Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1910-02-17
RURAL TELEPHONES,
They Are Necessary to a Sue.
cessfuI Country Community.
GOOD Fc3 MANy PURPOSES.
Physicians Can Be Secured Hurriedly,
Help Called Quickly In Case of Fire
and For Planning lmpromptu Social
Affairs-How to Establish a Sub
urban SYSTEM.

ara 10 TiafiHii9 i!nPTCInPlu SoCidi
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 all
means cOme into the SuburbAnitc's
first consideration is the construction
of a telephone system. 1t is Il greater
necessity and convenience to the man
living in tie small town than to the
big business man in Il 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.
A telephone in the suburban home is Il
servant of great value and is available
for many purposes. 1t may be uscd
to SummOn help III emergencies, to cal
the doctor in sudden sickness and per-
haps save a priceless life and to call
the neighbors in case Of fire or acct
dent. A telephone system also brings
the subscribers into close social union,
regardless of the distances which sen
arate their homes. 1t 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
| tho rnottar. nJ-nI with hic rn;rL1,rrc
and after the idea Of uniting to build
a telephone line has spread around a
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 il. The neXt step depends
upon the number of telephones which
will be used. whether Il two wire line
or a 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 a company, in which
NtoN LIZ hSAI sup a. l. illCclllS u
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 u0ynrninr tbn cattipr ~, Of ,,,l,.
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 distigure Il
town more than to see a great num-
Der of stripped poles carelessly paint
cd streWn about in in%convenient places.
Then m the wire stringing. If
you put up these poles do not leave
them go to waste and string the wires
to the trees. Trees are a valuable as
set to the beauty Of Il town. and if
they are used for the purpose of run
ming wires through and around them
they will soon become dilapidated and
an eyesore. All poles should be firmly
set, and lightning rods should be place |
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.
The apparatus and supplies usually
provided for rural Zines are simple and
readily installed. The best system
available is the metallic system.
This system consists of w line
wires. having connected between them
h telephones by the wires. and af-
fords a 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 to use the line, but for a rural
circuit, with twenty on the line, the
best is lone 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 a 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, will be
surprisingly low.
Trees For Beautifying Streets.
From time to time inquiries have
come in from the colder parts of the
| 1N1,,%Or ~-l ~~-.- .S-.l 5000.