The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1916-06-29
uNEMEN BRAVE
WINTER PER|LS
IN MOUNTAINS
Face Cold, Snow and Avalanche
to Fix Breaks in Wire
Communication.
HAVE MANY MARROW ESCAPES
One Lineman Is TraiIed for Hours by
a Mountain Lion--Another Is Res
cued From Avalanche After
Narrowing Experience.

Seattle, Wash.-Sometimes after a
Dig storm in the mountains readers
of the newspapers learn that "tele-
grarh and telephone lines arc down."
Usually the next day after reading
such a dispatch, sometimes but a few
hours later, the patron Of a telephone
Or telegraph line will learn that the
line is again open.
1t is a terrific storm that can Grip
pie the wires of Il big telegraph or
telephone corporation mor than "a
hours. The public has become &C.
customed to this thing. 1t expects as
a matter of course that the lines will
be open after only a few hours. In
fact, actual interruption of traffic over
message lines is very rare, for bust
ness may be routed perhaps half way
round the American continent to avoid
the trouble zone, but it will reach it's
destination some way. That's what the
superintendent of telegraph and teie.
phone operating departments are paid
for.
But who fixes these lines in the
snow fields? How is it that they are
seldom closed more than a few hours?
Men do that work, for it is a mans
job-a job to try The quality of the
bravest man.
When some winter morning the rain
clouds part and show for a moment
the Cascades shining white. in new
fallen snow be reasonably sure that
up along those wind-harassed sum
mits, following the lonely trails, de-
flying the menace of the gale and the
avalanches, are the figures of men on
snowshoes, patroling the wires that
chatter necessarily with the gossip OF
the world these workers serve but sell
dom see.
At Seattle and Spokane the wire
chiefs stand at the switchboards
watching the working conditions of
every wire. Fifty miles away a storm
swoops down on Snoqualmic pass. In
the pass the world is suddenly blotted
cut by the white hand of the gale. The
stinging snow flies and the wind
screeclles. And now and again the
shrill key of the wind is blotted out
by a roar that blocks the mountains as
an avalanche sweeps over the cliffs.
Trees fall and wires and poles go
down.
TraiIed by a Lion.
At his switchboard the wire chief
suddenly loses Spokane. He connects
up Ills Wheatstone bridge, a device
which measures wire by the electric
resistance. The bridge tells him how
many miles away that break is.
Strung along the line through the
mountains are the trouble hunters.
They are quartered at ranches and
emergency cabins, about six miles
apart. The wire chief takes the key
and summons the linemen just west Of
the break. A mufled figure on snow
shoes, weighted down with 80 pounds
Of climbing irons and tools, pushes out
into the storm.
An hour later, perhaps a day later,
this same lineman climbs some pole
that leans into the abyss. The wind
lashes him with a thousand singing
whips. 1t pounces upon him like a
beast of prey and seeks to shake him
to destruction. The lineman "cuts
in" his little pocket telegraph and,
bent low against the shrieking wind,
calls his chief.
Chief? This is Smith from Held.
ridges. Wire o. x. here. Anything
more?
Huh? Yes, pretty nasty here.
Been a mountain lion following me
through the brush all morning. It's
so close now l can smell it's pesky
wet hide. Guess he's waiting down at
the foot of the pole for his breakfast.
Shoot it? So I would if the cuss
would come out into the open ard
fight"
Then the lineman spices his wire,
dcscends the pole and plols en- to
sorae fresh break TIE bridge" has lc.
Gated, or, if he is very lucky, back
home to dry out and warm up, ready
for tie next call.
To the linemen it has ceased to he
a miracle that a ma in the periis Of
the wilderness may cling buffeted to
a pole and chat with men sitting warm
and safe a hundred riiies or moro
away, taking his instructions as the
problems arise, getting word to cheer
his lonely trail. .
Perhaps the most unusual incident
OF this sort is told by the Post-Iute,.
ligencer as occurring a few years ago
to a telephone lineman in the Cas-.
cades. Connecting a Ereak in the line
he was working just beneath a trem.
Ming avalanche. Without warning TIE
snow slid upon it.. 1t might have been
his own voice or the sirillness of his
whistle that disturbed tie mountains
Equilibrium; or perhaps nothing great.
err tbaht !ths lsnaaping Of aitwtig.y sNhat.
observation-disclosures 1.-The sslfAh,efh afsA4s
Observation-Disclosures hh svSsc ,Batneds
Wh6hhhbluugohfseeasyp outcSfieK afsft.
er than the Swapping Of a twig. What,
aver it was caused the slide; in IL sec.
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