A few months ago a friend of ours saw us at the Washington Court House flea market and told Sandra that he had an insulator that we might be interested in. They disappeared into the crowd, and about 30 minutes later Sandra returned glassy-eyed and mumbled something like: "You've got to see this to believe it."

The enclosed pictures (page opposite) and drawing (above) describe it far better than any 1,000 words that I could use. Perhaps the pictures don't show clearly, but it is embossed HEMINGRAY and PATENT MAY 2 1893. As the drawing indicates, it has a standard diameter threadless pin hole, but only 0.5 inch deep. Furthermore, the "base" extends about 0.25 inch below the drip points.

Our first questions were the same as everyone else's who has seen it: "Where did it come from?" and "How was it used?" We can't really even answer the first question. Our friend had picked it up at an east central Indiana auction. The individual that had put it in the auction had obtained it at another auction and had no knowledge of its source. How was it used? We have some opinions, but nothing confirmed. We have shown it to Dennis Donovan, who supposedly has, or has seen, all of the strange and unusual pieces that were rescued from Hemingray-Muncie; but he has never seen or heard of anything like it.

We are convinced that it is not a mistake or reject. It is obvious that a lot of effort was put into the manufacture of this item. The lines are clean, and the machining marks show on the flat surfaces. Our supposition is that this was part of a demonstration used to "sell" drip points. There could have been a wooden stand, unthreaded, which sat in a shallow pan and supported our "insulator". Water would be poured on the flat top surface. It would run down the sides and fall from the rather large drip points.

It makes a good story. Furthermore, it appears to us that there was too much effort put into making it for it to have been nothing more than a paper weight or desk ornament, as some have suggested. We also speculate that it was made at the Covington, Kentucky, plant, because of the pale aqua glass. If this is true, it will be even more difficult to ever determine exactly what its use was.

To change the subject slightly, I would like to correspond with anyone who has a pre-1900 Hemingray catalog.