Porcelain Insulator News
by Jack H. Tod

Reprinted from "INSULATORS - Crown Jewels of the Wire", February 1978, page 24

INSULATORS FROM IRELAND

Here's some good news for porcelain collectors, and especially those who have asked about where they could get foreign insulators. 

Charles Doogan (Ireland) recently sent to me a parcel of eight sample insulators from the land of Erin, and we have corresponded about his possible sale of these insulators to interested U.S. collectors. More on this later, but first a brief description of the sample insulators received. 

The pin type styles are either "large" (3" x 4-3/4", half-size in the above drawings) or "small" (2-3/8" x 4"). They have either one or two grooves as illustrated in the above drawings. Most have extended inner petticoats, but a couple have recessed petticoats. 

(1) Illustrated above. high grade porcelain, white glaze, top rest, incuse marking on the side of crown as shown above. 

(2) Porcelain, off-white glaze, markings on top of crown as illustrated. The "GPO" stands for Government Post Office, the governing authority over communications lines in the British Isles. 

(3) Porcelain, white glaze, top rest, incuse marking as illustrated #3 above. The marking is clear, but I can't decode the element in the figure involving the hand. This is the small size with two grooves, and it is the only porcelain one with a recessed inner petticoat.

(4) Porcelain, small size, two grooves, white glaze, petticoat firing rest, underglaze "P. & T." marking as shown above for #4. 

(5) Pottery (not porcelain), small size, two grooves, petticoat firing rest, brown glaze, unmarked. 

(6) Molded composition, black, small size, two grooves, recessed inner petticoat, lines from multipiece forming mold. A marking "T 5" is embossed on the crown top. 

(7) Pottery (not porcelain), large size, two grooves, petticoat firing rest, brown glaze, two incuse markings on crown top -- "G.P.O." plus a "7".

(8) Porcelain, a 3-1/2" x 3" shackle insulator (petticoated and skirted dead-end spool), white glaze, underglaze markings as shown for #8 above.

Mr. Doogan will ship these insulators in lots of 8 items, all different. The mixtures will be about like the samples above, but occasionally with a screw-top type (dry spot) and other different varieties as available. I suggested to him that he attempt to dig up and furnish information regarding the various markings (manufacturers, vintage, etc.). These are $50 per lot postpaid from Ireland. Delivery tine would probably be 4 to 5 weeks. 

Address: Charles Doogan, Derry Connor, Gortahork, Co. Donegal, Ireland. The airmail letter rate to Ireland is $.31 per half ounce. 

You can write directly to Mr. Doogan if you have any questions regarding the insulators. He has a number of different styles available, and you can query him about any other deals aside from the packaged lots mentioned above. 

This all sounds like it would be of interest to a number of our readers, and I'm happy to be able to pass along the information about it here in the column. 

Jack 

Dear Jack: 

As you know, I have several Hi-Top types. I recently added a couple more. 

One is a U-789 with an incuse I-T-E marking. This surprised me, as I thought most Hi-Top designs were discontinued by the time I-T-E came into the picture (Victor Insulators Division, Victor, N.Y., in 1953).

 I also came upon a U-785 with the ILLINOIS word incuse marking, and that is the first Hi-Top of that company I've had. 

Do you know if Knox made Hi-Top styles? I think that's the only company existent during the Hi-Top design years for which I lack a Hi-Top insulator specimen. 
Lew Hohn
Rochester, N.Y.

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Dear Lew:

Don't stamp out the Hi-Top era prematurely. I've seen them in catalogs of the 1950's of several companies, and they could have been made to very recent times (if not still current) by one or more companies -- notably Ohio Brass Co. 

Looks like you still have at least one more company to chase down on these. Knox did catalog "HIGH TOP" insulators. These were the four sizes of skirt-rest styles U-782A, U-791, U-796 and U-801 Sim. Knox has a habit of not dating their catalogs, so I don't know when these were produced. 

P.P. Inc. made Hi-Top styles at least through 1955 so I wouldn't be surprised if you also found Hi-Tops with the "Chance" marking too (1956 & later). 

Jack

Lew Hohn (Rochester, NY) sent sketches and data on all the items below, and which are pictured here half-size. He was especially interested in finding out about the DAR-LINK item and any patent which might describe its use, and also any patent which might fit the Ohio Brass Company strain.

This ARGUS arrestor is white with dark green underglaze markings on its top. The two inside end pieces are embossed as shown at the right. 

My files show this to be Foote, Pierson Co., Inc., 160-162 Duane St., New York City, established 1895, H. G. Pierson president and general manager.

This one (at left) is brown with embossed markings. The Square-D manufacturer's marking is recess-embossed on the underside. 

I'll put my chips on Chicago Radio Laboratory, Ravenswood & Schreiber Aves., Chicago, established 1919, manufacturer of radio apparatus.

This MARKS arrestor is dark blue glaze with embossed markings. I have no file data on this company name.

The DAR-LINK item here is relegated to my "whatisit?" file. I have a hunch it might have something to do with electrical insulating, and maybe some reader can identify it for us. Lew has one with light blue glaze and another with light brown glaze. It has three triangularly-arranged firing feet on its underside.

This strain with O-B marking is obviously designed for utilities who can't make up their mind on whether to use open-end or closed-end strain insulators.

In my patent card file, I have one patent on strains with the small open slot leading to the larger strain-wire hole -- patent #1,028,104, June 4, 1912, Oliver L. Fletcher, assignor to Peru Electric Co., Indiana. The illustration in this patent is for a non-conventional shape of strain.

If O-B did apply for a patent on this gismo, it would have to have been for a Design Patent which covers the specific shape of their strain and not the novelty of the access slot to the wire hole. Needless to say, O-B could have made these for Peru Electric Co., but the absence of a Peru marking and the presence of the prominent O-B marking would seem to rule that out.