Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1892-07-30
DENNIS TRIUMPHED.
The Happy Scheme Hit Upon by Re-
sourceful Lineman.

Tno HAPPY scheme Hit Upon by q re- |
sourceful Lineman.
Away back at the time when an cleo
trio lamp was still thing of mystery
and a big card in advertising, a certain
magnate in a southern city, who was
about to entertain his friends at a large
ball, decided that seven or eight arc
lamps in his house would effectively
add to the splendor OF the scene. He
interviewed the manager of the local
company, who made the condition that
he should secure the right of way from
the station to his house "a distance of
about one mile and three-q uarters) on
the poles of q certain telegraph com
pany. This was successfully negotiated,
and the boss linaman was put in charge
of the installation with the general in
structions that those lights had to be
going by six o'clock in the evening,
Dec goIcntc, and by seven o'clock whether
or no.
Like good general, Dennis began by
installing his lamps; he had them prop
erly hung, wired and trimmed, and left
the ends of the circuit outside one of
the windows so that his men would not
be in the way or find others in their
way as the time for the starting drew
near. He then proceeded to run the
wire from the station to the house, and
at $50 had run one line complete and
was within a mile with the other when
his wire gave out. Sending to the sta
| tion for another reel he was confronted
| with the fact that the company had alb
| solutely none in its store room. Even
| all the scrap had been sold but n week
| before, leaving not a hundred yards OF
wire available, The telephone was in
Immediate requisition and every one in
town likely to have copper wire was
called up, among others the writer, then
engaged in installing large isolated
| plant. but who was himsaf in the same
fix. The town was suffering from a
wire famine from which there was no
relief 1t must be remembered that
copper wire of any kind was.not then a
commodity SO easily obtained as it is
| now.
Dennis Sound himself in trouble, and
when $3.50 arrived and there was nc
copper wire he thought that his name
was truly "Dennis" if he could not get
out of the hole somehow, but what with
the magnatc howling for the lights at
one end of the line, and the superinten.
dent at the other end bowling for the
closing of the circuit, he was almost in
despair. 1t was dusk by this time, and
with II brilliant ntinspiration and thatreclS'
less disregard of other peoples rights
which forms such pleasing feature in
the average lineman' character, Dennis
calmly proceeded to cut six or eight ot
the telegraph wires at the point where
his copper had given out; these ht
buncEed together on one end of hi
line, then he hustled up to the mag
Mates house, and cutting the same 81,
or eight wires proceeded to connec
them up with what little scrap h
had to the end of the house-line. HI
then cheerfully telephoned to the sta
tion to go ahead" The lights came
up in great shape and every one was de
lighted.
When the ball was over at o'clock il
the morning, Dennis with one trust,
henchman sworn to secrecy, proceeded
! hastily to splice up the wires which hat
been cut. Half an hour later, with tn
calmness born of conscious rectitud
and duty done, he watched the unhapp,
linemen of the telegraph company wan
d,ring up the street with their eye
turned heavenwald to discover tn
trouble on the Associated Press" an,
several "local" lines.-Electricity