The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-03-27
THB LONELIBSf JOB OF ALL
MONOT0NY THAT GETS ON PIPE
LINE WALKERS NERVES.

LINE WAIsAEhE NEAVEy.
INA Pay % 0ooA nM1 Daglnmegs Tnluk N
10 q eamD o. waaeh feP Naeural Ca
Lsnss-EBue Even thS aAeep Me-ders
L1fe 10 Say ~ comW@FSssa Win ".
LrNcoEN. Mob. March 9e.-The r,o.t
monOaonous Sxistonco In tho world -
that led by tho pipe linz walksrs Of Kansas
Oklahoma and Missouri. For q great
many years the army pickles. the sheep
hsrdsr and tho railroad track inspector
have debated the question Of which I'D
the lonelisst sxistsncs. but thsir life e
gay compared with that OF the pipe linz
walker.
The pipe lines carry natural gas 10 tho
cities. where 10 10 ulitiEied IN lighting
homes heating them and supplying IN
dustriss with cheap hssl. The pipe lines
radiate in all directions fron, the Ras
centres. ID 10 absolutely necessary that
the pressure be maintained. The greats
menace OF the maintenance of proper
pressure 10 the possibility Of leaks in the
pipes. and to nee that there are no breaks
several hundred men are employsd
Their business 10 to got up at daylight
and walk till darkness comes. hunting
for trouble.
The lines are divided up into sections
OF twelve or fifteen miles. and q man 10
detailed TO watch each ons. He must
walk from one cad Of his section TO the
other and then hack again during the DAY.
The jobs pay from 90 10 slOo q month.
and there 10 nothing 20 do but walk and
listen.
Most Of the patrolmsn ars young tel
lows who think they have fallen into
snap. A good many Of thsm are college
boys who come west 20 tho prairies FOR
recreatio or 10 regain their health. They
get both. but after q few mouths oe Il
the loneliness and the nature Of the work
gets them and they depart.
There is nothing 70 do bat walk. walk.
walk. except when q break 10 found
Then il il . hike 70 the nearest telsphcDs
and a hurry up call for the repair gang
n nothing Happens than al tao pipe linz
walker need do n { o an Out q blank
report with nothing doing on IL and
mail t.
The sheep herder has ms dogs and his
sheep. the army ssntry his frequent
reliefs and the track walker hears com.
sounds and asts many giimpsss
Df life. Sometimes he has . wreck n
prevent or to help 10 scraps up. but Tho
pipe patrolmen have little 10 brcsk the
The pipe line follows nsithsr the rail-
road nor the wagon road u strikes in
/ bee line across- the country. allowing
onl for eleva tons. which Il usually
'krts. bat hills are sew In the broad Gas
when . man frat tackles the job be IN
snchansed. just 60 take q brisk tramp
across country in tho fresh air, smsIling
~ the good. green earth and 20 be paid "
Sr % day for Il seems too good IN be true.
After a few weeks IL begins To pail. One
Eets TO dreaming about t. gets to Soc
Eaking and sleePtnG, only that came
blur % trees and land. land and trees
and then more land and more trees. until
ne begins TO forget the rest Of the world
1ne SsDPe II @p q. 'S Ss,ro n - sm S
reach the point Of forgetting thsir own
names. but usually they quit before thsy
get tn that point.
Several former regulars IN the United
States army men familiar with tho drsAry
routine 81 Western frontier posts. have
tried IL and thrown up the job after fev
weeks. One II them said: when ] ~
ougho.iSe ! am going ~ the regular
The fact that the ear 10 kept constantly
presence through a Kissing sound is
another feature Of the work that adds IN
he uncanniness Of IL. The mon are en-
ployed for just one purpose. to hook fnT
breaks in the pipe line. and when ono has
but one thing tn do and the accident
ne ~ always expecting seldom happens
e gets on the nerves. The nervous antici-
M ton il what breaks them down.
Every time a Rrasshopper in the fields
pr a cricket IN the creek hoitone or .
. l. -.
Il full speed the fear that the line has KoHs
20 smash sei1es one.
Every time the trees rustic" said .
Datrolman. you think there 10 a leak
ahead. Every heavy drone Of the insects
startlee with it's s'lddenn~u~. You star,
Sut in the morning with the fear Of disaster
Ind u twig cracks under your feet you
ret the jumps. ~ break would come
llong once in a while Il would not be -
lad
sOften the Loneliness that not. into vou-
bones inspires one almost % the point ~
stealthily going out With an axe and
smashing a section Of pipe % a. 10 break
he monotony. The thing not Only xets
IN your mind but Il stays there The
'ergstnnl introsPecsion groSs oppressty::
% see " you are alive. Then you begin
2 liking 90 yourself 80 that you can hear
] hat ~ the point where you must hike to
ne telegraph once and wire in your
'esignation or prepare % have tho insanity
commission give you a free ticket up-
State
The Standard osl Company. a. veil a.
lther producing coRcsrns has not err
pioy~d pipe paSroimen tor q nuuYs~r ~
Years in AmeVsca. scienfifSs device.
made on the same principle as the device
~ which cable companies are able ~
ascertain where = break IN located IN IN
sccan cable. makes them unnecessary
] ne gas companies cannot utit1s the
tevtce because % the volatile nature ~
heir product and the ease With Which n
AN got away. and must Pay the heavy
Expense for waachmen.
MILLING TINE.