Plant Department Records
name: label: Collection Creator
content: United Telegraph Workers.
label: Collection Creator
content: Western Union Telegraph Company
setName: label: See more items in
content: Western Union Telegraph Company Records
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1963
label: Date
content: 1867-1937
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.0205, Series 16
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The series is divided into eight subseries: 

1. Correspondence, 1916-1940

2. Instructions, 1916-1960

3. Specifications, 1913-1953

4. Inside Plant Catalogues, 1917-1929

5. Outside Plant Catalogues, 1920-1929

6. Equipment, 1867-1936 (not inclusive)

7. Wire and Pole Line Materials, 1874-1915

8. Miscellaneous, 1899-1963
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The Plant Department was responsible for constructing, reconstructing and maintaining domestic telegraph plants; maintaining pole lines, wires and aerial and underground cables; installing and repairing equipment; and operating telegraph buildings.

Plant Instructions consist of two volumes. Volume one contains a numerical and alphabetical index to the various instructions that were issued. The numerical index provides the plant instruction (P.I.) number and a title description, while the alphabetical and cross index of active plant instructions, plant general letters, and plant stencils provides a subject description and reference number. Only numbers 1 to 26 and 41 to 52 of the plant instructions are available. Also, there are Instructions and Rules Pertaining to the Construction and Maintenance of Outside Plant, 1915. These instructions--numbers 20 and 21--are rules and instructions for the guidance of district foremen, general foremen, and section linemen.