In Progress
These are the full descriptions for the snapshots in Stringing the Ringing Wires Part I
Picture 1. Harvey Truman Serviss
Picture 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 Picture 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 to the top of the poles.
Picture 4. The pole and trailer loaded with poles to be delivered at the job site.
Pictures 5a and b. Two shots of the line truck equipped with (gear) and supplies for going to work.
Picture 6. The line crew was transported to the job site in this crew truck.
Picture 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.
Picture 8. When the going got tough the crew used their bulldozer to tow the “A” frame line truck and pole trailer along the pole line right-a-way to unload the poles.
Picture 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.
Picture 10. Some remote job sites required packing in. In the photo the crew was ready to head out and go to work.
Picture 11. The crew with their tools over their shoulders, are heading out to one of those remote job sites. The photo indicates their tools are those used to manually dig holes and erect place poles.
Picture 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.
Picture 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 of lifting the pole by hand and pushing the pole upright with pike poles.
Picture 14. Setting anew pole using an “A” frame boom truck and pike poles.
Picture 15. The pole hole was drilled up and embankment. In this photo the crew is using the “A” frame boom to lift the new pole into the hole.
Picture 16. The “A” frame line truck is getting ready to set a pole.
Picture 17. The line crew is posing on their White “A” frame line truck with which they have just completed a pole placement.
Picture 18. Poles are placed on both sides of the canyon and guyed (supported) with cables and anchors so the weight of the telephone cable between the two poles will be supported. Some of the remote sites were quite a challenge to get to and usually required a greater manual effort.
Picture 19. Placing cable across a canyon. The cable was brought to the job site on the large reel. As the cable is strung out off the reel, two linemen are using crossarms to brake the reel so the weight of the cable doesn’t get away and pull the whole length into the canyon.
Picture 20. Linemen working aloft preparing to place a bracket to hold an insulator and eventually an open wire circuit.
Picture 21. Newly placed wire requires pulling the droop or slack out of the spans between the poles. Te crew is using a slack block to tighten or pull the slack out of each wire. To avoid pulling the newly placed pole out of alignment or even toppling it over, pike poles are placed to hole the poles erect.
Picture 22. Lineman using a 17 C test set at the top of the pole. This set was used to test as well as communicate over the open wire telephone lead.
Picture 23. The crew seems to be resting up a bit before going to work. In this photo the White line truck is parked next to wire reel trailer. The coils of copper wire are going to be strung out of the cross arms mounted on the poles. This work operation will place eight strands of wire at the same time. Typically copper wire was used on ”toll” leads.
Picture 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.
Picture 25. It is unclear what the work operation is in this photo. The “A” frame is set up for winch line work, but with the bulldozer backed into the road shoulder and everyone looking towards the ground. (Maybe) it was setting down a guy anchor. Don’t know.
Picture 26. The last photo appears to be placement of an aerial cable to replace an open wire lead. The man on the pole is standing on a distribution terminal which we call a “B” box. We also note that that person failed to place his safety strap around the cable to prevent a fall if he should slip. Possibly the work going on is securing the new cable or pulling slack out of the span.
Picture 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.
Picture 28. In some terrain long span construction was required to cross canyons or rivers. Normal pole lines were not strong enough to support the weight of the longer wires or cables. In this photo an “H” fixture is being built. Two poles, three cross arms and several guy wires are being placed for a long span.
Picture 29 and after: The following paragraphs describe the next nine photos.
River crossings such as this crossing of the Snake River west of 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 very likely will 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.
Picture 37. In the early times it was not difficult to harvest fish like these in nearly any lake, river or stream whether on vacation or at work. The area in Eastern Washington afforded to enjoy the beauty of nature. Pictured is Harvey.
Picture 38. Harvey (left front). His Chrysler Air Flow is second vehicle from left.
Picture 39.
“... 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.
Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it...”
Norman MacClean
Harvey T. Serviss
Idaho
MFCA Ambulance Section 61
World War I
Oct. 21, 1867 - April 17, 1952
Pinecrest Cemetery, Sandpoint, Idaho
