a insulator? for what????

[chong2]

pried this off a old pole that was rotted to the core today. i came across about 8 poles about 30 yards apart from each other. all really rotten. each pole had 1 of these insulators on them. this was the only non broken one. the line was heading toward a old mining town going up into the hills, straight through the middle of the desert, no RR lines by. its about 2 in tall, no markings. ne one know what this was used for? was it telegraph also if i could get a approx date on it. the mining town was from 1870's to around 1910. thanks

 

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[mojjax]

Here's one on ebay . They don't give too much info . How high were they on the poles ?
http://cgi.ebay.com/LOT-15-Vintage-...00093646112QQcategoryZ795QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

mojjax

 

[slowreaper]

Not sure what this one was used for or its age, But have hammered many of them exactly like it into posts for running electric fence.

Brad

 

[MD Dog]

I've seen those in older houses in the attic for running the original two wire electrical systems.

 

[Two Dogs]

Ahhh... memories of fence building!!! These were used to insulate the wire from the post and therefore ground. There is a missing part that has gone away in time and that was the heavy leather washer that went between the nail head and the glass. The leather cushioned the hammer blows when nailing the insulator on the post and prevented breakage. As I recall my grand dad didn't like it when I mis hammered and broke his insulators. We use to string barbed wire on these and that was an ugly and often painful job. Two Dogs

 

[chong2]

cool thanks, they were on the top of the pole, maybe 15 feet up?

 

[Two Dogs]

If they were that high up I doubt that they were fencing insulators. I'd suspect possibly telegraph or possibly telephone instead. Electric insulators were usually bigger I believe and made of glass. Two Dogs