Information On Insulator Hunting Grounds
by Jack H Tod

Reprinted from "INSULATORS - Crown Jewels of the Wire", January 1972, page 14

Dear Fellow Addicts:

Dora says she could use some material for the magazine, and the following information might be useful to many of you dump diggers and warehouse snoopers. Like gold, insulators are where you find them, but nobody is unwilling to get a few clues to work on. It's been my experience that every time I find a good fishing hole, the sporting editor of the local newspaper sooner or later finds out about it, and the resultant article in the Sunday paper sends hundreds of fishermen to my private hole. I have therefore been reluctant to send this information in, and if I ruin someone's private insulator territory, I hope I don't get pummeled to death.

This information has been compiled from early Locke records, circa 1900. The numbers in parenthesis are the length of the lines in miles, and this may give a clue to location of the old line. A number of the lines using the No. 15 and No. 16 insulators used porcelain base steel pins, and finding one of these will show you're on the right track.

If this information works out and there is enough interest expressed, we can also print a similar listing of lines with all the early Locke porcelain goodies

Good hunting,

Jack H. Tod

Locke No. 15 Glass (CD-287)

Carolina Light & Power Co., Aiken, S.C. (?? miles)
Cataract Constr. Co., Niagara Falls, N.Y. (26, partially)
Dyea-Klondyke Transportation Co., Chilcoot, Alaska (8)
General Electric Co., New Orleans, La. (?? miles)
Healdsburg (City of), Healdsburg, Cal. (8-1/2)
Mallison Power Co., Westbrook, Maine (??)
Merced Falls Gas & Elec., Merced, Cal. (6)
Mt. Shasta Milling Co., Montague, Cal. (8-1/2)
Standard Con. Mining Co., Bodie, Cal. (8)

Locke No. 16 Glass (CD-297)

Beardelee, G. R., East Creek, N.Y. (10)
Big Creek Power Co., Santa Cruz, Cal. (12)
Blue Lakes Water Co., Blue Lakes City, Cal. (24)
British Columbia Elec Rwy, Victoria, B.C. (16)
Central Cal. Power Co., Sacramento, Cal. (29)
Consolidated Lighting Co., Montpelier, Vt. (??)
Cumberland Illuminating Co., Portland, Me. (10)
General Electric Co., New Orleans, La. (?)

(Continuation of Locke No. 16 Glass)

Hamilton Elec Light & Cataract Pwr Co., Hamilton, Can. (35)
Nevada Co. Electric Power Cp. , Nevada City & Grass Valley (30)
Peninsula Elec Lt & Pwr Co., Houghton, Mlch. (12)
Power Development Co., Bakersfield, Cal. (14)
Sacramento Gas & Elec Ewy, Sacramento, Cal. (20)
San Joaquin Electrical Co., Fresno, Cal. (68)
Southwest Mo. Elec Rwy Co., Webb City, Mo. (31)
Tuolumne Co. Water Co., Columbia, Cal. (14)
Wetmore Elec Co., Lowville, N.Y. (12)
Yuba Electric Pwr Co. , Marysville, Cal. (19 & 8)

Locke No. 17 Glass(CD-300)

Mt. Whitney Power Co. , Visalia, Cal. (62)
Nevada Co. Elec Pwr Co. , Colgate to Grass Valley (7-1/2)
Santa Monica Elec & Pwr Co. , Santa Monica, Cal. (40)
Standard Elec Co. of Cal., Stockton, Cal. (46)
Truckee Elver G. E. Co., Floriston, Cal. (35)
Yuba Elec Pwr Co., Colgate to Sacramento & Oroville (62 & 28)

Locke No. 18 Glass (CD-288)

Mexico, various lines, porc. base pins (?? location)
United Gas Improvement Co. (Now UGI Corp.), Philadelphia, Pa. (?? miles)

P.S. Others have probably also sent in the enclosed AP clipping, but not taking any chances, as it's nearly a classic, don't you think.

Jack Tod

Phone company lineman is 'treed' by curious bear

RUPERT, Vt. (AP) - Louis Lorenzo, a telephone company lineman, had a break in his routine recently when he had to cope with a bear.

Lorenzo, who had been working atop a pole in a hilly area, glanced down and saw at the base of the pole a black hear craning its neck toward him.

He placed a quick call to his office.

The bear walked off a while later, but Lorenzo didn't come down until the two men sent to assist him arrived..