Insulator of the Month - The Survivor
Reprinted from "Crown Jewels of the Wire", January 2005, inside front cover
What does a red corvette have to do with this blue insulator? What color are
those streaks in the glass? And just how fortunate was Scott Farrell the day he
purchased this favorite in an antique shop, and got change back from his twenty?
Read the full story below.
Insulator of the Month
The Survivor
by Scott Farrell
After helping my mom thru cancer surgery, I left Lake Havasu City, AZ., the
morning of Monday, April 8th, 2003 on my way home to Mt. Pleasant, TX.. I wanted
to scope out some insulators in Arizona antique stores on the way back. I
detoured south thru Wickenburg, where I purchased a snowy Brookfield signal for
$12.00! Then it was on thru Jerome, Cottonwood (where I was to make the find of
my insulator collecting career!) and Sedona, before getting back on I-40, to
resume my journey home. It was about 4:30 PM when I left Jerome, after
inspecting the gift shops built into the mountainside, ( as is the whole town) ,
what a sight!
Upon entering the town of Cottonwood, I decided to stop at a downtown antique
store, to stretch my legs, and search for insulators. Before I entered, I saw it
in the front window, a rich electric blue HG Co. signal! Being as how this
little devil was priced at only $18.00 (plus tax), a cursory examination
revealed what appeared to be 2 thin black swirls running horizontally around the
upper wire ridge. I decided purchasing this little devil was a no-brainer.
After paying for my find, I exited the shop, and walked out into the bright
Arizona sun, I discovered the black swirls to be red amber! The rest of the day
was uneventful ( as uneventful as driving thru Jerome and Sedona Arizona can
be). I made my way back to I-40 spending the night in Holbrook, Az. I awoke
Tuesday morning to begin the long drive back to Northeast Texas. Little did I
know that tragedy awaited me not far across the New Mexico state line!
Cruising into New Mexico in my 1981 Corvette with my newly purchased blue
signal riding shotgun beside me, I maintained a steady 80 mph pace, hoping to
arrive in northeast Texas early Wednesday morning. I had owned my pretty red 'vette
for only 3 months, and now I was nearly ecstatic, as owning a corvette and
finding a pretty blue HG signal for 20 bucks were goals I had had for the last
20 years!
As I was cruising from Gallup to Grants, N.M., things went horribly wrong!
The driver's side rear axle broke, and the entire wheel/tire/brake came loose,
and I knew I was in trouble as I tried to control the fishtailing 'vette, and
watched helplessly as the driver's rear wheel passed me on the passenger side! I
frantically turned the steering wheel to the right. But the car, seemingly with
a mind of it's own, slid across the left lane and flipped on it's top, coming to
rest in the center of the median.
As I hung upside down, suspended by the seat belt (ALWAYS WEAR YOUR SEAT
BELT!), I was thinking, "I wonder where my pretty blue signal went, and is
it still VNMINT?" After what seemed like several hours of hanging upside
down (but was probably only 20 to 30 minutes) an ambulance arrived and a really
nice EMT cut my seatbelt and forced the door open. I got to enjoy a 20 minute
ride to the hospital, in Grants, N.M.
After a brief exam to ascertain that I was not critically injured with neck,
head or brain damage ( I had been asked several times my name, the date, and the
name of the President of the United States, and answered correctly), I chilled
while awaiting my turn for several x-rays , and a cat-scan. Then I was finally
released. A nice police officer gave me a ride to the local auto rental agency,
where I rented a late model economy car. I proceeded to drive the 20 miles to
the towing service's yard, wondering all the way, would my pretty blue signal be
a specimen or not? "Hot darn!" I exclaimed, as I extracted the still
VNMINT signal from behind the passenger's seat, where it had come to rest after
the rollover.
A couple weeks later my wife, and soulmate of 20+ years and I headed for the
Bedford TX, Insulator Show. Ross Baird especially liked the "Blue with
Red" signal and made me a cash/ trade offer that included a near-mint
green/ aqua EC&M. I've always wanted one because they are embossed with my
initials! Okay, I know the initials stand for San Francisco, not Scott Farrell,
but I can always dream! "Signal-head", Brian Riecker offered a cash
offer equivalent to Ross's cash/trade offer. I didn't know what to do so I
decided to take the advice of my better (and prettier) half, and hang onto it
for awhile. I enjoyed it's coloration, but after a few days I knew I wanted that
EC&M!
The moral of this story, (actually, there are two!)
#1 THEY ARE STILL OUT THERE! #2. ALWAYS WEAR YOUR SEATBELT !
Crown Jewels knows that Brian Riecker has since acquired it from Ross.
This pretty gem now has a special spot in his signal collection.
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