Wichita eagle., 1888-05-13
WHAT LINEMEN SEE.
CURIOUS PEEPS INTO SECOND.
STORY WINDOWS.

ne would have come 10 New York and been a
hneman A lineman Is 8 man who has tie
privilege of climbing ap poles and hooking in
at eyerybodys windows az any hour OF the
day or night The linenen are the property
u the telegraph. telephone, electric hsh. and
other companies that prs-eIapt lie atmosphere
for their business, as other people buy land
for factories. There are several hundred OF
them in New York and vicinity.
These are some other things that different
lnemen allege they have seen in the course OF
their professional careers:
a husband lying in bed whiio his wife built
the fire.
\ young man kissing girl behind her "a
theirs back
Biddy from the kitchen trying on the
nissus' dresses
A sick girl nursing rosebush on tene-
ment window sill
Two counuymen being fieeced at bracs
game of poker.
Two girls making shirts for twenty-nins
cents day apiece.
A Young nlar calling en- his giri and trying
to economics gas.
A cat jumping on caaary's cage lineman
yelled and bird was saved.
A cat Just about 20 DC bit by an empty
bottle coming from an upper window.
A father, mother and four children making
meal off of boiled soup bone and three po-
tStoes.
\ pitcher Of water ON It's way down 70
serenader who was PLAYING Sweet Nioietsn
on a guitar.
A baby pulling dogs tail. and three cat,
keeping watch over the body Of an old woman
who had starved TO death in garnet
"We never pay much attention 70 things
we see from up the poles" said telephone
hneman who called himself Smith. yesterday.
"That is, as a general thing. Sometimes it's
different
"One thing we telephone linensn see pretty
often is man with club. We generally
see him on the roofs. jim over there with
his arm in the sling is the last one that sec
that particular ghost walk. he had Just got
line over the roof OK big banker that lives
up on Forty fifth street, and has been fighting
the telephone company for six months He
bad got up as being caller on the butler,
who had room in the attic, and he was just
wondering whether he had better go down
the same way, when Mr.. Bankers head came
up through the scuttle. Time was short and
the stick the banker had was long. 1t was
seventeen feet down 70 the next roof but Jim
Jumped 1t. The people thought an earth
quake or something had landed on their roof,
but Jim told them he had only fell from a
passing balloon, and slipped down to the
street before they had tins 20 ask him any
thing about who was 10 pay for mending The
roof"
Curious, however, and interesting as are
the things seen by linemen in the houses Of
citizens, it is doubtful IL any Of them arc one
half SO curious as what citizens might see in
one home Of the hnemen, little eight by
twelve Granny between the opsruting roouf
and the sixth floor Of the Western Union
building From its single small window tho
view is through mass Of wires down upon
the red roof Of ST. Paul's The smoky haze
of the roofs and the roar OF the street creep
up from far below in vague quavers Of sight
and sound The air is heavy with the odor
of the rubber insulation which covers thu
wires Three or four broken backed chairs,
prudentlY fastened 10 the walls With loops Of
wire 70 prevent their being carried off to
some other department, are ali the furniture.
The room is dark and dingy
Every wire tho. enters tho building must
pass through this room before IL can get 10
the operating room overhead. Lying In ir-
regular clusters and tangled mcssc-, inex-
tricable and only 20 he traced out separately
by patient expertnsss, they form the wall
and ceiling OF the room. Hundreds of little
inch square cardboard tags, hung from them,
futter ike snow white aspen leaves on
tangled black twigs In the hrseza that comes
through the narrow window. Through tho
door at one end can be seen glass Jars, ak
inches wide and eight high, filed with green
liquid, 10. 900 Of them stacked tier on tier IN
wooden racks, with NARROW alleys running
between. An opening at the other end Of
the room admits the sound Of the dynanos. a
sound that Is almost silance IN the coeSsIss.,
low, unvaryfng monotone Purctuating it
all is the regular silver tinkls Of the ntns
bell on tho staircase outside that STRIKES on
the seconds year in and year out. marking
true time for half the country.
Engineer Brown. who sits among dynamo
machines In the greasy blouse and ovsralls a
q laborcr and talks about ohrns vol.s. arm.
pheres, and other strange electrical things
With the ease and viysci.y y a man Of science.
says that for seven years that duIl why az
the dynamos bas never ceased There srs
three gangs OF fvsrnachines each Two gnnzs
are always running. II ode breaia down the
third gang Is started IN IL place. but nsves
for q moInant since they frss stareed have
they paused or rss.sd In tasax work a grinding
cot electricity. They take tho place OF "a 900
Of the Jara SO many would cover az, acre Il
ground, even STACKED up 6ss or six desp. as
arc the 1000 jars SSH retained b work
the Kew York city ciscaitz A De- plant Il
larger machines b nov heing paacut IN tho
basement Of TO baildins Whsu tbsy are
ready tbs prescus machines win ssop fcs tbs
frss and Last time, and the new ones -1u
begin what viii come as DeAy 70 parpstasi
motion ss anything yst devised, Tor nothI>
ing Tut an earthquake o. similar cssaelysfn
VIII stop them. until they. too, prove too
mail, and have 70 give pl.cs 70 k.zi larger
one
Foreman Brown. who pre<idss Ia The lins.
rnenS acne, ard 1fich out AZ q moments
notice any ore q che 30 ~sr-s that ere
tangled ~ IA The odorons rubtsry r-.sass On
the walls ard ceiling Il tbs roona. ssys shsf
cuIy fourteen rnsa are nov required 70 iooh
after the Western Cnlon wires IN TIE eltx.
This IL becauss pbs wires irz.s<ad a t<4ns
strs.cbsd On shs poles xnzfv. are icing
bunched into catAes q rfnss~sn Zach. and rzu
tsas over tbs poles or in coEs5uiss uIsdsr-
gre-nd BY fail, lie says, aa the ws~sssr
Union wires 10 ths city VIII bs eAkisd. Sew
sral of these cahlss are attached 20 the sl.-
waited railroad structures tad otbsrs run
Underground, % Tat, 20 Tar - tsss wes.<-n
Inioo Is ooDosrnssi, the overhead visss vii
e hearty goDa as 10 underground wires,
r. Brown says tkat The eorsranr Ca ga
e. been abs 70 en- q system tAas .fQ prs-
rye tie oAbles. on al Average, ionzsr dan
oas year. After tia: assy have = L. re-
placed sisa ns~.-fs- York Sen.