January 1997 Poles And the Men Who Love Them

A tribute to the lineman

They sing of the men as goes down to the sea,
Of the heroes of cannon and sword
They tell tales of a dead chivalry,
And the bravery of old knights and lords.

They sigh cause the romance of knighthood is past,
That there ain't no ideals anymore.
They say this old world's a rolling too fast,
To develop that Esprit-de-corps.

But them that complain are the ones that don't know,
Who sit loose where it's warm and then kick.
They ain't never seen a line saggin' with snow,
And had to get service back quick.

They ain't never struggled with death at their side,
A snappin', hissin' and pale,
Nor clung to the towers and grimly defied
The assault of the blizzard and gale.

They sit and are served with never a thought,
Of the fellows out plugging like hell,
To supply at their touch the service they bought,
With a light or the sound of a bell.

The lineman ain't decked out in armor of steel,
He don't ride around on no hoss,
They don't write songs about how he must feel,
In a blizzard when the lines, sometimes cross.

His armor ain't nothin' but belt and boots,
His weapons are climbers and pliers.
His battles are fought up where high voltage shoots
And death lurks unseen on the wires.

So here's to the lineman, that son of a gun,
Who can go without sleep for a week,
Who sticks to the job 'til it's every bit done,
And the lines can carry their peak

For his is that knighthood that's noblest by far,
That highest and mightiest clan,
Who is fighting the battles of things as they are,
For one cause, just service to man.

--Anonymous (sent by Bud Thompson, Boise, ID)

Large Image (115 Kb)
A Civil War era (1861-1865) signalman in civilian garb clings to the top of a telegraph pole, ready to test or repair the wires. A pocket-size telegraph key was used to tap wires to intercept messages or to send false ones.

Photo is shared by Ed Hunt, Apache Junction, Arizona.

America's Oldest
Transmission Line Relies on
Western Red Cedar Poles

Missouri River Transmission Lines.
Photo courtesy Montana Power Co.

Between 1900 and 1902 two parallel power lines, Missouri River lines A and B, were installed between the old Canyon Ferry power plant at Helena and Butte, Montana, a distance of 63 miles. These lines remain in service from Helena to Boulder and still rely on the original Western Red Cedar poles.

History
From the headquarters of the Montana Power Company in Butte, Ed Hildreth, Purchasing Agent, reports that the power originally transmitted on the Missouri River lines was used for the operation of the Colorado Smelter just east of the town, and for the mammoth 900 h.p. compressor at the Anaconda Mine.

According to Hildreth, these were probably the first real transmission lines in America and possibly the world -- certainly for a time they were the world's highest powered at 60 KV. At present, the lines are energized at 69 KV.

1965 Inspection Report
A 1965 inspection report on the A line states that when the original lines were constructed through the wilderness between Boulder, Montana, and Butte, a wagon road was cut through the timber and into a mountainside, necessitating the dynamiting and moving of large quantities of rock. Where the lines crossed a swampy area at the 7,000 ft. level, a one-mile long roadway was constructed. Large poles were laid in the swamp, then small poles acting as stringers were laid across these poles, and 3-inch saplings laid crossways to the stringers to form the roadway's deck. The roadway is easily discernible today, even though it has rotted badly and cannot be used.

The report also says that the lines consist of graded single 35-foot cedar poles spaced in approximately 110-foot spans, with single 3¾" x 5½" x 10' crossarms supporting two conductors, with a third conductor on the pole tops. There were two major stubbing programs in 1924-25, and again in 1941 and 1945. The stubs used in 1924-25 were heavily creosoted, the majority of which were found to be "as sound as the day they were installed." Between 1928 and 1932, arsenic treated stubs were used and "the majority of these indicate a definite need for repair." The report also says that "it should be noted that many of the original poles still stand un-stubbed," and "are suitable for many additional years of use."

1988 Inspection Results
A 1988 inspection of one of the lines between Helena and Boulder shows that of the 1430 original Western Red Cedar poles, 1355 are still in service, with 779 having been stubbed for continued use. An impressive record that testifies to the in-service durability and reliability of WRC poles.

Stump of 87-year-old Western Red Cedar pole in
Missouri River Transmission Line A.
Photo courtesy Montana Power Co.

- - - - - - - - - -

The Yellow Pine Reigns on the East Coast . . .

When the pole industry began in the mid-1800's, the Eastern United States contained unequaled stands of virgin yellow pine -- huge, abundant forests covering hundreds of millions of acres.

Cross-cut saws were the primary implement used to harvest the majestic pines.

Lumberman often used oxen to transport heavy logs from one location to another.

The first pressure creosoting plant in the U.S. was opened in Somerset, Massachusetts in 1865.

Alan says, "In my position, I am responsible for the procurement of wood poles and routinely receive Cedar Pole News. I found that occasionally the publication included historical articles relating to the longevity of cedar for power poles."

"The Helena - Boulder lines in Montana show the use of the Muncie type insulators (shown on previous page), --- go to page 22.

Alan Drew, Sequim, WA, is General Superintendent for Public Utility District #1 of Clallum County (Washington), has been researching the evolution of electric transmission and distribution from a technical perspective.

Western Red Cedar Poles the Most Durable -- Naturally

Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata) is recognized as the most durable softwood species used for poles because of its many desirable characteristics. Its most favorable trait is its inherently decay-resistant heartwood. Fallen cedar trees that have lain for centuries on the forest floor with very little decay testify to this. So do the many WRC poles, placed in lines as long as 80 years ago, that are still providing excellent service.

Resistance to Fungi

Several factors assure the durability of WRC poles, including natural resistance to fungi. All wood-rotting fungi need food, water, favorable temperatures, and oxygen if they are to grow. They have different food needs, but in general, wood provides enough for their development. Usually wood can decay if the water content is more than 20 percent of its oven-dry weight, but serious damage occurs only if the moisture content is greater than 30 percent.

As is true with other growth needs, the optimum temperature for the various fungi varies considerably. Decay is slow below 32°F and above 100°F. The oxygen requirement is quite low and fungi are able to grow at levels below the 20 percent oxygen content of air. Control of fungal activity normally results from depriving the organisms of any one of these essential elements.

Cedar Extractives

Western Red Cedar has an extraordinary advantage over other species in that its heartwood contains an unusually high amount of natural substances called extractives that stop or greatly retard the growth of decay fungi.

Extractives can be separated into volatile and non-volatile fractions. The volatile fraction, the thujaplicins, have a fungicidal value very close to that of pentachlorophenol, so that even if WRC were not treated with preservatives it would last a very long time. The non-volatile extractives are a complex mixture of phenolic materials which are much less toxic to fungi than the thujaplicins.

The extractives in the heartwood of WRC makeup about 10 percent of its dry-wood weight, which is about twice the amount found in other pole species. These materials are deposited in the wood cells as the heartwood forms and the proportion of extractives to dry wood increases as the tree gets older. By the time WRC trees reach pole size the outer part of the tree sometimes contains as much as 20 percent extractives. These extractives stop fungi from developing, providing a built-in advantage for WRC over an other pole species.

Groundline Treatment

Decay in WRC poles, when set in a line, is almost exclusively a result of fungus activity at the groundline area or where a "groundline condition" exists - e.g., butt-ends of poles set in extremely rocky or porous soils or where water becomes trapped above ground.

Below ground, the lack of air helps to prevent decay. In the above-ground section a shortage of moisture or full length treatment of the sapwood with wood preservative is the decay controlling factor. At the groundline and immediately adjacent area -- to approximately 1½ feet below and 1 foot above -- the temperature. moisture, and air are conducive to decay. Since it is not practical to exclude air, water or warmth from this area, the solution is to treat this section of the pole with an artificial preservative.

Butt- or full-length treatment increases WRC's natural ability to resist fungi-induced decay. Western Red Cedar's natural durability permits it a long service life that is justifiably worth a higher initial cost.

From the CEDAR POLE NEWS Western Red Cedar Association Vol. 2, No.1 Spring 1989

The Rural Electrification Administration (REA) was established in 1935 to develop a program for electrification. Since then, the REA has erected more than three million miles of electrical and telephone lines across rural America.

Even the first utility poles, because of their strength, durability and load-bearing capabilities, withstood a maze of hundreds of wires.

Pentachlorophenol, a wood preservative, was introduced to the pole industry in the 1930's.

John C. Crawley of El Paso, Texas, shares
"I think old phone men will think this cartoon is funny."
Of course, John is a retiree from the phone company.

Utility Finds Cedar Poles Best For Its Diverse Climate

The service area of Washington Water Power (WWP) is a meteorologist's nightmare. There's snow in the north, and dry but fertile plains in the south. To the east are lush, moist mountains, and to the west are arid foothills. In this diverse region any kind of weather is possible.

Because of the Spokane-based utility's broad range of climates, WWP determined long ago that western red cedar was the best wood pole for its 26,000 square mile service area. The utility services about 256,000 customers with 40,000 transmission poles and 180,000 distribution poles. More than 90 percent are western red cedar. The rest are larch.

"Cedar works very well for us," reports Rick Vermeers, Assistant Operations Manager, who is responsible for the departments of forestry and testing and treating. "We stretch from the Canadian border to the Lewiston (Idaho) area, west to Othello and east into the Silver Valley area of Kellogg and Wallace. We've used cedar since the beginning. In 1903, we built a 100-mile, 60,000-volt Spokane-to-Burke line with cedar poles, and the Devil's Gap West line, which still has original poles in place today, went up in 1924."

He also says that the few larch poles the utility has were installed in the 1960s and 70s, and many are already being replaced.

Many Poles From 1930s

Vermeers said WWP grew tremendously in the late 1930s, and many cedar poles now in use date from that period. Cedar is used for transmission of 230 and 115 kV. Distribution poles carry 35, 24 and 13 kV. Transmission poles are up to 100 feet, but these are not common. Most distribution poles are 40-45 feet in Classes 3, 4 and 5.

"Our guys love the climbability of cedar", he reports. "They also like it because it's clean, since we use butt-treated poles only."

WWP's first high-voltage transmission line used cedar poles
to supply power to mining town Burke, Idaho.

Testing Program

Vermeers stated that the utility started a major testing and treating program in 1988 and is slowly building to a 15 year inspection cycle.

"We're inspecting about 12,000 poles, using both company crews and outside contractors. We replace about three percent and field stub about 11 percent."

Vermeers added that Washington Water Power's management also likes the cedar poles. "It has a superior life cycle compared to other species and it takes treatment well. Plus, there is a limited disposal problem. Farmers use the butts for fence posts and the untreated upper portion for firewood."

Western red cedar poles tolerate extreme weather and provide many other advantages. When utility companies like WWP invest in cedar, they end up reaping the benefits many years down the road.

- - - and the Spokane to Burke line in Washington shows old multi-part porcelain insulators. Both of these lines have historical significance and are a testimony to the reliability and longevity of poles and the insulators."

From the CEDAR POLE NEWS Western Red Cedar Association Vol. 6, No.1 Spring 1993

Familiar with the history of the poles and the insulators that adorned them is Joe Maurath, Jr. of South Weymouth, Massachusetts. A collector, a historian and researcher and editor of "Insulator By-Lines" that appeared in Old Bottle Magazine from 1974 to 1981, Joe has more recently been instrumental in helping to chronicle the history of the Hingham Municipal Light Plant where he serves as an assistant technician. Assembling historical facts and artifacts for the company's centennial celebration, Joe was a major contributor to Hingham's" 100 Years of Community Service" publication. Pictured below are workers at 176 Main Street in Hingham installing overhead lines for the trolley systems in 1896. Note the wooden platform on the back of the horse drawn wagon. I am sure those must be supervisors, not linemen, in the suits and derby hats!

Joe also shared with Crown Jewels of the Wire readers his story of forty years of collecting in a four part series during 1995. Another photo from the Hingham centennial pamphlet showed linemen at work during 1970. I wonder if these were the gentlemen Joe had help him procure many additions to his collection during his teenage years?

Rick Kelly of Salt Lake City, Utah brought a copy of the 1987 publication "75 Years of Reliable Service - Utah Power & Light Company" to share at the national show last summer. He said to "guard it with my life", and I have and it is now time to share some of the neat photos included in the booklet.

Salt Lake City, still very much a muddy frontier town in 1891 was the fifth city in the world to install central station lighting. Only New York, London, San Francisco and Cleveland were ahead of little Salt Lake. Linemen working on street lighting...

Wires and poles created a confusing jumble in downtown Salt Lake City in the 1890s. Because streets were so wide, poles had to be erected down both the sides and the center of the streets. A variety of electric, trolley, and telephone companies used their own poles and wires, which added to the confusion.

Strain towers on 13,000 foot Camp Bird Divide in western Colorado were designed and built in 1894 by a Utah Power and Light predecessor to withstand severe wind. Twelve ordinary wood pin-type insulators were mounted in a series on a cross arm that was hinged to the pole structure. This arrangement of insulators allowed each to withstand its share of the strain caused by high winds, and the hinge arrangement of the cross arm provided for swaying during wind storms.

I found this "pole and the man who loved it" a great addition to my go-with file. This ad (even better in living color) came from The Countryside Suburban Life, July 1917 issue. This was a recent purchase by your editor at the Kane County Flea Market, St. Charles, Illinois. (See in color at http://www.insulators.com)

Gene Condon, Moncks Corner, S.C. writes, "Good grief! Wonder how many kids got dangerous inspiration from this cover on The American Boy, June 1913?" The magazine was aimed at the wholesome and clean-living American teenaged boys -- who were known to have used (as this cover illustrates) a convenient utility pole to watch a game being played at the old ball yard.

And, of course, the railroads had to maintain the signals along their roadbeds. Larry Novak of Silver Spring, Maryland, found this neat cover on the July/August 1995 issue of The Pennsy. "The original is 9" x 12" and is black and white except for the 'PENNSY' and the 'PRR' symbol which are in red."

And we move further south from Pennsylvania into the mountains of West Virginia...

Jeff Hollis, Martinsburg, West Virginia, sent in this terrific old photo. "I thought you might be interested in seeing a photo a friend of mine unearthed in some old papers recently. The phone company name on the truck is the Bluefield Telephone Co. (The original is clearer). Bluefield is in the southernmost part of our state and it is strange that this shot would wind up here.

"The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway runs through this part of the state and if you look closely, you can see the track on a bridge to the rear of the vehicle to the left of the wheel. Directly under the truck and at the extreme right, you can see parts of a tent, indicating a workers camp!?! Note the railroad wheels on the truck.

"A glass insulator collector would have to wonder how many cases of now rare glass did this truck haul up and down the right of way while stringing line. I would assume that, given the terrain of the Bluefield area, the telephone company might use the railroad right-of-way to get their lines through at a better cost. I also wonder how many nights did the phone line pioneers camp at this spot watching the sun set behind the "Crown Jewels" they had so recently installed? "You can read a lot into old photos. It's just a shame it wasn't dated. Anyone in the Bluefield area with information?"

Collector Derick Lattig, Amarillo, Texas shares this local newspaper ad aimed at cutting down on cable fraud. No that is not Derick atop the pole!

Interesting selection of a photo showing the hoisting of a pole from the Civilian Conservation Corps/National Archives. The photo is on the cover of In Defense of Government -- The Fall and Rise of Public Trust by Jacob Weisberg, 1996 Simon & Shuster, Inc. Margaret Cox, an employee of the University of Texas Library in Austin, is always on the lookout for insulator related items. She submitted the information for her brother, Ben Cox.

From Current Living, published by TransAlta Utilities, Calgary, Alberta January/February/March 1995, Sent in by Jim McLeod, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

A lineman is a person of stone
he or she works with a crew but sometimes alone
the work is tough and only for the bold
the work is very hot or it is very cold
it's only 3 times a year the weather is just right
in the spring or fall or on a great summer night
the times can be fun for the people are great
the work is heavy and sometimes we run late
It's not uncommon to be on a pole
with a wind so sharp it cuts to the soul
in the summer time with the heat so high
it's neat to crawl in a bucket and reach for the sky
with such extremes we become seasoned and old
this all adds to our character and soul
we work many hours to restore the light
for the power for the pump and heat that's just right
some days are long - 12 to 48 hours - with no rest
after a storm or an outage we will stay with the best
we work on holidays or even at night
if the power is out we are there to handle the plight
it is always clear to us on top
we must think before we move and then must stop
for the danger is here and very close
think again and again or take a terminal dose
we know the hazards of this great job
we earn money and rarely hob knob
we are people of pride and of some good sense
it is difficult to be strong and not ride the fence
all in all it is still to be said
the lineperson is strong and not full of lead
they will climb to the top for all to see
for the freedom is here - Oh God - how free
--- The Power Pup

(written by a lineman's wife, Idaho Power, submitted by Bud Thompson, Boise, ID)

I wanted you to see the equipment on the reverse side of this old-timer that was pictured at the beginning of the article. I am sure (during his days of employment) that many a lineman might have turned their backs on the all-inclusive nature of the profession today as noted in the above poem.

U.S. Pole & Supply Inc. 1990 Desk Calendar and Historal Journal donated by Don Hostutler, Dover, Ohio provided information on the east coast cedar poles and the final pole on the following page. Photos of "old time lineman" found inside an electric department store room wall that was being removed supplied by Chuck Knight, Logansport, IN.

This great piece of advertising was found on the website of John and Rick Reinking of Woodinville, Washington. The Reinkings have done a tremendous job of providing surfers on the net a virtual reality pole line that can be walked to view a beautiful assortment of colorful insulators. Check it out at http://www.halcyon.com/ reinking/

And, the final pole of the first transcontinental telephone line is put into service on the Nevada/Utah border (circa 1900).