A SHORT STORY

The hobby of collecting Insulators really sounds weird to many people. So It figures that if we are all nuts, we must have something in common somewhere. I decided to try to find out what this something was and searched through all the letters I have from hundreds of collectors -- searching for some single phrase common to each insulator buff. I looked and I looked. Nearly gave up! But then it stood out. There it was, repeated to the very word in every single letter: "I never met an insulator collector I didn't like."

--Anonymous