Wichita eagle., 1888-11-06
TELEGRAPH CLIMBERS.
4 VOCATION WHICH REQUIRES 4
CLEAR HEAD AND SURE NERVES

The Dangers Which Beset Climbers-Duz.
ing Thunder s.orm-wonderful Skill
IN Locating Breaks1The Linenan on .
Tramp-Na1nes of the Wires.
The work and experiences Of telegraph
climber have much in them to interest not
only the small boy but older persons as well
There is enough Of danger and adventure in
their work to make their occupation an In
teresting one Particularly is this true where
a telegraph line is being put up or repaired in
a wild and almost uninhabited region. Tele-
graph lines have been run through sections so
infested with hostile Indians that detach-
ment of soldiers had to be sent along to pro
tect the workmen. Repairing wires broken
by falling trees or branches has not infre-
quently to be done now in the west In dis
tricts where life is more or less in danger.
The climbers and inemen out west often 60
as completely armed as do hunters and scouts.
But the chief dangers which beset climbers
are not occasioned by Indians OF wild beasts
There is great danger of falling unless the
man is experienced As is well known, those
who have to climb telegraph poles strap
climbers onto their foot TO enable them to
obtain foothold as they ascend or descend
These may be loosely described by saying
that they are a sort of open work iron boot
strapped to the foot and leg and provided
just beneath the instep with sharp spike.
which with each step taken by the wearer il
stamped or rather jabbed By the leg into the
pole. These spikes are artificial substitutes
for claws. The experienced climber will jah
the pole with each step SO as to get secure
footing every time, and do it as readily al
be would take step on q pavement. Tha
inexperienced one Will often find his footing
insecure, and as he raises one foot the other
sustaining his weight viii slip and he win
fall unless he is quick and fortunate enough
to get a new foothold, which is difficult
matter.
Another danger which climbers have to
undergo at certain times is from electricity.
Often during a storm and for some TINA
ufterward the wires ere heavily charged
with electricity or lightning and a wet teie-
graph pole is a sufficiently good conductor,
frequently, to convey it from the wires 20
tho body of any one who may happen to be
clambering up the pole. A shock thus re-
ceived is very likely to knock the climber to
the ground Repairers, on this account,
usually suspend work during thunder storm
and for short time afterward It is impos-
sible, however, always to tell when the dan
ger is over.
In the country each stretch Of about $50
miles Of telegraph lire is in charge Of one
man SO far as repairs are concerned. He
must be a climber and thoroughly under
stand his business. Light repairing he does
alone, and occasional help, such as Is neces-
sary in putting up poles that have been
blown down, he gets from the railroad sec
ton hands. He is generally paid jointly by
the railroad and telegraph company. When
ever any considerable damage is done to tho
lines by q severe storm or otherwise full
crew of men is sent out from Chicago or the
nearest large city to repair them. A force Of
twenty-five hnemen, groundmen and repair
ers is kept at the Western Union office in
Chicago. Ten Or twelve Of them are Kept
busy in shifting poles and lines, and the
others attend to the repairing necessary to
be done in the city and within Q radius Of
fifteen miles or q little more
The skill displayed in locating breaks is
wonderful. In or near the city, whether the
wires are underground or overhead. breaks
can quite easily be located by means Of test
stations. As these are generally only two or
three blocks apart, when it is ascertained
that the break is between two given stations
but little time is required in finding it. Out
in the country there Is more difficulty. By
means of tests it can be found out that the
break or crossing of wires is between two
certain stations but these stations are often
ten, twenty or thirty miles apart. It has,
for example,, been ascertaiIled in tho nnain
Office that wire fails to work and that the
trouble lies somewhere between Kenosha and
Racine, distance of about twenty miles.
The inernan takes the train for Kenosha
He does not get OF there, but remains on the
train and looks intently at the telegraph
wires to discover where the break is If the
wire is broken and hangs down he can usu-
ally discover it from the train. Should the
trouble arise from two wires being crossed
merely the discovery of tho locationis much
more difiicult and cannot be made from the
moving train with any certainty. If the
Hneman goes clear to Racine without locat-
ing the trouble he starts back afoot, walking
as nearly as possible under tho wires and
looking up at them. Sooner or later he is
pretty sure to locate the difficulty, though it
may be only after a tiresorae tramp of ten
or fifteen mikes and a "crick In the neck"
The experienced linenan, when OUT ON such
tramp, does not have TO look at all the wires
overhead. He knows the particular wire that
has failed to work, and ie knows its location
on the crosstrees at the top Of the poles, SO be
has only to watch that particular wire The
experienced inenan can stand by a pole
which sustains fifty wires and can name every
one Of them and tell their terminal points
The railroad wires always take their name
from the road, as Michigan Southern f."
'Grand Trunk g" etc. The commercial wires
are some of them named after the roads and
some of them after their terminal points.
When named from the roads they differ in
designation from the railroad wires only by
number. Michigan Southern 4 may Be q
railroad wire, while Michigan Southern 8
may be a commercial wire. st Louis 8,
Cincinnati Il !" Milwaukee s" are examples
of wires named from their terminal poiuta
All est. Louis" wires go to st. Louis, but
they do not all go along the same railroad
They go by all roads, and soDs go by tho