Crown Jewels of the Wire is pleased to announce the selection of Caleb Thimell to be the new Foreign Insulator Editor. 

Caleb is well known in the hobby for his research on insulators made in Columbia, particularly with the popular and colorful Zicme brand insulators. He wrote the article on the scarce VI - BO insulators that was published in the January, 2003 issue of CJ. 

Caleb replaces Marilyn Albers, who served as the Foreign Editor for many years when Carol McDougald published Crown Jewels. Marilyn co-authored the book, Glass Insulators From Outside North America, with N.R. "Woody" Woodward. Crown Jewels has learned that in late August of 2003 Marilyn & Bill Albers, Woody, Caleb and Elton Gish reached an agreement on future editions of the foreign insulator book. Marilyn and Bill are giving Caleb the rights to write a supplement to the book listing some 80 new CD designs of foreign insulators that haven't yet been published since being discovered. Woody will assign CD numbers to those new discoveries. And, Elton will create the line diagrams for the insulators. 

Ultimately, some years in the future, Caleb will then write a complete revision for the foreign insulator book. 

As editors of Crown Jewels, Linda and I felt the interests of the insulator community as a whole would be best served if the Foreign Insulator editor for CJ was the same person as the author of the foreign insulator book. The only concern was if having both responsibilities would be too much of a workload for one person. Caleb believes it will not be, and is accepting the assignment. His first article will be in the October issue, and will feature a new foreign discovery that a collector brought to a backyard swap meet in Oregon this July.

Crown Jewels thanks those who wrote articles on foreign insulators for the magazine earlier this year: Rick Soller, Richard Wentzel, Andrew Gibson & Bill Snell, and Curtis Erickson. 

Articles on foreign insulators are always welcome from any collector, just as are articles on US insulators. If any collector has questions about foreign insulators they own, they may send them to Crown Jewels, and we will forward them to Caleb to answer. Or, contact Caleb direct: Phone: 503-283-5570 Email: zicme_insulators@hotmail.com

Caleb Thimell 
Photo by Bill Ostrander

Foreign Insulators on Overland Telegraph Routes

The July issue of Crown Jewels featured reproductions of articles written in the 1860's about efforts to encircle the globe with telegraph lines. Included was information about construction of a line from Europe to India that was partially overland and partially cable through the seas. Crown Jewels wondered what threadless insulators might have possibly been used by the British contractors building the line.

N.R. Woodward responded to our inquiry with the following letter, "Enjoyed the Overland Telegraph insert in July CJ. An excellent piece of research! 

As regards your comment on page 27 regarding the insulators used on the line eastward from England: The Charles Bright name brings a possible connection. On page 21 of the publication, "Glass Insulators from Outside North America" (Albers, Woodward) is listed CD #630 which was manufactured under C.T. Bright's 1858 patent. The patent includes provision for a protective cover over the body of the glass insulator. Since so very few of these have been identified, I don't know if the particular lines they were used on is known. But it's an interesting possibility." 

The skirt of the CD 630 is embossed BRIGHT'S INSULATOR / REID 1858. The patent was issued on November 18, 1858.

(Drawing & picture are from the GIFONA book.)