The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1910-06-09
RURAL TELEPHONES.
They Are Necessary to Sue
CesSfuI Country Community,
GOOD FOR MANY PURPOSES.

Physicians Can Be Secured HurriedIy,
Help Called Quickly In Case of Fire
and For Planning impromptu Social .
Affairs-How to Establish a SUB
urban System.
This is the time when the ruralite
snugs close to the hearth and thinks
Of ways and means whereby he can
help to beautify and improve his home
town One thing that should by ali
means come into the suburbanite's
first consideration is the construction
Of a telephone system. 1t is greater
necessity and convenience to the man
living in the small town than to the
big business man in a large city. In
the city distances are short and help
easy to get while in the small town
the distances are great and help Of
every kind grows scarcer every year.
\ telephone in the suburban home is
servant of great value and is available
for many purposes. 1t may be used
to summon help in emergencies, to call
the doctor In sudden sickness and per
haps save a priceless life and to call
the ncighborS in case of fire or acct
dent \ telephone system also brings
the subscribers into close social union,
regardless of the distances which sep
aratc their homes Ii enables the wo-
men and Young folks to plan many i'm
promptu little affairs, which help to
relieve the monotony of rural life.
The idea Of having telephone service
naturally occurs sooner or later to
some one in the community. He talks
the matter over with his neighbors
and after the idea Of uniting to build
a telephone line has spread around
meeting is held and if possible some
one familiar with the advantages of
telephones makes an address. 1t may
be possible to have some men from
nearby places, supplied with telephone
service tell Of experiences with tele-
phone service and of the many uses
they find for it. The next step depends
| upon the number Of telephones which
will be used. whether a two wire line
or Il one wire line shall be used and
how the expense shall be divided
among the users. If many parties de
/ eide to have telephones it may be de
! Sirable to form Il company, in which
case the next step at the meeting Of
/ the organization is to draw up some
! kind Of an agreement which will state
/ the obligations imposed upon each
/ subscriber or telephone owner. After
/ organizing get permission from the
/ owners of the adjoining lands to set
/ poles near their property. There are
/ certain rules and regulations in every
| town governing the setting up of poles
/ Ascertain and follow these Great
/ care should be taken not to use more
| poles than necessary, as there is moth
/ ing that does 50 much to disfigure a
| town more than to see a great num-
/ Der Of stripped poles Carelessly paint
! ed strewn about in inconvcnient places.
I Then comes the wire stringing. II
you put up these poles do not leave
/ them 20 to waste and string the wires
/ to the trees. Trees are a valuable as
! set to the beauty Of n town. and if
/ they are used for the purpose of run
/ ming wires through and around them
.
/ an eyeSOre. All poles should be firmly
set, and lightning rods should be placed
I on every fourth pole. Well seasoned
white or bur oak poles will last nearly
! as long as cedar. No pole should be
| set that is smaller than six inches in
diameter at the surface after being
! set three feet in the ground.
Tho orpapat ,,y and s,,pY,lioe ,,r,aII,-
provided for rural lines are simple and
readily installed. The best system
/ available is the metallic system.
This system consists of two line
| wires, having connected between them
the telephones by the wires, and af-
fords comparatively high grade Of
ringing and talking, even in the neigh
| borhood of electric light and power
wires. The disadvantage of the metal
! lie system is the necessity of string
ing two wires for each line, thus in
volving the cost of the extra wire and
labor
When it comes TO purchasing phones
get the best on the market A cheap
one may do where only two or three
] WISH u USE the line, DuI lot rural
circuit, with twenty on the line, the
best is none too good. Then, too, if
you have connection with an adjoining
toll line you should have a phone
strong enough to carry you thirty miles
! with ease
With a single wire good ground con-
nections are of the first Importance
Ground wires must be got down to
damp earth, down SO deep that they
will not dry out in summer or freeze
dry in winter Gravel or sand makes
. poor ground connections.
The cost Of installing system varies
considerably, depending upon whether
the lumber for poles is at hand or
whether it has to be shipped in. The
suburbanite will find that the cost,
when the line is completed viii be
surprisingly low.