Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-12-01
BELL WIRES in
SERIOUS SHAPE.
Central Union System is Literally
Falling to Pieces, Lines Break.
ing Of Own Weight.
IS A CONSTANT TROUBLE
Makes Service More Abominable, In
lures Other Circuits, and Endang-
ers Lives of Citizens.

The Central Union Telephone com.
pany's system in this city is
apparently literally falling to
pieces. The company has allow
ed it's old iron wires to remain
in service so long that at last the wires
are giving away under their own
weight, and every day the lines fall in
dozens of places, crippling the service.
endangering lives, and causing serious
Trouble on other circuits and lines
One trouble shooter ON the Central
Union a day or two ago had 6S cases
of trouble reported, and practically
everyone WAS found to be due to the
collapse of ar ancient wire that long
since had outlived the days of useful
ness for which it was designed. For
months the wires have been dropping
here and there in different parts of the
city, and with the wind OF the~1as;
few days, the lines have been down
everywhere. Should severe sleet or
hail storm ever strike the city. the
prospects are that the Central Union
would not have dozen lines in work
ing order.
| Kills Other Service.
The continual falling of the tele-
phone wires is constantly Gripping
other service about the city. The
police, in order to keep the police
alarm circuits in working order, have
taken the pTecaution to climb numer,
Gus poles near their circuits, and shake
off the rotten wires of the Central
Union. In tits way the police have
forced repairs. and have protected the
lpolice alarm system against constant
Icrossing with foreign circuits. When
a wire fall across a heavily charged
wire, and then across the police alarm
wires. it puts the police circuit out OF
business. The falling of phone wires
across light CIRCUITS makes it extreme
Ily dangerous to pass along the streets
and an incident in Moline a few day,
|ago illustrates this. Three Moline mer
became entangled in phone wire tha
had fallen over a transmission wire
and narrowly escaped death. One mar
was seriously burned by the electri,
lcurrent.
Deliberately Neglected.:
1t is patent that the Central Unto,
is deliberately neglecting its lines, AM
endeavoring to make its service a
abominable 'as possible. Every tele
phone engineer knows what the life @
an iron wire is, and,one does not nee,
to be telephone engineer to see tina
the Central Unions wires have reaches
a state where they should be entirel
renewed with copper circuits.
Yet the lines are allowed to fal
many of them every day, and mer
5 patching is Gone. just enough to kee
: the lines open a part of the time.
The telephone bell rings, and tn
subscriber answers. Number" say
. central. Who was calling me?" r;
spends the subscriber. Il did not rim
you says central, were you calm
. Ime?" The subscriber says no, and ha
another beautiful example of the r
4 suits of the crossing of circuits, an
the SeHeTdiiy pooT SERVICE tHe Cou
Ipany gives. Such conversations occu
sometimes several times day on \
= Isingle line.
, In the face of these conditions, it
rumored that preparations are bein
made for another quiet descent on til
lefty council, with the hope of railroa
r. ing through once more one of thos
ordinances that do not mean anythin
Except to the telephone company.