Kenosha insulator

ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS:

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NORTH-WESTERN TELEGRAPH CO.

GENERAL SUPERINTENDENT'S OFFICE, MILWAUKEE, WIS.,

March 12th, 1873.

GEO. E. PREECE, Esq.,

Sec. S.T.E. London.

DEAR SIR,

Mr. Geo. B. Prescott, Electrician of the Western Union Telegraph Co., took to London with him some samples of the "Kenosha Insulator," made by the "Kenosha Insulator Co."

We are using them upon our lines, having put up, last year, over 60,000. We shall use more this year. The Western Union Co. has adopted the Kenosha, and will use it hereafter.

Mr. F. L. Pope, of New York, has a record of tests made by Mr. C. H. Summers and me, and he will forward it to you, with the result of his own tests, in a short time, embodying them in a paper to be read before the Society. Some of them, rudely made, five years ago, are still upon the wires to which they were first attached, and the material shows no sign of deterioration. All the gaseous or volatile products of the gas tar being eliminated, the tar combines with the pulverized charcoal perfectly, making a compound that is elastic, adherent to the wood, and shows no change under any temperature.

On my lines in Northern Minnesota and British America, they have passed through the severest winter ever known, without change.

If you wish some of them to test, and have any choice in form, we will gladly follow any sketch you may send us.

Under the most favourable circumstances for glass, the "Kenosha" has never tested less than five times higher than the glass — while with an atmosphere showing 90 per cent. of saturation, the "Kenosha" shows from 8 to 12 times in excess of glass.

Comparative tests made with the Varley, and various forms of European porcelain, show the Kenosha to be far ahead, uniformly, under precisely similar conditions.

Under these circumstances, we feel warranted in calling the attention of the Society to them—feeling that we have an insulator that can be furnished cheaply, and one also that will, for insulating properties and durability, exceed anything heretofore manufactured.

Should there be any information desired, relative to American instruments, batteries, or method of working circuits, I will be happy to give it.

I should like information on one subject, i.e., "repeaters," or, as you term them, "translators," for repeating from one circuit to another. I have seen sketches only of those given in "Culley." They are in extensive use in this country, enabling San Francisco on the Pacific to work with New York, over 3,000 miles. As a rule, we work single circuits of 500 miles, except in very bad weather; beyond that we use repeaters. On the lines of this Company we work from Chicago, Illinois, to St. Paul, Minnesota, in one circuit, 490 miles, and through a repeater there, with Fort Garry, Manitoba (Western British America), 620 miles, making a total of 1,110 miles.

You have probably seen, in "Pope's Practice," the Hicks and Bunnell repeaters. In addition to those are mine (three forms) Facer's, Gray's and one or two others.

Respectfully,

C. H. HASKINS.

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