Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1900-10-25

ments The touch Of the Spanish OPP
orator is delicate, and when the Ameri-
can operators are broken in upon in
the Middle Of a message by someone
tapping the wires, they usually recog-
nize The more delicate touch, and they
know TO whom to credit it.
For a long time on Panay a Spanish
pupil tapped the wires of the military
service by the plan shown in Fig. I.
lie com oeted his wires at OBJ and
Co and attached the instrument to
the pole ut tA). This man had been
employed by the Spanish for years and
was competent operator, being
familiar With the English language
and capable of taking American mes
sages from the wires. He has not been
caught but his operations have been
stopped by the use of a code for all i'm,
pottant military kilograms.
The Filipino and, in fact, those
Spanish linemen and operators who are
in the field here in the interest Of the
rebel army, are about as poorly
equipped in mechanical training as
they possibly can be and still hold their
places. In Fig. is shown the usual
mode employed for joining the wires,
and many of the Spanish and native
workmen cannot even make this sort
Of union. In Fig. 8 is illustrated the
simpler pattern they use They lap a
piece of wire over and wind it with
! fine wire, sometimes using hemp Irvine
for this purpose. This sort Of a splice
| usually breaks in a short time.
l have also seen them try to make a
nut hold to bolt by splitting the end
of the bolt outside the nut, as at CD =,
Fig. A. OF course, this makes the nut
stay in its position, but the next man
who wishes to remove the nut will ex-
perience some trouble. These native
mechanics who follow in the wake OF
the signal corps, or who are employed
by the wire tappers of the insurgent
army, expose their operations by the
way in which they do their work
After part of the system has been
tinkered with one may see the heads Of
| screws broken off, as at (E), Fig. 8
through the native delivering a blow
with the hammer or with rock, in
stead of trying to turn out the screw
with a screw-driver, in the proper
manner.
The Filipino method of cutting lit
tie wire is most laborious. The natives
make the hardest sort of work OF it.,
and for this reason the heavier wires
are well protected. | remember seeing
in one locality dozen poles dug up
and thrown to the ground by the reb-
| els, in hopes of cutting the line. But
| the wires held together, and the line
men went there the next day and
merely stood up the poles and replaced
them as before. Those of the natives
who have cut the wires, instead OF
using the proper instruments with
which to perform the work, look about
for a couple of round stones They
then ascend to pound the wire in one
place until it fattens out and becomes
so thin that it break. as at CD,
Fig. 6.
| have been in many places on the
islands after they have cut the wires
| and discovered that some local machin-
list, farmer or bull-cart driver happened
to want a piece of good wire and could
see no easier or cheaper way than to
| climb a pole and chop out the needed
| amount This, OF course, is dangerous,
for the Americans are ordered TO shoot
all whom they see about the wires
acting in a suspicious manner.
Although there are plenty Of val
liable woods in the Philippines for pole
service, the lack of means to get at
these poles and put them in shape for
use in the construction of new lines
makes ii mpracticable TO utilize them,
/ There are immense forests OF cedar
woods ia many sections Of all .he
islands Of the group and some day
some one is going TO enrich himself by
establishing mills for getting out this
timber for telephone and telegraph
! service etc The cedar not only exists
/ In vast quantities, but it can be had
very cheaply as the owners merely
hold old Spanish land grants, which
they are always willing TO part with
/ for very low cash price. Lands
worth thousands of dollars are fire.
quently purchased for a few hundred.
have seen soldiers and guards and
operators and others Of the service buy
mineral and timber lands for a few
1 dollars which some day are goiu 10 be
worth thousands OF dollars. All that is
delaying the matter now is the lack Of
the proper lumber cutting and milling
machinery with which to develop she
lands One lineman making about $40
"a month has bought some wooded prop
critics on the island Of Panay that will
make him wealthy as soon as the
country is developed. One piece Of
land bought for $40 had forests Of
mahogany on it. On others have
seen rosewood.