Hi Christopher,

I have installed many flagpoles.  The truck attachment to commercial flagpoles is like the cap on a pipe.  The flagpoles is a long metal, usually aluminum today, tube, hollow on the inside.  The truck is a cap the covers the top of the pole and keeps the weather, and rain, out.  It also serves to hold the pulley through which the rope halyard runs to raise and lower the flags.

The third purpose is to hold the finial, or ornament at the top of the pole.  Therefore the truck usually has a hole tapped in the center into which a bolt can be screwed.  The most common finial is a gold ball which allows the flag to easily slide off if the flag flies on top of it.  Also used are eagles in the US. Other countries use other finials, but the ball is still most common.  The truck is held in place by screws tightened against the pole.

Hope this helps you.   Lee L. Herold

AND....

From the Flags of the World web site FAQ page #3 <http://fotw.digibel.be/flags/faq3.html#usa>: What is in the "ball cap" on top of a flagpole flying the U.S. flag?

Nothing.  There is a persistent rumor left over from the Cold War that the "ball"-type finials atop poles flying U.S. flags contain a razor or similar instrument, so that the U.S. flag may be destroyed in the event of a successful enemy attack to prevent its capture by the enemy.  No evidence for this has ever been found.  It's just a legend.

To which I add: At West Point, plebes who are "know-it-alls" are usually asked this question repeatedly until they break and beg for the answer, and this version is a little different than the above.  They are told it contains a match, a bullet and a grain of rice in case of a successful enemy attack.  The rice will sustain the soldier to do what needs to be done; the match is used to destroy the flag so it will not be captured; the bullet is used for the same purpose so the soldier will not be captured.
Dave Martucci

A: Dear Mary Ann,

Thanks for your question.  I am not sure either, and the number of stars could make a difference.  The actual arrangement of the stars was not established until 1912 with the 48 star flag.  Before that any arrangement was available, even though most were made in a similar pattern.  Therefore, there were variations in both the way the stars were arranged and on occasion the color.  The number of stars would help determine the year, and that would give us a clue as to why the stars may have been made gold.

There was also the Gold Star home window flag, the gold star meant a son or daughter who died in the service of the country, a blue star for a child serving.  This had a red border, not stripes.

In addition, there are decorative flags.  Some are parsed US flags, that is they have a few stars & stripes, meant to represent, not "be" the US flag.  They are for decoration when the full US flag is not desired.  Many companies make these for the holidays for homes that use decorative seasonal flags.

I have forwarded you request to Nick Artimovich, who I think would have more information on your case than I.

Again, thanks for contacting me and good luck on your column.  You must learn a lot.   Lee L. Herold

A: Greetings:
It has been some time since I received this message but thought I'd put in my two cent's worth.

We really don't know much of the history of the Star Spangled Banner between 1814 and when it was photographed for George Preble's pamphlet "Three Historic Flags and Three September Victories."  This photo is reproduced at the Smithsonian's web site: http://www.si.edu/nmah/objects/krtssb/ssbh/ssbh.htm

It was taken at the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston in the 1870's.  You can see that the large hole encompassing one of the stars was missing, as was much of the flags fly end.  Legend says that Lincoln was given the star, and that Armistead gave away pieces of the flag to settle gambling debts.

Armistead was given the flag upon leaving Ft. McHenry.  The Smithsonian site tells who had the flag from that time on.  See
http://www.si.edu/nmah/objects/krtssb/ssbh/html/3a.htm.  It lists who owned it and a few of the places it was displayed. What damage was done during the war and what happened subsequently is hard to tell...

Hope this helps. Was any of this info new, or contrary to what you had already received?  Nick Artimovich

A: Dear Chris,

I'll try to answer your question by quoting the Texas Flag Code (you can view the full text at http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/lobby/ref/6139c.htm).

It sounds like the flags are hanging vertically.  The US flag would be to its own right (the position of honor), which would correspond to the observer's left.  The Texas flag would, therefore, be to the observer's right of the U.S. flag:
(f) The state flag, when carried in a procession with another flag or flags except the United States flag, should be either on the marching right, that is, the state flag's right, or, if there is a line of other flags, in front of the center of that line.  When the state flag is carried in a procession in which the United States flag is carried, the United States flag should be on the marching right, that is, the United States flag's right, and the state flag should be on the United States flag's left.

Here's the explanation of how to orient the state flag when it is displayed vertically:
(o) When the state flag is displayed horizontally, the white stripe should be uppermost and to the state flag's left, that is, to the observer's right.  When displayed in a window, the state flag should be displayed in the same way, with the blue stripe to the left of an observer who is outside the window.  When the state flag is displayed vertically, the blue stripe should be uppermost and the white stripe should be to the state flag's right, that is, to the observer's left.

The question of what order to display the "Six Flags of Texas" is a little complicated.  The U.S. flag, of course, goes to its own right, that is, the observer's left.  The Texas Flag Code states that the Texas flag should come next, but this does violate international protocol, which would give precedence to the flags of other countries.  It isn't a problem for the Spanish and French flags as the current national flags of those two countries aren't used in the "Six Flags" display.  It is a problem if the current Mexican flag is used, which uses a side view of the eagle.  The historical Mexican flag from the 1820s to 1836 has a front view of the eagle; unfortunately, it's hard to purchase that flag.  If a historical flag is used for Mexico, I believe the logical sequence (in chronological order for the last four flags) would be (from the observer's left to right) United States (current 50-star version), State of Texas, Kingdom of Spain (horizontal stripes of red, gold, and red defaced with a castle-and-lion badge surmounted with a crown), Kingdom of France (numerous gold fleur-de-lis on a white field), United Mexican States (1820s version), and the Confederate States of America (I recommend the Stars and Bars, which has three horizontal stripes (red-white-red) and a blue union with stars in a circle).

Hope this helps.

Charles A Spain

P.S. I'm an Eagle Scout, so at least one of us can answer your question!

A: Hi Elizabeth,
Your instincts are pretty good with flags.  I strongly suspect the flag is the hurricane warning flag, a red square, with a black square centered in it.  The gale flag is a red pennant (triangle shaped) flag.  The hurricane flags are rated by wind speed, and 2 indicate a stronger hurricane.  Hope this helps.  Lee L. Herold

A: According to "Flags Across the World and Through the Ages" by Dr. Whitney Smith, and "Flags of the World" by Dr. Wm Crampton, the flag was first used in 1928 as they sought independence, and in 1962 on independence the flag was adopted, slightly altered.  The green represents is the traditional color of the Muslim faith, the white represents purity.  The horns of the crescent are longer than usual representing good fortune or happiness, and the crescent and star recall the period of Ottoman rule during the 16th century.  The crescent and star are believed to the the symbol of the city of Constantinople, conquered by the Muslims and this symbol adopted.  The red color represent liberty.  Lee L. Herold

A: Not too much biographical info is known about Rebecca Young.

Rebecca Young advertised as a flag maker in the Philadelphia Newspapers during the Revolutionary War and Theodore Gottlieb, who did considerable research on the subject, states that she was paid "at least thirty times" for making flags for the Quartermaster Department of the Continental Army and the Pennsylvania Navy.  Actually, Gottlieb may have been mistaken since a close examination of the receipts in the National Archives shows many of the entries are duplicates.  By my count, she made five flags in 1781-82.  In receipts dated 1780, some of them are signed by William Young; I don't know if this is a husband or a son.

After the War, in October 1784, she was paid for sewing the Standard of the First United States Regiment commanded by Lt. Colonel Josiah Harmar.  After this, there are no further records of her but her daughter and granddaughter continued the tradition by making one of America's most famous flags.

Mrs. Mary Young Pickersgill of Baltimore, a "maker of ships banners and flags," assisted by her daughter Mrs. Caroline Purdy, under contract to the United States Government in 1813 manufactured the U.S. Flag that has now become known as the "Star Spangled Banner" and was used as the garrison flag of Fort McHenry during the British siege of 1814.
Dave Martucci

Thanks for your inquiry.  I am uncertain if the recent readoption of the Japanese flag made any changes in its traditional proportions, which are either 7:10 or 2:3 as you stated.  By tradition, I am referring to the official designs that were adopted 27 January 1870 in decree no. 57 of the Central Government of the Restoration for government usages and the decree No. 651 dated 3 October 1870 for Japanese Naval flags.  Although strictly speaking, these decrees ceased to be official after 1947, both were still followed by the Japanese government and I would guess these are still the law today.  Nowadays, most flag manufacturers follow the second decree even for usages on land.

The first decree set the overall proportions at 7:10 as I have stated; the diameter of the red circle was 3/5 the width of the hoist and it was centered on a point that is 49/100 of the distance of the fly from the hoist.  In other words, if the flag is 70 units by 100 units, the red ball is 42 units in diameter and the hoist edge of it is set 28 units from the hoist while the fly edge of it is set 30 units from the fly.  From the top and bottom of the red ball to the top and bottom of the flag is 14 units respectively.

The second decree set the overall proportions at 2:3 and the diameter of the red circle at 3/5 the width of the hoist and it is centered on a point at the exact center of the flag.  In other words, if the flag is 70 units by 105 units, the red ball is 42 units in diameter and the edges of it are set 31.5 units from the hoist and the fly.  From the top and bottom of the red ball to the top and bottom of the flag is 14 units respectively.  Here is the example comparison in chart form:

To be absolutely correct for land-based usages, the first is your best bet.  But most flags in Japan follow the second set of proportions. Good Luck!  Dave Martucci

Q: 1- How and when did the white flag become the symbol of peace and surrrender?

A: The FLAG BULLETIN, No. 155 (Nov-Dec 1993),"52 Vexillological Questions Posed to the FRC," pg. 252 states:
"A plain white flag has been used as a symbol of peace ... and ... is also sometimes a flag of surrender, but the first use of the white flag for this purpose is not known to the Flag Research Center.

"That usage may have evolved from the white flag as a symbol of truce, which supposedly dates back to 1095 [CE] when Pope Urban II proclaimed the 'Peace of God' to be observed between belligerents on certain holidays.  On the other hand Jehan de Wawrin's 'Chronicle' refers to an incident when a Christian fleet was at anchor in the Bosporus in 1444.  A Turk on shore displayed a white pennant which 'according to their custom signified safety and a wish to parley.'  This suggests that the custom was not known to the Christians from Western Europe at that time, but was adopted by them later, based on this usage familiar to the Ottoman Turks."

In a series of follow-ups to this statement, appearing in FB # 161 and 172, the following is added:
"... on p. 22 of 'The National Flag of Japan' by N. Matsunami (published by the author in 1928): the 'Chronicle of the Empress Jingo (201-269 CE) mentions that the king of Silla had hoisted a white flag of surrender."  "... Matsunami's claim that the king of Silla state in Korea flew a white flag of surrender could not have occured before the middle of the 7th century CE and is at best based on a 15th century source."

The FB also ran some extensive articles on the symbols of Peace, including the color white, some time ago but that material is too extensive to quote.  If you are interested I could copy it for you and mail it at cost.

Q: 2- When and why did the signs for Red mean stop and Green mean Go.

This is an interesting question as it is exactly the reverse in China, where green means STOP and red means GO.  Probably the color red signifying STOP originated with the signal for danger (a plain red flag) which dates at least to the early years of the 19th century (railroads in the USA) and probably earlier.  Green was probably adopted as the opposite color. BTW, the Chinese convention I cited began during the Cultural Revolution of the mid- to late-1960s. Dave Martucci

A: It is believed that the Bedford Flag could be the oldest extant flag in the United States.  I say "could be" because dating such items is not an exact science.  The fragments in New Mexico are unknown to me, but the Pizarro Flag, which pre-dates the Bedford Flag, is supposedly still extant in Mexico City, Mexico.  The Moulton Flag (a MAINE Regiment) dates from 1745, as does the Louisbourg flag you mention.  Recently, a flag was found by a collector on Long Island, NY that probably dates from the late 17th century (a New England pattern militia flag of the 5th Regt.) but it is still undergoing examination. Most vexillologists believe (the book by the Friends of the Bedford Flag notwithstanding) the Bedford Flag was made in England in the mid-17th century, so it would appear to be the oldest in the USA.  However, if the argument in the Friends book that the materials could date from the early 18th century is accepted, then the NE 5th Regt. Militia flag presently in NY would apparently be the oldest.  Of course, at any time new items could come to light to change any or all of this.

Your safest bet is to say something like "The Bedford Flag has been long believed to be the oldest flag still extant in the USA ..." Hope this helps. Dave Martucci

A: With respect to "Scarlet" it wouldn't surprise me in the least.  Yes, damask is an unusual material for flag purposes, but in the Colonies flags were often made of whatever material was at hand.  For those who may not be familiar with such things, damask is a firm, glossy patterned fabric with a Jacquard weave.  The patterns are woven so that the "front" side usually has satin face designs which are reversed on the "back" side.  In two-color damask the colors reverse on either side.  Damask is similar to brocade but flatter and reversible; it may be linen, cotton, rayon or silk, or a combination of fibers.  It is most commonly used for making table linen, draperies and upholstery.  Another type of damask, called double damask, is woven with both ground and pattern in eight-shaft satin weave.  It has a firm texture and is used for formal table linens.

In my experience, admittedly with mostly "Civil War" flags, the most common materials used to make flags were wool and Silk. There were, however, many cotton and linen flags made, even though for a time (before the cotton "gin") cotton was considerably more expensive than wool.  Nonetheless, the exigencies of the times considered, a "Scarlet O'Hara" is not out of the question.  I hope they removed the rod.  Richard R. Gideon

A: In response to the question who can burn the American flag.  Welcome to the USA where if it is your flag you may burn it... with a few cautions.  Some cities may have rules about burning trash, which would forbid you from burning the flag as a means of disposal.  This may be why you think that only the military or scouts can burn the flag, there may be provision in local ordinances allowing for this exception to these organizations.  Nathan Bliss

A: Unfortunately, I know of no photographs or "accurate" drawings because there are not (to the best of my knowledge) any surviving examples of the "1824" flag or the "Liberty or Death" flag from Goliad.

In my opinion, it is highly unlikely that the "1824" flag flew at the Alamo as this flag represented the sentiments of those Texians like Stephen F. Austin who wanted to remain part of Mexico, but as a separate state (at that time, Texas was part of El Estado de Coahuila y Tejas) in a federal system loyal to the Mexican federal constitution of 1824.  The 1824 flag was actually adopted by the Provisional Government of Texas on November 29, 1835 as an ensign for registered civil vessels and vessels sailing under letters of marque and reprisal.  This flag disappeared from use after the adoption of the 1836 national standard and the 1836 national flag for the naval service.  The land use of the 1824 flag, if any, is not documented.

The "Liberty or Death" flag from Goliad is referred to as the Troutman flag.  In November 1835, Johanna Troutman made a lone star flag in Crawford County, Georgia.  This flag is said to have consisted of white silk displaying a blue embroidered lone star and the words "LIBERTY OR DEATH" on one side and on the reverse the motto "UBI LIBERTAS HABITAT, IBI NOSTRA PATRIA EST" ("where liberty resides, there is our homeland").  Troutman presented her flag to William Ward's Georgia Battalion, which carried the flag to Texas and unfurled it at Velasco on January 8, 1836, over the American Hotel.  The flag was later carried to Goliad, where James W. Fannin raised it on March 8, 1836, to celebrate the news of the Texas Declaration of Independence.  The Troutman flag was reportedly destroyed by the wind during the Goliad Campaign of 1836 when it got caught in its halyard.  I hope this is of some help to you. Charles Spain