Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1892-02-06
DENNIS AND THE WIRES.

! How LIneinans Selted. lis name anu
49,, Furnished y ignt for tl,s IsaI t.:
Away back at the time Wien an
electric lamp was still thing ct
mystery and a big card in adyei'tis-
ing, certain magnate in d 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 So
cure the right of way from the sta
ton to his house Ia distance of about
one mile and three-quarters) on the
poles of a certain telegraph com
pany. This was successfully nego-
tiated, and the boss lineman was put
in charge of the installation with the
general instructions that those lights
had to be going by 6o'clock i'll the
evening.
Like good general. Dennis began
by installing his lamps; he had them
all properla hung. wired and trimmed,
and left tLso ends of the circuit out
side 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 half past
had run one line complete and was
within half mile with the other
when his wire gave out. Sending to
the station for another reel. he was
confronted with the fact that the
company had absolutely none in Its
storeroom.
Even all the scrap had been sold
but week before. leaving not Il hun
dred yards of wire available. Tho
telephone was in immediate reNlisl-
ton and every one in town likely to
have copper wire was called up,
among others the writer, then en-
gagged in installing a large isolated
plant, but who was himself i'll the
same fix. The town was suffering
from a wire famine from which there
was no relief. 1t must be remeln-
bcrCd that Uoppo,- ss.,3--i.i.'-'-
was not then commodity SO easily
obtained as it is now.
Dennis found himself in trouble,
and when half past arrived and
there was no copper wire he thought
that his name was truly Dennis if
he could not get out of the hole some
how, but what with the magnate
bowling for the lights at one end Of
the line and the superintendent at the
other end bowling for the closing of
the circuit, he was almost in despair.
1t was dusk by this time, and with a
brilliant inspiration and that reck-
less disregard of other peoples
rights, which forms such a pleas
ing feature in the average line
mans character, Dennis calmly pro-
ceeded to cut six or eight of the tele-
graph wires at the point where his
copper had given out. These he
punched together on one end of his
line; then he hustled up to the mag
Mates house, and cutting the same
six or eight wires, proceeded to con-
meet them up with what little scrap
he had to the ends of the house line
He then cheerfully telephoned to the
station to go ahead" The lights
came up in great shape and every one
was delighted.
When the ball was over at o'clock
in the morning Dennis, with one
trusty henchman, sworn to secrecy,
proceeded hastily to splice UP the
wires which had been cut. Half an
hour later. with the calmness born
of conscious rectitude and duty done,
he watched the unhappy inemen of
the telegraph company wandering
up the street with their eyes turned
heavenward to discover the trouble
on the Associated Press" and sew
eral local" ines.-New York Tele-
gram.