The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-10-17

Teiephoae Companies decided 80 Join
hands in this great euferpTise. whsEh cos
tsmrsase1 Ehe construction q an innr1--
tant main aTfeTy destined to Ink together
the already important local systems Of the
various companies On P1ges soaad. IN the
Willamette vsiIey ard Ia Eastern Wash
iaxt5a ard Oregon and North Idaho u
was determined as the outset that nothing
shonId Dc left undone 90 insure the best re-
suts that good material snd firss-cisss
Sorkmanshlp and sur@rvlsioa could give.
The line i@ No. ~ hard drawn copper
metallic cireuat. ard is traasposed every
half mile. AL joinss in the wsFe are made
with Nefntyre sleeves. which form
thoroughly strong Joint mechanically and
give perfect electrical contact.
The POLES are Of live cedar. varying in
length from thirty 20 sixty-tiye fee, and
are carefully selected. 50 a. 20 admit only
the very soundest material. A special
point has been made OF using tai poles 50
as TO carry the wires clear OF trees and
other wires The poles are set in as
straight a line ~ possible and 81 leas; six
feet in the ground. Along the Columbia
river miles Of heavy blasting was neces-
sary, il often costing as much as $40 20 set
single pole in the rock. IL 10 standing
rule that the lowest wires Of iong-dis-
taDee telephone line shall clear ali obssruc-
tions by 81 least six feet The cross-arms
are Of seasoned or, nine and one.half feet
long. and are fastened 20 the poles by long
fetter drive bolts. Each cross-arm carries
SIX seasoned oak pins for pony glass in
suiators.
In building the line the greatest possible
care vas taken TO have the spans as even
as possible the length of the span does
not exceed 100 feet. On curves the regular
span is departed from aud poles are placed
closer together, but as soon as the
line is beyond the curve the regu-
lar spacing is returned co. At all
curves the poles are thoroughly guyed or
braced. head or side guys being used as
the conditions demand. A special point
IS made Of keeping the line as level as pos
sibse; that is. Of avoiding abrupt changes
Of level in the wires themselves. To this
end the height of the poles is proportioned
To the contour OF the ground, tail poles
being placed in dips and valleys and short
ones on knobs and eminences.
To secure favorable electrical conditions,
apart from the scientific arrangement of
the line for neutralizing inductIve dis
turbances, the very highest grade OF con-
struction was absolutely necessary. The
second great advantage which arises from
the adoption Of n high standard Of line
construction is the trustworthiness of the
service. which is one of the most salient
features OF Iong-distance telephony.
Although at times considerable dis
tances and expenditure OF money could
have been saved by the use of cables,
aerial and submarine, economical measures
Of that character have been ignored for
the reason that cables are always causing
more or less trouble. In this line only
two cables are used. one on the bottom of
the Willamette river at Portland. and one
on the bottom OF the Columbia river at
Vancouver. their total length being about
one mile and half which the telephone
people claim offers as much resistance to
the working of the line as thirty or forty
miles of overhead wire.
While, as above indicated. a great deal
OF patience, care and large outlay of
money has been used in the construction
OF the line, such details as lightning arrest
ers. strong current protectors. testing APP
paratus. signaling and switching devices
have claimed their share of attention and
been developed TO the greatest possible
degree of efficiency, each and every detail
contributing IN great or small proportion
TO the general magnificent contamination
providing the people of the Northwest
with facilities for talking TO each other. no
matter how great the distance which
separates them.