Research Division

Reprinted from "INSULATORS - Crown Jewels of the Wire", October 1977, page 13

Dora, 

I recently purchased the most interesting transposition and found not to be in Miholland's Book. A CD 201 H.G. Co., and embossed on the back is "PATENT May 2, 1883". This I have never seen before and was wondering how odd this piece could be. 
Thank you. 
John de Sousa
East Granby, Connecticut

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John: 

This CD 201 is not common around here, but let's see what collectors in other different areas have to say. 

Dora

Dear Dora, 

I read with much interest Doug Polak's letter in the August issue. I, too, had noticed this particular kind of insulator, and thought that I had stumbled upon a jewel, especially when I noticed Mr. Milholland's "open" price for it on Line 1419 in the 1976 price guide. However, when I wrote Dee Willett about this, he replied that these "inner skirt drip points" were caused by vents in the mold to permit gas to escape to prevent bubbles, gas swirls, etc. Dee pointed out that all Brookfield insulators that have an inner skirt have these points, and that Brookfield was the only maker to use this method. 
Dick Bales 
Aurora, Illinois

Recently I obtained in trade two unusual insulators that were used as transitions from cable to telegraph line, as shown in the diagram above. The information I got was that they came from the San Juan Islands and were used on an early telecommunication system. The metal cap attached to the top of the insulator is either pewter or a galvanized metal of some kind. There is a small hole through it for the wire to pass through to the line on land. The S.C.A. glass is a three piece mold.

Has anyone found any of these, and can anyone tell me anything more about this type?
Mel Allen
#153 1840 160 St.
Surrey, B.C., Canada U4A 4X4

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Editor's Note:

In the September 1970 Issue of Crown Jewels on pages 24 and 25 is a letter from Gordon Smith, then of Wachula, Florida. He wrote, enclosing the picture shown at the left and the diagram below:

"The enclosed picture depicts an interesting "jewel" we have.

"Will you ask your readers if anyone has them? The color is clear to light amethyst.

"These were used by Postal Telegraph Co. and were known as "dry Spots" because they created a dry spot at the end of the drop wire insulation. The early drop wire was cloth covered and would deteriorate when moisture got under it."

Dear Dora,

While at a flea market recently I picked up a CD 155. It was in a large basket with other assorted CD 155's. The salesman told me he bought the whole basket of insulators (about 25) at an auction 4 years ago. He said they were hard to get rid of now, so he accepted my first offer on the insulator I wanted. It is a CD 155 Armstrong in near clear glass. It is embossed:

(Note backward n and r on circle in Armstrong.) Now here comes the oddity. It has the perfect embossing of a 1964 nickle on the crown top. It is embedded in the top in such a way that a nickle will lay perfectly in it. When viewed from the top, it is backward; but when looked at from the threaded inside, it is correct. Could a nickle have fallen into the mold? (Accidentally? or on purpose?) Hope I can find something out about this odd ball.
Bob Brophy
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Dear Dora & Don:

I'm working with and buying more CD 127, and I have found one more thing about these Brookfield insulators.

This picture will show you the way I think this insulator was made and why I think it was made this way.

In the pin hole groove there are small raised bars, the groove being the indented part of the threads, and the ridge being the high part of the threads in the pin hole.

Now the wood pin, being made the same way as the pin hole, when the insulator is screwed on the pin, the groove of the insulator then fits perfectly on the ridge of the pin. At this point these small raised bars are exactly on top of the ridge of the wood pin.

After talking to some fellow collectors, we decided these small bars would now prevent this insulator from turning on the pin. And it is our guess these small bars were made in these insulators for this reason.

This is not a one of a kind, but it is odd. I have three of the green ones and two of blue, one ice blue. They are all made of very heavy glass and all are embossed just above the wire groove, side of crown:
F.) W Brookfield 55 Fulton St.
B.) Cauvets Pat Apl 4 1870 (or Apl 4 1871 - only one date to each insulator).

On an insulator buying trip I found and bought all of these insulators at the same place, and I bought all that were there. This could turn out to be a pretty good insulator.
A. L. Rash
Rt. 3, Box 669
Silsbee, TX 77656
after 7 p.m. 1-713-755-4185