Omaha daily bee., 1902-07-06
TIPS ON TELEPHONE POLES
Bone statistiCs Concerning the Number in
Use on Omaha Streets.
THEY COME FROM AND THEIR COST
Figures Based on osIcu-
\ lations ~ to the Various Ends
These Poles Might serve AGOrd
Considerable information

cords. 1t would take an ordinary boy ILL.,
46S days, or over 305 years, to cut this into
Ietovewood lengths, provided there was no
picnic TO go to when the pile was finished,
and he worked Sundays. Two boys would
become gray-headed before they finished the
Job and three boys never would get done.
II It took an ordinary boy III, ass days TO
cut this wood into stovewood lengths 1t
would take him III, 321 days to split 1t once.
222,6 Sal days to split it twice. and 66e, 923
days to get II to 81 the kitchen stove, pro-
,vided he worked ten hours a day. II would
take him 1000, 76s days to cut It sufficiently
fine for his father TO start a fire on a rainy
morning without swearing. II would take
him over so, 023, go days to split 1t fine
enough to look like toothpicks, and 1900
500. 100 days to polish them sufficiently for
a purchaser to know that they were in
tended for toothpicks.
When they we're ready TO be placed on
the market people then on earth would
have no need for toothpicks. A half-grain
pill IN a teaspoonful Of gastric Juice would
mean a weeks rations and no chewing
would be necessary. Hence the people Of
that day would dub the boy a lunatic and
Danish him to Arkansas.
Some Additional Statistics.
Were all the foliage cut from these
trees, before they became poles, and the
foliage taken to Missouri and made into
brush piles in the spring time, after the
first snow in the early winter, more rab-
bits would hide under the piles than one
could shake a stick at. Twenty-three thou
sand and forty school children would play
hockey on account Of the rabbits and
brush piles, and the amount OF book
larnin' that would not be '1arnt" during
the time the snow was on the ground would
make a president, did he know II all.
Were these poles to be placed right-end
up in the Missouri river near Omaha, it
would dam that mighty stream SO com
pletely that only Jehosophat himself could
save 1t. 1t would take a boy with a ham
mer as long to drive these poles in the
river bottom as 1t would for a man to prove
these figures incorrect.
We're all the electric light poles and all
the telephone poles and all the telegraph
poles in Omaha. that is. the large poles
not tadpoles-were all these planted in the
business part of the town, in the same
condition in which they we're taken from
the forests, the sun would never shine
upon the pavements. Planting them forty
eight to the mile, they would make a row
of trees over 297 miles in length. Place
them one on top OF the other, they would
reach higher than Gilderoy's kite. A rough
estimate places the number of large poles,
poles from thirty to sixty feet in length.
at 14,26S. The exact number is not known
TO any of the managers of these companies.
No one manager knows how many poles
his company owns. nor how many miles OF
wire is strung on the poles.
Home of the Poles.
These poles are white cedar and are
shipped here from Idaho, Wisconsin and
Michigan, and from the Increased num-
Der being used In the various cities OF the
country, 1t is not unlikely that at no very
great distant day. these forests will be-
come like the famous cedars Of Lebanon
only 200 will remain.
Did one person own all these poles, worl
for that man would be ended. They rep
resent more than one fortune. Could q mai
transplant them to Hanscom park IN theil
native state, that man would have a homt
for razor back" hogs and insects, and thai
is all that could live in the park. Joir
them together and one would have a hal
pole that would sweep the skies. 1t would
not be less than 57O,7 feet In height
spellbinders could crate about II for year
and the people would not cease to wonder
Imagine a forest containing over II. 00t
trees, and one has an idea of the number
of telephone poles In the city, and wha
It would look like were they all in bloom
Were they scattered along the streets, avn
ings would be q nuisance. These poles woul'
build a fence around the world. They woul
fence a majority OF the farms In the stat
and make good tight fences.
Some More About Poles.
The manager OF the Thomson Houston
Electric Light company stated that he di
not know how many poles were in his pos
session. II Is estimated roughly, however
at 5000. The shortest of these 10 thirt,
feet and very few exceed sixty feet Il
length. This company gets Its poles fror
Chicago. where they are shipped from Wis
eonsin and Michigan. The poles are nj
teen inches at the base and seven at tn
top on an average.
The cost as much as anything else make
one not familiar with lumber companie
wonder. Recently this company needle
two poles seventy-hve feet in height t
carry a lead wire over an icehouse. Thes
poles cost s4s each. Poles of the reguls
size. between thirty and sixty feet 1
length. cost from IS to SIS each. It is nc
abe scarcity Of the timber. not the wor
OF getting II trimmed up in shape. tina
makes them so expensive. but the freighl
The poles from Idaho are considered III
best in the market and are the most en-
pensive. There is one objection to thes'
however. and that is they carry thei
thickness too evenly. A pole seven inche
at the top would be only nine inches At III
base. For that reason the electric ligh
company uses the Michigan and wisconsi
poles.
The telephone company. which is news
and is supposed TO set the pace. uses tn
Idaho poles exclusively. This compan
does not know how many poles It has I
Omaha In Nebraska. Iowa and the Blac
Hills It owns 300 miles OF wire.
third Of this, II is estimated. is strun
around on the streets OF Omaha. Il is es
.timated that Il has not less than S.02S pole
upon which to string this wire in Omaha.
The Western Union Telegraph company
the owner OF a string OF poles thirty-sl
miles In length In the corporate limits
the city and the Postal Telegraph hs
about the same. This would mean aboU
$40 miles Of wire, The Postal Telegrap
has a man out now trying to hnd out jus
how much wire and how many poles Il doe
own.
RELIGIOUS.
il
The annual conference OF Catholic 90