COPPER WIRE AND MEN OF STEEL
Chapter 1 - The Grunt

Try as you might you'll not appreciate the myriad of emotions going through my head as I confronted the line foreman. I'd just been hired as a "grunt" (and I hadn't the slightest notion what that was), into a line gang who, I observed, were doing mysterious manipulations to many shining copper wires and green glass objects I was to later learn were called insulators; and all this atop very tall, square poles.

As a 15 year old with a man's body but a boy's limited experience, this was indeed a frightening and yet exciting sight. And now having been retired for many years I still look with pride on those days when I was a "pole jockey," confident in the knowledge that I was a part of an outstanding and select group. Outstanding because no job was too big or difficult, select because only those endowed with an extra measure of intestinal fortitude and pride could endure.

The above statements, my friends, were taken from my notes of an interview with James Jamison who retired in 1942. He began his telephone career in 1897 with an "unlocated" line gang. The job then in progress was to add several new wire circuits to a long distance toll line.

As was the custom, when working out in the country, they were housed in tents. The crew consisted of 18 line men, the boss, timekeeper, a cook who substituted as blacksmith and mule shoer and never washed his hands between jobs, and one grunt, James.

As a grunt, he soon found he was "allowed" to dig all the "mean" (difficult) pole holes, care for the tools, wagons and harnesses, set up and knock down camp, wash dishes, peel potatoes, ride to the nearest town for supplies, care for the mules and when it came time to move the camp he was required to act as the advance scout locating the best campsites. This later job proved to be the most dreaded of all his duties as he could never quite pick a site that pleased everyone and took considerable abuse as a result. He was given minimal instructions as to what consisted of an ideal campsite and was left to ponder the problem alone. About all the foreman told him was be sure we have water and shade and about how far away the next site should be. In addition to all the above duties, James found that he was also expected to spend much of the working day in the field helping the lineman.

There he found the one thing he "wasn't allowed" to do. You see, a grunt could only earn the right to be called lineman, therefore he was not allowed to put on a pair of hooks until such a time as the foreman and often the crew, agreed he was worthy. Becoming worthy included doing all the jobs mentioned above plus displaying a willingness to put up with the torments the old timers heaped on him. Believe me, they made life pretty miserable for poor Jimmy.

For example, James was often the last one to bed and one particular night he, upon entering his tent, discovered his cot was missing and so spent the night on the floor of the cook-wagon. Another time he had just finished digging a new hole for the outhouse when he was sent to town on an errand. During his absence some of the boys filled the hole, disguised the spot with grass and moved the building to a bare piece of ground. Arriving back in camp he was met with angry cries from the boys who pretended to be in dire distress. This time, as he usually did, he was able to go along with the gag and, with tongue in cheek, admitted he had forgotten to dig the hole and if "you boys will hold your britches, I'll have another dug first thing." 

Through all this our boy prevailed and the day finally came when he was presented with a shiny, new pair of hooks, the cost of which came out of his pay, and he was allowed to join the boys up the "sticks." He had little formal training in the art of climbing but had watched longingly as his former tormentors "skinned up and down" and thus felt confident that he was equal to the task. This self assurance lasted just about half way up the first pole. He had been so eager for so long that it hadn't occurred to him that he might suffer a fear of heights. Although "scared stiff' he made it to the top and only then noticed the whole crew was watching. Had he "froze" and not been able to finish the climb he would have been out of a job. Times were hard and one was expected to ignore pain and fear.

He had arrived! He was accepted by the gang as one of them and his pay increased from 55 cents a day to an even dollar. He could hardly imagine how he would ever be able to spend it all.

To be continued.............................

MA

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