New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-07-22
AMONG TIE TELEGRAPH WIRES.
LIGHT on TIE WORK OF THE LINEMEN.

LIGHT on TIE WORK OF THE LINEMEN.
ave have "a sort of up-and-down life" said
lneman OF the Western Union Telegraph
Company II TRIBUNE reporter the other day. Some
times we are worked to death. and others we have
dead loaf Most of our work comes In the nastiest
weather too Just certain we have heavy thun-
dorstorn and It's raining cats and dogs, something gets
the matter with the line and ARE sent out to hunt
the wrong But of the hardest time OF the year
is the winter Then the wires get coated with Ice and
break is easy enough TO find break, though It's
the escapes that bother us more than anything else"
"Mhat is an escape T.
AN escape Is when from other the wire
comes In oontnct with conducting substance and
ground connection established The current Is broken
thcn of course, and you can't get into communication
over that wire"
"what IL the most frequent cause of escapes =
"somotmes the wires como IN contact with wood
where they tied to the nsuators. This is caused
frequently by careless teng the part Of the nemen,
and sometimes the tie gets loose This is the most fire.
ouent cause OF escapes Another is the swinging
of the wires The span between two poles stretches and
swings aud whenever II strikes another wire the cur
rent is lost and 1t becomes difficult matter to send
message. Words and phrases are dropped out
" How do you 20 to work TO hunt trouble "
1--WE have TO follow wire until we find It, Say we
get word that City 80 some other wire is wrong
We look nc our diagram and find which nsuator the
wire Is We have diagrams OF every pole IN inc CITY,
Then follow the wire until We discover
IL requires u quick eye and long experience To hunt
trouble properly In the city here especially, where we
have sometimes ns high seventy live wires on pole,
and have TO follow the wire over housetops, around
corners and every other way"
"Do you have to climb every pole " .,
Not necessarily So although the climbing Is the east
eat purt of the business But experienced Hnembn
can generally tell ut glance II anything Is the matter
Sometimes though, when there Is escape on account
of Improper eing. have good deal VI difficulty"
How do You learn the business T.
swell at first put at gang work, that is gang
of new men put under an experienced lineman To
put up new lines or to make repairs They learn the
rudiments OF the business then. After they get far
enough along they put 10 work In the country ana
the best OF them ultimately come to the city,"
How does country work compare with city "
"Oh, it's great deal easier You see in the country
there are only few lines on POLE and rs they run
right straight along tia easy eating PIE TO hunt
trouble there, though does tell cold winter night
when it's showing and freezing hard enough to parayze
brass monkey but 10 tests mans ability as lineman
to ind trouble In the city where tho wires rs thick
as peas in pod We have good dea OF un with the
plugs when they first TO the city. We go ahead
and change the wires and .end plug over 10 Jersey
when he wants TO go to YOnkers."
Doesn't that interfere with busnessP ,
oh, no. They practise at first on dead wires ,
DO you find that the fire ana police wires hteriero
with your work y -, .,.,,on.
Yes a good deal. You these fire and telephone
fellows will change the wires pole ana VIC very
quently nnd our diagrams all wrong. Iheh VIC inaAo
new diagrams"