The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1914-03-21
HAS NOT MISSED I
DAY AT WORK FOR
QUARTER CENTURY
TELEPHONE CONDUIT INSPECTOR
HAS PERFECT RECORD
OF ALL DAYS.
DUTIES REQUIRE HIM TO
WALK TEN MILES DAILY
Hale and Hearty at Fifty-seven, r.
Barrett sage He Never Wanted
a Vacation.


Such Is the perfect record of Rob.
ert J. BaYretts of Chicago. County
Cork never sent forth son who was
more hale and hearty at the age o!
fifty-seven.
Every day" doesn't mean every
day but Sunday" 1t means seven
days a week-Sundsys and holidays.
feast days and fast days, rain or
shine. There Is seldom o day In
which he walks less than ten miles
In the performance of his duties. A
perfect record for twenty-five years
and no one is more proud Of 1t than
Mr.. Barrett
Mr.. Barrett Is the pioneer-the
original pioneer-in his calling. He
Is an inspector of underground con.
duits." The first telephone condults
underground In the west were laid In
Chicago In 1880 and he helped install
them.
Guards Telephone Wires.
A conduit inspector" is the guar
dian of underground telephone wires.
In cities where there are complicated
systems of underground wires 1t is
not surprising that workmen are con.
fused occasionally. In Chicago there
are more than 600 miles of subway
for telephone wires alone. The in.
spector prevents confusion by permit
ting none except those with written
authority to touch the telephone
wires. Occasionally men have be,n
caught in the manholes where access
to the underground ducts Is gained,
who for lack of a better name are
called "wire thieves" For the benefit
of all such strange visitors the In.
spector wears a star.
Mr.. Barrett was Chicago's first "cop.
duit inspector" No man knows Chi.
Cages down town subways like he
does. For a quarter Of century they
have been his daily, companions. He
now makes the rounds every day, g..
ing part way on the street car and
observing the manholes from the pat
form of the car. Although "his terri.
tory" is not much greater than three
square miles, the wire mileage within
that area Is not exceeded within q
similar area anywhere in the world.
He has friends by the hundreds, but
there are few IL any who know that
the genial, big hearted son Of Erin
holds a record of faithfulness in SER
vice that is seldom equaled.
Have you never been sick?" he
was asked.
"Sick, is It? And sure I can't re-
member the last time was SICK" was
his good natured reply.
Attacked by Thieves.
But he confessed he mas had two
accidents" Once he dropped the
heavy iron cover of a manhole on his
toes. He had to 'be azy on 'em fur a
couple of days." but that was twenty
years ago. Another time when he had
captured a couple of wire thieves In a
manhole and was keeping EN- there"
till the patrol wagon arrived, lady
friend" of the captives stabbed Mr..
Barrett in the back with a hatpin In
her attempt to help the men escape.
However, the men didn't escape.
The hatpin incident made him a lit
tie reminiscent. He recalled the time
when he caught three men stealing tel.
ephone cable from a manhole down.
town in Chicago. They were fined $40
and costs each after an encounter IN
which he arrested all three. Two
other thieves gave him close call.
He found them in a manhole. They
insisted they we're working for the
city and added emphasis-to their re-
marks with piece of gas pipe. which
Mr.. Barrett said he could still hear
"singin'" past his ears.
Never Wanted Vacation.
Mr.. Barrett says he has never taken
a vacation because he never wanted
one. The out-ofdoor life has kept him
strong and vigorous, and at the age
of fifty-seven he feels just as active
IA ever. He is the father OF eleven
children. of whom eight are living.
Like all pioneers, Mr.. Barrett has
a fondness for telling OF the days that
were.
.I can we'll remember" he said,
how I dug post holes on State street
over thirty years ago for the Western
Union. And" with native wit he
added, 81 worked for the Chicago Tel
ephone Company before 1t was the
Chicago Telephone Company"
Loyalty never found more vel
come spot than In the heart OF Rob
art Barrett, conduit inspector. eg