The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1910-06-30
HAS LONESOME JOB
Men Who Watch Tubes Convey
ing Natural Gas Disgusted.
Task at First Appears Pleasing, But
Soon Becomes Monotonous in Ex-
treme and Loneliness Often
Leads to Insanity.

Lincoln, Neb.-The most monot-
onous existence in the world is that
led by the pipe line walkers of Kan
sas, Oklahoma and Missouri. For
great many years the army picket, the
sheep herder and the railroad track
inspector have debated the question of
which led the loneliest existence, but
their life is gay compared with that Of
this pipe hne walker: - - -
The pipe lines carry natural gas to
the cities, where it is utilized in
lighting homes, heating them and sup
plying Industries with cheap fuel. The
pipe lines radiate in all directions
from the gas centers. It is absolute
ly necessary that the pressure be
maintained. The greatest menace Of
the maintenance of proper pressure is
the possibility of leaks in the pipes
and to see that there are no breaks
several hundred men are employed.
Their business is to get up at day
light and walk till darkness comes,
hunting trouble
The lines are divided UP into sec
tions of IL and IL miles, and man is
detailed to watch each one. He must
walk from one end of his section to
the other and then back again during
the day. The jobs pay from $50 to
500 q month, and there is nothing to
do but walk and listen.
Most Of the patrolmen are young fell.
lows. who think they have fallen into
snap. A good many of them are
college boys, who come west to the
prairles for recreation or to regain
their health. They get both, but after
few months of it the loneliness and
the nature of the work gets them and
they depart. "
There Is nothing to do but walk,
walk. walk, except when break is
found. Then it is hike to the near
est telephone and hurry up call for
the repair gang. If nothing happens
then all the pipe line walker need to
do is to fill out blank report with
nothing doing" on it and mail it. :
The sheep herder has his dogs and
his sheep, the army sentry his fire.
Quent reliefs and the track walker
hears oompanionable sounds and gets
many glimpses of life. Sometimes he
has wreck to prevent or to help to
scrape up, but the pipe patrolmen have
little to break the monotony.
When a man first tackles the job he
1s enchanted. Just to take brisk
tramp across the country in the fresh
air, smelling Of the good, green earth
and to be paid two or three dollars a
day for 1t seems too good to be true.
After few weeks it begins to pail
+ One gets to dreaming about it, gets to
see, waking and sleeping. only that
same blur of trees and land, land and
trees, and then more land and trees
until he begins to forget the rest of
the world and the people and the
things he has known. Some of the pa
trolmen almost reach the point of for
getting their own names. but usually
they quit before they get to that point.
: Several former regulars in the United
States army, men familiar with the
dreary routine of western frontier
posts. have tried 1t and thrown up the
Job after few weeks. One of them
said: "When I 60 bughouse l am go
ing by the regular route"
The fact that the ear is kept con.
stantly strained for leaks that betray
their presence through kissing sound
is another feature of the work that
adds to the uncanniness Of 1t. The