Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-16

line the strain on the poles is equalized by
guying A stake fs driven by the surveying
party to show the exact location Of every
pole, instructions as to its length, whether
1t is to be guyed or not, etc, being written
indelibly upon the top of the stake, which
has been smoothed off for that purpose.
Dynamite and "Deadmen.''
The construction party follows the sur
veying party as rapidly as may be. 1t takes
a party of about eighty men to build a line
of ten wires through well-settled region.
Including all the extras. 100 men at least
are needed for construction across a stretch
of new country. They are placed under
discipline, almost military in it's severity,
the party as a whole being in charge of a
construction superintendent and each d.
vision being controlled by "A foreman.
The ground men come first after the To-
Gators. Ground men dig holes, of course
and are armed with crowbars, picks, show
els, augers and dynamite. Formerly dyna-
found near the surface; nowadays holes are
dug only a little way down with pick and
shovel, even in the softest soil. after which
a boring is made with a two-inch anger as
deep as the pole is to be set, half a stick of
dynamite is inserted and the hole is blown
out The use of dynamite has increased
the rapidity of telephone construction vast
ly, and it has also tended to make construc-
ton gangs unpopular in some places. Thus
in a certain New Jersey town the blowing
out of a hole located near back yaru.
where a weeks wash was hung out to dry
resulted in sprfnkling the spotless linen on
the lines with a LIBERAL deposit of fine red
earth dust and called for the payment of a
crisp 81 bill to highly excited housew fe.
The "erectors' follow the ground men
closely. Each erecting gang carries a
''butting board" pike poles,' a dead
man and a plumb bob The butting
board is placed upright in the hole for the
pole to butt against that the hole may
not be enlarged during the process of cree
ton; the pixies for the pulling and
hauling of the poles this way and that.
The curiously named ''deadman" is tool
used only in setting telephone and tele
graph poles. In length the ''deadman is
a little less than six feet, to correspond
with the average live man. 1t is made of
heavy, strong wood. One end is Shod with
a piece of pointed iron that it will pene-
trate the earth little way; the other end
is followed out for the reception of the
pole and furnished with a sharp steel
spike.
The name deadman was first used after
the killing of a live man who filled the
place now filled by it. Erectors use the
deadman as a prop while raising the pole
Having fitted the pole to the buttng board
the small end is lifted by main strength till
it is about six feet in the air. Then the
deadman is put in place underneath and
the pole allowed to rest on it while the live
men get a fresh hold and lift it little
higher. When this has been accomplished
the deadman is showed few feet nearer
the big or hold end of the pole, and these
operations are repeated till the pole is up
After the erectors the alignment man"
comes along with his plumb bob to see
that the pole is exactly vertical, and he
and the Hampers complete the setting of
the pole.
Working in the Air.
The wire stringers follow about two
miles behind. They work much more rap
idly now than formerly. In the old days
they were content to put up one wire at a
time; now they string ten together.
The first wire-stringing operation is per-
formed by man who drives horse haul
ing the running rope" To it is attached
the running board" formerly made of
wood, but now of steel, triangular in shape
and fitted with snap hooks" somewhat
like those on harnesses, to which the wires,
as unwound from the reels, are attached.
The rope is carried over the crosspieces of
the poles and halt Is made for each pole
as soon as the wires have reached 1t. While
the horse has been hauling them a line
man has been shining up the pole. He at
taches each wire to it's proper insuator
with fingers so expert that the work is
done at an incredible rate. Then he climbs