Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1889-12-13


caves. Ave, six. perhaps eight stories
above the ground So 1t goes with MN
until six o'clock p. M, and at that hour
the regular work OF the day ceases-
This Monday it is hard TO keep the
work up until six o'clock p. M. for ~
ia dark, and even at five o'clock the
lineman has to strain his eyes to see
clearly that he does his work right.
Besides, it is raining even now, and the
poles and cross pieces are slippery. A
false step. an incautious movement
weak thrust OF the spur into the tall
stick. and the lineman would fall to the
stones below.
"Well, | am glad there's one more
davis work DONE" remarks the work.
err among aerial wires, as finally he
touches the earth again. m glad,
he goes on, .for now l know that for
a dozen hours or SO ! won't be running
any more chances OF accident than men
in other kinds of work Ordinarily we
linemen dom t bother much about think
ing of the danger we are in on the poles
and on housetops. That Is, a year ago
we didn't mind it much, but now we
seldom begin a days work without
wondering whether it is going TO be
our turn next to slip and fall or touch
deadly wire as Feeks did. You see
it. s been pretty nearly within the last
year that the fatal accidents have hap
pened, and 1 tell you they have made
us men rather nervous. We always
knew we had a hard life. but we kind
ar got used to it. There didn't use to
be SO much danger of getting death
shock. Now the danger has in
creased
"How do men get to be linemenP"
"Oh, just the same as men get to be
engaged in any thing that is perilous.
A young man hasn't had a chance to
get some safe, pleasant trade; he
wants work, and he takes the first
thing that comes his way. lived in
a small town up the State, and had
been doing various things. A tele-
graph company came along and want
ed me to help put up new line. l
got job, just the same as lots, yes,
most linemen, got started-in hand
hing the reels of wires or helping the
men that strung them onsthe poles. l
was groundman-that's what they
call 'em-and did my work all right.
None of us groundmen had to climb
poles. The foreman wouldn't let u.s.
He said it was risky and the company
wouldn't let us go up the pole and fall
down and smash our heads. They
didn't care for us or our getting hurt,
but they did care about having to pay
damages That's what was the matter.
Well. l worked along for some months
and never went up pole. But knew
l could do it, for there wasn't tree
anywhere around my town that
couldn't got up along with any other
boy. and without being boosted,
either. So one Sunday lot of us
ground men were talking about climb
ing-we were boarding at a farm.
house along the road where the line
was being built, and Sunday we didn't
work-and while we were talking
about skinning up trees and climbing
. telegraph poles fellow dared me te
go up pole. 1t was big one, and
the ground all "ound was stony, sc
that fall would have been serious
but l put on pair Of climbers ani
sailed up that pole as slick as the fore
man could have done it. That's wha
made me a lineman. The foreman
heard there was a groundman in the
gang that could go up apole, and mex
time he had to recommend some fell
he named So here l am, going VI
poles and fussing around with wires
How did learn what to do with tn,
wiresp Oh, from watching the line
: men whenever as groundman l hat
: the chance. 1t isn't hard work just Il
'. repair or change wires; the Difficult
y part is in the having to do it so higl
= up in the air with such an awfully in
a secure footing. Sometimes a wire
. slack; then all there is to do is to pull
', it taut and fasten it. Perhaps a lin
- has got out of place and crosses an
other The current is spoiled then
and we have to straighten the wires S
that each will be independent of tn
: other Or may be there is piece c
- bad wire somewhere. We find it GU
!, and cut it down. and then put in ne,
-. stretch and splice it at each end. Non
OF these things. is very hard nor re
qulres much expert knowledge. Sti
: lineman doesn't get them all at once
:. Generally he begins on easy work
. The first thing he has to know how I
. do is to climb pole. Then when
% % gets there he mus, know just what t
!, do. Some groundmen learn to elm
j. pole, but there they stop. Perhar
- it's because they don't know how t
4 work in wire even little bit, or ma
=, be it's because they get nervous an
- are so ratified that it takes too long fc
n them to get through simple Job"
The hneman struck an importar
:, subject when he spoke of nervousness.
- Many men can tell just what ought I
\, be done with the wires, and could d
the work if it were to be done on tn
- ground. They fail utterly, though
a when the job must be done on tt
- cross-piece of stick of tim Der as hig
=, as mast The successful linemen d
i, not drink They say that even lit
. aquor makes them unable to stay on
10 nign cross-piece. Their legs al