The sun., 1910-05-08

vide its employees with good anc
sufficient food AZ three-quarters the cosi
Of boarding. and always have them OF
hand for a moments call.
OF course these cars could not he used
in all BRANCHES Of the service When
engaged in putting up or stringing wires
the linemen cover several miles a day
They string anywhere from two 70 fifteer
miles cay according 10 the number they
are stringing and the nature of the ooun
Try they are covering While this dos
not sesm 20 great a distance. 20 do thi,
4 IL necessary for the hiker 90 vail
this distance az least three times anc
climb bis share Of poles twice
First the ground men. Il they are only
stringing one or two wires. walk along
past the poles carrying the coils % wirs
on q reel. paying out a. they 60. and ths
Rnaman follows and carries it up the
poles. Then when Il 10 pulled tight
enough be has 20 20 hack and tie or fasten
Il 70 the glass insulatOrs on the crossarms
Thus Il can be seen that when they have
fifteen miles OF wire strung IN a day ths
hikeF has walked az least fOrty-tive miles
20 say nothing Of pole climbing While
the ground man does not have 10 walk
70 far. vet his task IL not easy. a
the coils Of wire he h carrying all day
weigh anywhere from 300 70 80 pounds
each. To bs able 10 do this work day Ia
and day out a man must possess eycep'
tional endurance Some Of the linemen
perform remarkable feat- Of strength
In one case a gang was u work raising
a large pole aud one young fellow who
was angry because the foreman would
not give additional help deliberately
broke three Of the pike poles by pushing
80 hard with hrs shoulder that they were
splintered. To do this required an Onor
mOus amount Of strength. a. the pixies
are made Of hickory and are at least three
inches in diameter and from ten 10 twenty
feet In length.
To this hiker breaking them seemed
child's play. and he laughingly remarked
10 you don't get more men under this yer
pole In break all the pixies we've got and
then We won't be able 20 raise Il at all
Evidently the foreman in charge must
have believed him, for he quickly granted
the request.
There are always chances for good and
reliable linem8n 20 secure steady employ
ment a. trouble hunters. These men aro
stationed &C different points all over the
country, each having a territory 10 cover
In cass Of trouble ON tho line. While
this work In steady and much easier
the salary attached 20 Il hardly exceeds
the pay OF a labOrsr digging in q ditch. and
the linsman has 20 b ready % 60 out
az a moment nOticB. never being ablo
10 on 10y a holiday unless ho iills his place
az his own eKpense.
He ls ordsred out IN al kinds Of weather
and has q territory Of from fifty 10 a
hundred and fifty miles 10 cover. The
line must 10 kept In the best u order
and he n seldom allowed more than one
man 20 help him and then only for few
days at a time
ais great difilculty is % keep the wires
olanaF. az tho farmers feel they should
rscsivB sons compensation for granting
permission 10 trim limbs Of their trees,
and whilo the companies have IN most
eaass an absolute right Of way for their
lines this dOea not prevent tho farmer
from netting out his vengeance on tho
hihar when ho oomol 10 trim the trees
on his land by either ggtting dogs on
him or ordering him on the property
and enfoFuinR his order with a shotgun
IN ono caso a farmer kept a largo and
vicious buil In his field. which would
chase a man on siEhi'. and upon he casa
being taEgn 10 court tho Judge sustained
the farmer. saying that ho bad perfect