This is a complete Marked Fred M.Locke wall or floor insulator. It is as far as I know, the oldest complete high voltage wall insulator or bushing ever found. This type of bushing was listed in the 1904 Locke catalog as a "floor tube". This example is marked on the head with marking 0-5. "FRED M.LOCKE / Victor, N.Y. " I found part of another head to one of these with marking 7-1. There is a U-608a Fred Locke in the photo for scale. By judging the glaze color, marking and the history of the site where it was found, It was likely made in late 1902 or early 03. The insulator consists of three separate distinct porcelain parts,[id=287245253] a molded head piece and two extruded concentric tubes: ....1-The internally and externally corrugated head, 2-the outer glazed extruded tube and 3-the inner unglazed extruded tube. Each extruded ceramic tube is 19 1/2" long. The inner most tube diameter is 1 3/4" The head is 6" wide and 6" tall. the the entire insulator is held together by a 2"deep fill of sand mortar in the head holding the outer tube to the head and a 2" fill of sand mortar in the head that separates the outer tube from the inside tube and holds the tubes firmly in place . The rest of the head is filled to the the mounting flange with tar and the long recess between the two extruded tubes is filled with insulating tar. This is a very sophisticated design for 1903 and it shows a great deal of thought and engineering innovation for it's day. In total maybe 60 or so of these insulators were produced for the Hudson River Waterpower Co's plants and substations. Of the eight locations where these were used, only two had any recoverable evidence of these tube bushings . This unit was used for bringing a 30kV insulated line into a brick building that was demolished in the early 1920's I will publish more details in the near future. The bushing was found in the Albany, N.Y area.[id=287256121] to see photos of the historic places these were used. Please see the next several photos in the "hunts and finds" section for up close details of this insulator |