1. Harvey Truman Serviss
2. The line truck as the background for a photo of the line gang. The area appears to be near a railroad yard. Possibly the crew was after supplies.
3. Loading poles at the supply camp was done using a spar pole and winch. Note the steps to the pole top to pass the winch line through the rigging block attached...top of the poles.
4. The pole truck and trailer loaded with poles to be delivered at job site.
5a. The line truck equipped with (gear) and supplies for going to work.
5b. A second view of the line truck with gear.
6. The line crew was transported to the job site in this crew truck.
7. In some areas the telephone pole line was near the railroad tracks. In this picture our crew got a lift on a railway speeder to get to the work location.
8. When the going got tough the crew used their bull dozer to tow the “A” frame line truck and pole trailer along the pole line right-a-way to unload the poles.
9. When you couldn’t drive there, horses were used to reach those hard to get to job sites. This photo appears to be at their base camp getting ready to start out to a remote site.
10. Some remote job sites required packing in. In the photo the crew was ready to head out and go to work.
11. The crew, with tools over their shoulders, is heading out to a remote site, Their tools are used to manually dig holes and erect poles.
12. The "A" frame truck is equipped with an auger used to drill pole holes to place a new pole. The man in the center is Eastern Division Manager John Pullen
14. Setting a new pole using an “A” frame boom truck and pike poles.
13. The “A” frame truck is
setting a pole. The pole is lifted over the pole hole and lowered in the hole. Much easier than the manual effort.
15. The pole hole was drilled up an embankment. The crew is using the “A” frame boom to lift the new pole into the hole
16. The "A" frame truck is getting ready to set a pole.
17. The line crew is posing on their White “A” frame line truck with which they have just completed a pole placement.
18. Poles are placed on both sides of canyon and guyed with cables and anchors so that the weight of the telephone cable will be supported.
19. Placing cable across a canyon. The cable was brought to the site on a large reel. As the cable is strung off the reel two linemen are using cross arms to brake the reel.
20. Line men working aloft preparing to place a bracket to hold an insulator and eventually an open wire circuit.
21. Newly placed wire requires pulling the slack out of the span between the poles. The crew is using a slack block to pull the slack out of each wire... Pike poles...hold the poles erect.
22. Lineman using a 17C test set at the top of a pole. This set was used to test as well as communicate over the open wire telephone lead.
23. The white line truck is next to wire reel trailer. Coils of copper wire will be strung out of the cross arms...This operation will place eight strands of wire at the same time.
24. Some cable was buried in the ground. In this photo cable is being placed in an open trench. It appears to be Lewiston, Idaho.
25. It is unclear what the operation here is. The “A” frame is set up for winch line work, but with the bulldozer backed into the road shoulder...maybe setting a guy anchor.
26. ... The man on the pole is standing on a distribution terminal (a “B” box). He has failed to place his safety strap around the cable to prevent a fall should he slip. ...
27. Possibly a place where the crew lodged and ate their meals during the winter months. This would be a giant step up from the construction camps used in better weather.
28. In some terrains long span construction was required for crossing canyons or rivers. Normal pole lines were not strong enough. ... An “H” fixture is being built.
29 and following
The following several snapshots are described as a group. The captions read as one.
River crossings such as this crossing of the Snake River near Lewiston, Idaho required specialized construction methods.
It would appear that the tower construction is very likely being built to replace the open wire lead that crosses the river. (Note the pole in the middle of the river)
The towers will very likely support our telephone cable at the lower level and a power cable is likely at the upper level.
For construction purposes some very heavy rigging (steel cable) was placed high up on the towers. From this rigging the cable chairs were suspended
allowing the linemen to lower themselves on the chairs to the messenger cable that will support the new telephone cable.
In one photo cable rings have been attached to the messenger. The telephone cable is pulled through
the rings, which holds the lead-covered cable to the messenger as it spans the distance between towers.
37. In the early times it was not difficult to harvest fish like these in nearly any lake, river, or stream ... on vacation or at work. area in Eastern WA afforded...the beauty of nature.
Harvey’s Airflow Chrysler second car from left. He is standing first left.
“...in the...half-light of the canyon all existence fades to a being with my soul and memories...and the hope that a fish will rise...All things merge into one and a river runs thru it” MacLean
