Dear Jack: 

Am sending you some data on the "choke coil" as covered by the letter from Frank Shore in the October 1979 column.

These were extensively used in the early 1900's in some areas. With the development of modern lightning arresters they proved to be more of a nuisance than any system protection value. I recall that the birds especially liked the larger sizes as good places within which to build their nests.

I do not have an E.S.S. Co. catalog, but I am sending print copies of selected pages from a 1925 G.E. catalog and a 1927 L-M catalog showing these, and they should give you the story on them. 
Otto R. Boll, NIA #130 
Appleton, Wis.

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Dear Otto: 

We ran an answer to the "whatisit" question on these choke coils last month from Frank Donnelly, but a couple of chunks of your catalog pages might be of interest to our readers (see following two pages). 

I guess I was asleep at the switch on this item -- or you might say I "choked" up. I have an electrical directory of that same vintage which describes these choke coils and lists 25 different companies who manufactured or sold them, including G.E., Line Material, and E.S.S. Co. 

Jack

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Dear Jack:

We dug this porcelain block in the dump about 4 years ago. It looks like a base for either a knife switch or fuse block. There wasn't anything in the comprehensive marking lists shown in your book "Electrical Porcelain" that showed this marking, so about a month ago we went to the Worcester Historical Society to see if they had anything on it. 

We found 1907 and 1908 directory listings for Worcester Electric Manufacturing Co., 42 Lagrange St., Worcester, Mass. Their products were listed as: Knife switches, fuse blocks, switchboards and panelboards. We presume this may be new information for your files. 
Emma & Tony Almeida, 
NIA #979 & #1166 

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Dear Emma & Tony: 

Yes, this is new info for the file -- and interesting in that we do occasionally see similar items with a marking of "W E. MFG. CO." for Western Electric Mfg. Co., of New York -- not to mention several dozen other old companies who made telephone or electric equipment and who had names that also fit the initials W. E. MFG. Co. Another good example of why it's a losing game to try to fit these initial markings to companies by guess or hunch. At least we now know which one it is when we see the Worcester name on it. 

Jack