The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-05-20
S OF ALUMINIUM.

the patrolmen and conditions as found
are reported. If repairs are needed
arrangements are made to make them
At regular periods every tower. or
pole is climbed and insulators, con-
ductor wires. cross-arms and all line
fittings are given most thorough in
Spection.
One of these periodical line inspec-
tons was made during the first sum-
mer of operation in 1913 over the
entire thirty-eight miles of double
circuit 1000 volt line which runs
north from Keokuk to Burlington. In
the course of this investigation it was
found that in some instances the con-
ductor cables had been loosened from
their supporting insulators; the small
aluminium "tie wires" as they are
called which bind the main conduc
tors to the porcelain in several cases
being cut in two. apparently from the
scraping of some sharp instrument.
1t was at first hard to believe that
anyone could have maliciously cut
into these tie wires, as, of course,
being at all times alive at poten-
tial of 1000 volts, contact with those
tie wires and the conductors to which
they are attached would in all prob
ability result fatally to any individual
reckless and foolhardy enough to
climb the pole and cut or scrape the
tie wire.
After Guilty Party.
During the spring of 1914 a second
complete inspection of both of these
circuits was made from one end to
the other and in number Of in
stances tie wires were found almost
In, try1 o,fi coll w 70
release the conductor cable from its
supporting insulator. This inspection
revealed a most serious condition of
affairs and consequently it was de-
cided that some means must be de-
vised to put a stop to these depreda-
lions and apprehend the guilty party
whomsoever might be concerned.
Consequently careful watch was
kept by all the patrolmen along the
line. but the cutting of the tie wires
continued and no person was ever
seen near the poles. Frequently the
tie wires would be found to have been
cut in two in some district which the
patrolman had just passed on his
rounds of inspection and if on his
next trip special attention was given
to this portion of the line, then some
other part of the circuit would be
attacked.
The Trap IL Set
This watching and patroling being
of no avail, it was decided that some
action must be taken Immediately 10
prevent the continued destruction of
the tie wires, and consequently the
engineering department at Keokuk
was instructed to devise, if possible,
some method of protecting the tie
wires from what had by this time
come to be considered as an enemy
of some other than human form. Con-
siderable thought was given the best
means of effecting this protection and
at last it was decided to connect at
Keokuk, between each line wire and
the earth, small transformer and
in the secondary circuit of this trans
former to connect lamp which could
be seen by the system operator at
Keokuk at all times. Accordingly, on
each of the three wire circuits, three
transformers were installed at Keo-
kuk and for each line three lamps
were placed before the system 'oper-
ator, which, when conditions were
normal, burned at approximately half
their candle power.
An, Sherlock, Clue.
When this had been done, policy
Of watchful waiting was adopted No
more tie wires were found cut in two
and it was believed that perhaps the