Sorry to jump into this discussion late, but just wanted to add this point. I conducted extensive excavations of Hemingray Glass Company in Covington, Kentucky in the late 1980s. Hemingray, originally a Cincinnati glass company, moved to Covington, Kentucky (directly opposite Cincinnati) in the early 1850s. After a number of disastrous floods in the 1880s, Hemingray began to move its operations to Muncie, Indiana by the early 1890s. We recovered thousands of insulator fragments, and opened a large and deep unit into the deep wasters, and never encountered any red glass. Nine colors were indentified, including amber, but no one would ever confuse that with red. So, if Hemingray made red glass insulators they must have done it at Muncie.
Bob Genheimer
George Rieveschl Curator of Archaeology
Cincinnati Museum Center
1301 Western Avenue
Cincinnati, Ohio 45203
513-455-7161
-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Bob
Skiles
Sent: Wednesday, August 08, 2007 10:03 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Glass Insulators - Myth or Truth?
http://cjow.com/archive/article.php?month=4&a=04Red%20Glass%20Insulators.htm&year=1982
Red Glass Insulators
by N. R. Woodward
Reprinted from "INSULATORS - Crown Jewels of the Wire", April 1982, page 3
Although the question of glass insulators in red color has been discussed
from time to time, it seems appropriate to once again cover the topic. From
long- time readers, we ask forgiveness for repeating some data already
presented in past years.
Insofar as we have proof at this point, no glass insulator has ever been
offered commercially in a true red glass, as would be found in a red signal
lens, for example. However, there have been two specific instances, widely
separated in time, where insulators have been made in quantity from glass
that would probably best be described as red-amber. These insulators do have
a definite red appearance when viewed against a strong light source. The red
color is more pronounced with some light sources than with others.
The earlier of these are Hemingray products from the period around 1895 to
1905. A typical unit would be a CD #162, somewhat crude and with sharp drip
points ... <table snipped>
The CD #162 continued to be made in amber for quite some time, into the
mid-1920's; but it is among those from earlier years that one finds the
specimens with the most red color.
It is also from that same period that catalogs offering Hemingray insulators
have the notation: "We are prepared to furnish all styles of insulators in
red, blue and amber glass..." Were those red-amber insulators made and sold
as "red" insulators in accordance with this offer? That's over 80 years ago.
We may never have positive proof.
The second production of amber insulators with a noticeable red component
occurred at the Armstrong plant during the late 1940's and 1950's. Several
styles were sold as "brown glass" insulators: It is quite certain they were
never represented as being red. However, as with the earlier ones described
above, many of them do have a definite red appearance against a strong
light. The color in these insulators is extremely dark.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Carl Steen" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, August 08, 2007 8:31 AM
Subject: Re: Glass Insulators - Myth or Truth?
In a message dated 8/8/2007 9:25:31 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
I've seen 10s-of-thousands of glass telegraph insulators in dozens of US
collections, and yet to see a red one. I suspect this is a techno-myth. To
produce red glass (in the era when telegraph wires were being strung)
required the use of prohibitively expensive gold compounds. This would be
highly impractical for such utilitarian objects. Barring some compelling
reason to produce them (perhaps as trap-bait for aborigines and Apaches?),
it would be quite a bizarre economic aberration. As anyone knows who's ever
worked with the restoration of stained glass work, the genuine antique red
glass is ... by far ... the most expensive color to aquire.
~Bob Skiles
Several are illustrated here...
_http://cjow.com/archive/article.php?month=2&a=02Seeing%20Red.htm&year=2004_
(http://cjow.com/archive/article.php?month=2&a=02Seeing%20Red.htm&year=2004)
Seeing Red
Reprinted from "Crown Jewels of the Wire", February 2004, page 16
For Valentine's, Crown Jewels presents "red" insulators found in the hobby.
The idea of a red glass insulator has captured the thoughts of collectors
since the hobby began. When I was collecting in the 1960's, collectors
wondered
if a red insulator would ever be found. Even today, if you talk to
non-collectors at flea markets and antique shops, they'll relate stories of
red glass
insulators being found... usually... at some remote, far away place.
Were genuine insulators ever made in red glass? In a 1909 catalog,
Hemingray
advertised "special colored glass insulators". The ad reads, "Where several
lines of different companies are on the same cross arm, the lineman can
distinguish his line by the color of the insulator. Different currents can
also be
designated by different colored insulators. We are prepared to furnish all
styles of insulators in RED, blue, and amber glass..." (emphasis added).
The
advertisement went on to say that there was an extra charge of $8.00 per
thousand for insulators made in colored glass.¹
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