Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-09-02
Bell Telephone Operators Did
Noble Work in Keeping
Lines Open.
A. G. MACKENZIE AT WALLACE
salt Lake Man Proves His Worth
Under Initial Trials on Grave
Yard" Division.

The many friends in this city Of A.
G. Mackenzie will be- Interested i'm
learning OF his activity. during the re-
cent forest conhagratlon in northern
Idaho. In looking after the maintenance
Of the compay's service there In the
face of tho threatening fires, particular
IS In and around Wal'.ae. Tho r.. NJ
Bell Telephone New .ust issued, con
taining a detailed account, shows that
Mr.. Mackenzie was aaly and Loyalty
supported by the company's employees.
The account says:
Communication cat Walluco) with
MlssOula was lost at 1890 o'clock sat
urday night, The operators at Wal
lace had been sent away from the Of
flee by the men, and the board was be-
ing handled by District Plant chief w.
T.. Samuelson and Jack Leonard. Mr..
Samucle0n was talking with SuDt. Mac
kcnzie. who was at Mssoua, when The
line went down. Mr.. Mackenzie. aftDr
having been informed that the whole
eastern part OF the city was in flames,
and that the operators had been sent
away from the office urged the men 10
stay and keep the service going as long
as they could with safety We'll stick
as long as We can" said MI. SamCel-
sun Mllb llffhA llNNNfNl'A ~ nAf'
tails Of the fire as " progressed.
M'KENZIEs AMENDMENT.
GLOW far is it from our office MIR.
Mackenzie inquired Wait a minute
and I'll have Jack take look outside
was the reply. ITS about half a
block away was Jacks report. which
way is it travelling Mr.. Mackenzie in
quircd It's coming this way We'll.
/ want to amend what ! said about
sticking: you fellows use your own
judgment about staying around there
oh. that's all right; we Il stay as long
as we can was the cheering assur-
ance. The next instant the line went
out and MissOula feared the office at
Wallace had gone with II. This was
not the case, fortunately Lineman
Perkins and Mr.. Samuelson LETT Wal
lace on saddle horses after the Missoula
line went out. They carried test sets
and were prepared 10 reopen communi-
cation at the nearest point, as the hre
had destroyed the Missoula toll lead
in Wallace and the eastern portion OF
the city was mass of flames Ihe
two plant men cut the toll line into
Mullan exchange and communication
was maintained between Mullan and
Missoula until new forest fires AT sew
eral points between Mullan and Mis-
soula burned the line out again.
"Our plant in the eastern part OF
Wallace was practically a total loss,
as everything in that part of the city
was destroyed and only the greatest
excrtion prevented the burning of the
entire city. The work Of restoring the
plant was begun Immediately under the
direction of Plant Chief Samuelson
"Supt Mackenzie arrived at Wallace
from Spokane ana Supt. Dun
lap followed on the 23rd.'
Under the head of Devotion 10
The Telephone News prints
the following editorial:
Too much praise cannot be given
the employees of this company Tor tho
faithful performance Of their duties
during the recent forest fires III
Northern Idaho. Cases have been |
,ited where. although ordered 10 leave |
Tho building because OF tho proximity |
,f IRE. they valiantly stuck to their |
POSTS in order that the public might |
not he without telephone service and |
become still more de-
through lack Of promt com /
between various fire de- |
fence outposts. Forty hours OF con-
.inuous service. when every move IL /
an effort and all the nerves are on |
edge 0ghting against fatigue, IS COM /
nendablc. but add to this the anxiety |
to the threatened dcstruc-
lion of home, with uncertainty as 10 |
the safety Of those near to one, and |
We reach n condition which Is be-
yond the pale OF commercial incen- |
lives, and is summed up I'm the few |
words Devotion TO Service