The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-11-24

tance service, and therefore has plants
al over the United States, maintains
store houses n about fifty q The largcs
cities, and these serve as emergency
In addition 10 the proyis.
tors, and all other accessories for repair
10 take care Of its own territory.
Ia atorerooms and yards are supplies
Of poles. cable wire, cross arms, insula-
tors.and nll other accessories for repair
work. Close at hand are kept trucks and
horses ready 10 "rish' Whatever " call
cd for 10 the nearest railroad station al
any hour OF day or uight. Frequently
special trains are chartered for tran.
sporting materials over long distances.
And when the atwubc shooters have
been brought as close to their work as
the railroad can take them they find
In waiting teams to carry them the rest
Of the way.
Preparedness IL the motto Of the Bell
engineers. The whole country Ia mapped
out In districts. each district studied
carefully for every detail Of transporta.
tion, OF housing men and animals. OF
providing rations and minor supplies.
II 10 not unusal In special emergencies 10
bring re.enforcements from considerable
distances. In the case OF blizzard de.
yastating large area In tho West. for
instance, emergency crews have been
brought from east Of the Allegbanies,
while floods and wind storms In the
East have more than once been the
cause Of the calling 81 assistance from AZ
far away as Chicago.
Arrived In strange territory. the chici
Of the emergency gang Is not wholly
without knowledge oi local conditions
Sitting in bis hastily improyisod head
quarters he spreads before him MAP
that gives the location Of every pole
and wire In the field Of operations and
draws from his pocket book that In
forms him where among the townsmer
or iarmcrs OF the neighborhood teams
can DO secured. food and lodging foi
the men, engaged, extra laborers hired
| II they are needed. and many others de-
tails. All the necessary appliances ar'
IT hand and the work Of reconstructlnl
the circuits proceeds with amazing
rapidity yet without the slightest con
fusion. II may be months before th,
plant can be restored to It's original per
lection. but II Is a question OF onl,
hours. unless In extraordinary eases
before communication Is resumed, ami
generally within two or three days al
III effects have been removed so far a
the subscribers service shows.
II Is an effective organization. this
Instances could be multiplied almos
Indefinitely. When a Cyclone nearl.
swept out OF existence the thriving Mis-
sissippi city OF Meridian II left III
pnblic service wires there In confuse
tangle. Half the telephone lines wer
In trouble. II was up to the cumber
land Telephone Company to put its sys
item In order again as soon as possible
and over the few circuits which stil
connected Metidian with the outsid
world assistance was summoned frol
other points In the Mississippi Vale,
Within forty.eight hours after tn
storm the local service was entirel
rchahilitated and mpid progress wa
being made IN getting oil the lonl
distance lines into working eonditio
again. Last summer when fire Ii:
troyed more than hall Of the famou
vacation resort at Old Orchard Beacl
In Maine, with the certainty that thei
would be extensive demands upon u
local service men from the offices {
the New England Telephone and Tel,
graph Company in the neighboring citi'
OF Portland and Biddeford were rushs
: to the scene of trouble end with yer
: little help from farther away put Il
damaged telephone plant into seryiceab
I shape before the night was past,
just as the subway in New York Cit
was nearly completed fire occurred
one OF the downtown subway station
which reached the telephone eondui
and entirely cut of from everythir
. the "Cortlandtp exchange, one OF u
biggest and most important centr
b offices in the world. The damage WI
very considerable, but such are the +
: sources OF the New York Telephoi
o Company for coping with mishaps th'
!. all repairs were made and compile
!. connections restored within twenty.fo,
Q hours Again, at the time of the Ka
! sas City flood Of half dozen years al
J. the Missouri and Kansas Company
y service was not only altogether ii
3 abled. but It was restored to effectiv
Q ness mainly by the local forces in su
4 prisingly short time. The San Fra
" cisco earthquake demolished much OF t