Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1897-07-01

Miss Florence Paine, daughter of
Mr.. Seth Paine, former Audubon
business man, will be united in mar
riage July 7th, TO Mr.. G. A. Hogge,
at the home of the Paine family, $50
Colorado Avenue, Chicago.
|. P. Hansen, of southwest Leroy
township shipped two carloads of
corn 10 Peoria last week. The re-
turns showed that one car was nd
grade and the other No. 4. Mr.. Ham
sen cleaned up with lie per bushel.
A company is building long dis
lance telephone from New York City
to Omaha and the workmen will
stretch the wire through this country
at point short distance north Of
Lorah. The following interesting ac-
count of how the workmen build the
line was sent us by Wallace VanGorder
formerly a resident of Audubon, but
who now resides at Newton, Iowa:
The long-distance telephone is now
approaching Des Moines. Last spring
year ago it was put through from
Chicago to Davenport. May 10, 1897,
they commenced again at Davenport
to extend it through to Omaha. A gang
commenced at Davenport and is to go
to Des Moines. At the present time,
June 24th) they are going through
Newton. 1t is as much of a show to
see them work as it is to see circus
gang put up their tent-they are near
ly as much looked for as circus. The
first thing to be seen is the teams haul
ing the poles from the depot, distribute
ing them along the line. The poles
differ in length, running from IS to go
feet. The short ones they set on the
thigh hill" and the long ones in the
Glow dale "-this is to level the line as
much as possible. Next comes about a
half dozen men who dig the holes, in
which operation they dig down about
two feet, then take long auger and
bore down eight or nine feet, depend
ing on the length of the pole. The
anger makes 14-inch hole at the bot
tom of which they place a stick of
dynamite and touch it off. The dirt
is thrown fifty feet in the air, thus
draining the hole ready for the pole.
Following them are about dozen men
one with q two-wheel cart and the
balance with u pike pole each who
throw the pole OH the cart and wheel
it where it should be. One end lies in
the hole and the other end is elevated
as it lies across the cart, then the men
with their pike poles get under it and
raise 1t up, and pass on to the next.
Then comes four more with shovels
and what they call "tamps,n thing
to pound and make the dirt solid
about the pole. About eight hours
following come the line-men putting
up the wires, six in number. They
have wagon containing large plat
form with six reels thereon. These
reels are filled with wire and they have
a sort of a gripper to which the six
wires are fastened, long wire rope is
hitched to this with team attached.
This rope is carried on top of the pole
and the six wires are strung. They
will stretch a mile of wire at time, il
in straight line, otherwise they stop at
corners or turns. At the end of this
wire speak of they will set their pull
lies and stretch the wire till perfectly
straight. There is no slack from one
pole to another. A man will set on ton
of pole and when it becomes level he
will stop them and the wires are fast
ened. They average four miles day,
and put forty poles to the mile. The
gang contains ninety-eight men. The
wires are copper and can be seen for a
mile. This gang only goes to Des
Moines, another gang is between Des
MOnes and Omaha.