Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1889-12-13
LINEMEN.
After a Storm Their Tasks Are
Hard and Perilous.
Men Drift Into the Trade Naturally
Their Work and How 1t Is Paid
They Dread Storms More Than
SaiIOrmen DO.

1t is in the room where the llnemen
meet to find out where there are wires
in trouble that they will have to fix.
just which one of the companies it
may be, never mind for the COM
panies do not like to have their line
men talk of the hardships and dangers
of the work and the little pay given
for their services, and If the linemen
were discovered telling the secrets of
their work it might go hard with
them. 1t is Monday morning, and the
linemen have come from their homes
to report to their foremen for duty.
Sunday was a bad day. There was q
cyclone down off the coast, and through
the night it blew briskly over Man
hattan's housetops. Wires got crossed,
insulation sheaths became abraded,
long stretches of lines were swayed by
the wind till they grew slack, and all
through Sunday night there was diff
Guilty in sending messages either by
telephone or telegraph. And now this
Monday morning is even worse than
was Sunday. There is fog, there is
rain, and once in awhile there are
swift gusts of wind. 1t will be what
the men call a trouble day, and there
will be more than plenty of work
for them to do. Already the districts
throughout the city have reported to
headquarters the trouble in this street
and that street The foremen of the
various gangs of linemen have re.
celved tables showing where the
breaks. the crosses and the other
faults are. and now, at a little after
eight clock this Monday morning,
the foreman and his gang go out in
the rain and wind to make the wires
serviceable
1t is familiar sight to New York
ers, these groups of three, four OF
more sturdy men in rough clothes
walking smartly along, tools for fixing
wires in their hands, and the strap.
and spurs of their "climb ers" hanging
over their shoulders. They are al
men with courage written on theil
faces and agile strength shown il
their bodies, arms and legs. On ant
on they walk, with their eyes, from
force OF habit, glancing up toward tn,
wires reaching from pole to pole ant
extending across house roofs. Pres
emily the foreman halts, and the other
stop behind him. Here is the frs
place of trouble in the district whicl
this gang Is covering. The foreman
gives his instructions and the me,
prepare for work. First they bin,
around their legs the spurs, and the,
taking one comprehensive survey O
the wires aloft they see that thei
tools are all right in their pockets
Now the climbing begins One man
NJ TINS pole, another is at the next one
ana another somewhere else along tn
street. The tall sticks of timber ar
sixty or seventy feet high. In a Tiff
tne iinemen are up among the cross
pieces Often there are loiterers VIII
hnger on the curbstoues to watch III
work. But it is difficult to tell ms
what the laborers are doing away n
there in the air. 1t isn't pleasant I
turn up ones face to the falling rain
crops and besides, the maze of wire
hlnders close observation. and tb
most careful of onlookers finds himseI
unable to see fully the operations c
the hneman One thing you can easil
- - -"-~--------------------
see' though, and that is that the work
man displays exceeding care in select
ing his position and in managing no
10 touch certain wires.
AT last he descends from the cross
pieces and stands upon the flag walt
Out he has no time to waste. and i
soon on to another pole. up that a
WORK IN the maze. then down agai,
ana OIL to another pole. Then per
maps MS work takes him to the roc
ora house, and he must climb careful
~ over the slanting tin or slate h
fdEGIul hAnt