The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1922-09-01
MO. BIDS FAREWELL
TO TELEPHONE MULES
Faithful Animals Put I'D Losing
Fight Against Motor
lied Vehicles.

A bit of telephone history was
recorded the other day when the SUI
perintendnet OF buildings and sup
plies OF the Southwestern Bell Tele-
phone Company attached his sigma
ture to an order for the sale OF a
team of mules.
Time was when st. Louis stables
of the company we're the home of 13S
Of the proverbially cantankerouc but
highly efficient animals. The two
mules in question were the last of
the lot. ADMINISTRATIONS do
main of the mule and connected with
its history as an econtt lic factor by
ties that are far more intimate than
that of mere alliteration-has seen
its last telephone mule team.
A telephone system operated ef-
ficiently and economically implies the
efficient and economical construction
and maintenance Of its widely dis
tributed plant. The passing of Mis-
souri's last telephone mule team af-
fords a striking illustration of the
progress which is being made turnout
the Bell Telephone System is con-
stantly improving its service stan
dards.
Before the march of motorization
the telephone mule has given ground,
even as the redskin and the buffalo
have receded before the steady ad-
vance of the white settler. Missouri
and many other western states, as
well as practically the entire east, are
to a large extent motorized as far as
the Bell System is concerned.
Seven thousand eight hundred cars
of various descriptions-enough to
provide a transport division for
very fair army expeditionary force
are in use throughout the associated
companies OF the system. Some g.
900 of these belong to the Ford faE,i-
ly, with notifications as to type to
| adapt each variety to the specific use
to which it is to be put. The major
part of this fleet is classified under
the heading of commercial cars be-
ing mainly made up Of cars of the
light delivery type. used in construc-
tion or repair work. Even the runa-
bouts used by liant department. su-
pervisors in c,vering their territory
are equipped with box in the rear
of the seat for carrying tools and
light materials used in repair work.
AS a matter of fact there are only
few hundred care in the entire system
which are used exclusively for pas
senger work, these being assigned
to supervisory forces for use in in
spection or other work necessitating
covering a large territory.
From this mosquito fleet" of
light cars the motor equipment OF
the system runs up thru trucks of
various grades, many Of which are
equipped with the most modern con-
struction OF repair apparatus. The
$500 trucks owned by the system
range from three-quarter ton ma
chimes to fifteen-ton giants used in
hauling heavy loads Of cable and
other materials.
The motorization of the telephone
system began in earnest only about
six or eight years ago, after few
automobiles and trucks had been in
troduced experimentally as supple
ment to vehicles" drawn by horses or
mules. The motor vehicle has con-
clusively proved its value, not only
from the standpoint of economy but
from that of enabling construction
and maintenance gangs to do their
work more quickly and with less in
dividual effort. This has been par
ticularly true of the larger trucks
carrying winches, derricks and as
ISOLATED equipment, with power sup
piled by the engine of the machine
itself. which have literally revolu-
tionized the work of handling poles,
cables and other heavy material. In
fact, the truck engine is being made
to do practically all types OF heavy
work which were formerly done by
the workmen themselves.-Teleph
4 Press.