Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-13
Talk of n Wire Chief.

eohScehtiouS wire chief, when he
opens MS eyes In the morning and finds the
Weather oad' VIII make a Decline for the
ONCE, as his experience teaches him that
wire trouble can be surely expected. and he
VIII endeavor to patch things up bv tho
time the general operating force renorts To-
duty. When any line refuses to work or
cuts up monkey-shines we Immediately
sound the wire to find the station nearest
10 the break. Sitting on chairs not far
from the board are our Hnemen ready for
me WORD go. When we locate the break
between two stations we give the word and
and F frna,i start out to find the trouble,
anu frequently, especially during the winter
nIonths' IL Is severe task to repair the
break after it is once discovered.
AS ps soon as the terminal station is lost,
MADE on the switch board to determ,ne
Whetner the wire is OPEN crossed nr
grounded. The strength of the curr.nt
SHOWS whether the trouble is close at hand
or SOME distance away The statinn
nearest 10 where the fault is suspected 10
then called. If there Is no respon 80 Other
stations are called until the ground is 10.
Gated. 10 io
Lincmen Are Important Personare..
The hnemen are then ordered to the snot
10 repair the damage. Meanwhile a match
wire Is connected and the business diverted
10 apotner line OF course the demands and
tai
into consideration, and this is where the
executive faculties of the wire chief are
brought into play. Patching or Joining the
disabled line with another ON the same
route must be done with a wire of less i'm
portance than that at fault IL there he opa
Inc nnemen are very important personages
at all times, but their Importance increases
IN PROPORTION to their activity after de-
struetive storms like those of last fall A
certain number are attached to each divis-
lon They generally work in couples when
wires are merely crossed. grounded or bro
Ken. Their outfit Is unique, but simple
Spikes attached to their heavy boots ena-
bic them to climb the poles easily enough,
but they have to possess the sailors knack
OF hanging on and working in shaky places
roles sway like the maStS OF ship In a
heavy wind, and splicing wires or fixing
lnsulators at a height of fifty or seventy
fVe feet requires cool head as we'll as
strong and nimble fingers. When a storm
Is roaring over and about them the danger
and excitement of the work are increased
trical storm.
Il remember when 1 was a messenger boy
up in Altoona, Pa, that rare exhibition
or nerve came under my notice. Orders
had been given to place new switch board
In the office. which was located in the Lo-
gan House. The board had arrived several
days previous. and two men were ordered
up from Huntington to place 1t in position
on a certain day. They had hardly COM
menced work before severe thunder storm
broke over the city. The lightning came
into the office over the wires with start
ling frequency and the crack of the cur
rent as 1t struck the lightning arrester
sounded like pistol shot
Gen. Sheridan's Opinion.
"The office was located in the main guest
room of the hotel. Gen. Sheridan had ar
rived but an hour before. having decided to
stop over from one train to another. The
distinguished arrival became noised about
and the office had filled up with a large
crowd of curious onlookers. AS the storm
increased in force and the sounds at the
lightning arrester became louder, the crowd
edged toward the further end of the big
ROOM The general was sitting near the
little telegraph office talking with several
big railroad officials, but as the frequency
of the shocks increased he too followed
the crowd. The two nnemen worked on.