08-24-2014, 08:42 AM
"William P. Marr emigrated from Scotland to Ontario, Canada early in the twentieth century. After settling in the Toronto area, he was employed as a contractor for Ontario Hydro, where he worked as an electrician, converting gas-lit homes to electrical incandescent lighting.
At that time, the accepted practice for joining conductors was a process called solder and tape. Typically, a mechanic would first install the insulated wires; then an electrician cleaned the exposed conductors, twisted them together, then firmly joined the conductors's ends by dipping them into a pot of molten solder. After cooling, the jointed exposed conductors were wrapped with insulating tape.
The process was time-consuming and potentially dangerous. Marr was injured when he spilled molten solder on himself. Seeking a safer and more efficient way of joining electrical conductors, Marr, working in his home workshop, developed the first pressure-type wire connector and, in 1914, produced a set-screw version which was the forerunner to the present-day twist-on connector now used in North America."
At that time, the accepted practice for joining conductors was a process called solder and tape. Typically, a mechanic would first install the insulated wires; then an electrician cleaned the exposed conductors, twisted them together, then firmly joined the conductors's ends by dipping them into a pot of molten solder. After cooling, the jointed exposed conductors were wrapped with insulating tape.
The process was time-consuming and potentially dangerous. Marr was injured when he spilled molten solder on himself. Seeking a safer and more efficient way of joining electrical conductors, Marr, working in his home workshop, developed the first pressure-type wire connector and, in 1914, produced a set-screw version which was the forerunner to the present-day twist-on connector now used in North America."