The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-11-24
Railroad and Telephone Com
panIes Make Preparation
SYSTEMS GET OvERHAULING
Storms and Wind Cause Transportation
and Communication Companies Much
Trouble and Expense--Large Crews Of
Mon Kept In Touch for Emergency.

Boston. November 20, lp07.-Now isl
the time when. all over the country. the
transportation lines and communicating
systems arc "tautening things up for
the winter, The season Of menace for
them Is at hand. Before another month
wind and snow and sicet and leo win
have put an embargo on the work OF the
track layers and line builders, and the
emergency men will be on duty. Each
year our North American winters cost
t'the railroads and the telephone and clc.
graph companies hundreds Of thousands
OF dollars, and when we have season Of
thc good old.fashioncd kind" the dam.
age runs up Into the millions. II II
wero not for remarkable organization
aud ingenuity the annual loss, not alone
TO those who operate public service but
to those who depend upon II hourly In
business and personal life. would greatly
exceed even these enormous figures.
So la.e every autumn while the last OF
the seasons construction work 10 being
hurried through before frost comes,
there Is general oyerhauling Busy
gangs are set to work rebuilding tho
snow sheds along the railways, tighten.
Ing bolts and braces on the bridges, re.
newing whatever shows sign Of wear
which might prove disastrous In stress
Of storm, And the construction men Of
the telephone companies. In one place
finishing up new lines to give communi.
cation TO scrne corner Of the world
hitherto inaccessible bv wire, or to In.
crease the already thick clustering wires
are, In another place, resetting poles.
tightening guys. renewing cable. restring.
Ing circuits, or what.not. TO resist 80
far as human ingenuity can the strain
Of the hard months 10 come.
Since the days Of the pioneers there
has been no more picturesque life. per.
haps, than that Of the telephone line
builders. II is curious mixture oi
gypsy wandering and the most cxacting
sort of practical work with such ingen'
ious and perfect tools as few industries
employ Hardy, rough.andF Feady fel.
lowsthese- @diegcrs,' who prepare the
holes into which poles are TO be set; the
gamers" who strip the big timbcrs Of
! their bark and III the cross arms Ia
their places; the pole settlers who
swing the big tapering sticks into up
right position; the bankers who press
the earth closely about the base Of III,
pole until Il stands firm and true; ant
the '''wire stringers' who with theil
strange looking reel wagons pull th'
strands Of hard drawn copper over th'
cross arms where the linemch attacl
them skilfully TO the insulators, Their,
Is small army OF them- several thou
sand in all--constantly moving abou
Nihe country, living here In hotels an'
Nasliffg' houses. there In tents, ani yon
DEF In trains OF cars that tumble oblig
ingly across the open country, careles
OF roadbed. rails or locomotives even D
the highways ordinary whoel.trutri
seeks.
Naturally, II Is In the great expense
OF the West-cspecially OF the North
west and Southwest--that the tele
phone construction car has come Int
use. For miles and miles there the com
municating lines are carried throug
prairie and desert where there Ia scarce
ly habitation and almost never n
hostelry. The horses required for tn
heavier construction work also give me
tive power for the crews living quarter
There are sleeping cars, with doub
tires OF hunks on either side and raj
way lamps swinging above the aisles b.
tween; dining cars. with cooks gale
In one end and in the others q long tab
that serves for feasting, and. In u
evening hours, for the gatherings
good fellowship; and tool cars--all 10
sct, broad tired vehicles, heavy but M
too hard Of draught.
To meet emergencies promptly ar
efficiently the Bell system has an orgal
ization little known but remarkable
completeness and mobility. II would
neither economical nor otherwise feasib
to keep large number Of big emergen'
crews in waiting for there Is never al
telling where atrouble" Is going to stril
next. But In It's regular forces--som
thing more than half OF the $4,000 er
ployees are men the Bell system h
ready at all hours expert workers W
can be hurried anywhere there Is ne
to augment the local "trouble men"
q .fime Of an unusual demand The Anne
dean Telephone and Telegraph Compar
4 which operates the national long d