PORTO RICO'S
!
Furnish ; Food, Clothigg and Utensils for the
! Natives. '
Broad Palm Leaves; Used for, Wash Tubs The Gourd-like Fruit of the
Calabash Tree Makes Plates arid Spoons Valuable Medicinal "
! , Oils Taken from Many Trees.
- - J 1 i - ' : -
Washington Sert. 26, - In a bulb-tla
to b iasued by the department of Agri
culture Mr. Robert Hill give some
valuable and Interesting iiifrm itioe.
about Porto Rico trees and fruit and
also the soil formation f tbe island
There are many specb of pant u;cn
U Island, fend thwe ti ot-a are per
hap the mcft ued by the native- of
4ll the foreign products. ;Conbioe4
in tbeni are sust-tancc, clothing and
titer. its for the natives 01 the tropica
In Porto Rico the Itaf of the ialm is
largely used for thatch and sheathing
tit tle houses - of the poor, and lu?
tn ad leaves for waehtub and oth-r
dcnvist lo uteneils. . i ' is " ;
Concerning the Morb-he " of Sago
palm, 11 na n (l'i that rwhen the
beat of iummcr ha patched every
thing; about this tree, traveler find tit
Iih roots water aways tool, wh;s es
cape from subterranean vein. The
most tender iart of it fruit center
erves as u gat den; vegetable tu tht
native and from its yours; eioot3
ILey draw . the cords which foni
their Ifih nets and from - u hich they
weave their hammockM. It is re
freshing nourishment before it fruit
H matured and whm rii' it matoM
oil, tfOhiv end pnstes, which ere sweet
enri with honey. With the dry leaves
of thifc plant the lndiar s cover th?lr
h'.ts, from ltsv sprouts they manufac
ture mats, blanket, hale, anl sail
for their vessel.---' The trunk contains
In It upper p"rti'ii a ewet J.iice.
from which a kind of wine is produced.
From the trunk, boards and some
tlnn email boat are made. A nat
ural texture which everi the duster
f f "iiit before it matures seivsa -.is
which is called yuruma, used ff f mak
ricJ wemen. The' palm which d's
net boar fruit furr.lhes a mealy pith,
which is called yutiuua, used fo mak
ing In cud and alo i-ottage or scup,
A thick, whltu woira is found in tha
rotten laedulla, w u'c-h Is ateit and
considered a great delicacy .
Tho yagua or caiitxieo palm grows
on the plains an.! in the forests The
buk in HexkMe, very durable. Mid
terves to cover 'houe and divide
llici? Inte-rlcr, to make chet and
lxs for storing j clothing; and for
irarspoi tins; rice aid coffee. On a
Joiiiney the leaves are tuken as a pro
tection from he-vy rains, and they
serve many cthi ree. r .
The rcyal palin Is most highly prixtd
by i'oi to Rictns. ! Orowlujr to 100
feet or more, K ! slender trunk Is
crowned nenr Its summit ly leavos. A
preen shcot, delicate andiolnted. from
10 to 1" fret In lergth, cot-stltutes the
ur per end of the trunk. At the nasi
of this a fruit cluster from to 4
bands In length, divided into dif 'ere nt
lrnTM-h!tiv Kt'tw r.ut about once a
mnntu 7.h)s cluster ts full of a -r-en
oliv-j-thaped fruit,! larger- than th?
Ml-ert, the b'tfrloi, i.ut lnlns cc-ve-el
with a green etihuance. ThUi fm.t of
the rc.yal palm ia Very useful m fat
tuning swine, liiclv is, the only u9
made of it ' 1
In other l.ind they extract an oil
from this frqtit whch is very goo 1 f-
iigbts fcnd clher uses. The central,
part cf the palm le cooked r.nd eaten
like cabbage, and is sometimes Pre
pared as a salad, j The Indiars vail
it the "plra, InJFcito Jtlco it Is
rarelj used, althctu?h it h-s an ngfe
a be tt-s-te . ' !.,
The palms called "coyures" are
are taller than the rcyal p!ms. Tlu
fruit Krcwe in clustersj but is smaller,
and the h&rd. round nuts, much like
ih- above, serve as , food for swine.
The negroes tract from-shut palm
a liquid which, is ; very agreeable and
healthful. . It Is used as a specific In
aes of fever i '
The pelm called "ccroso" (oil palm)
it very common, j Its tall trunk Is
entirely covered lih thatp thorns
threo fingers ki.g; At the. top It !
crowm-d by very; long: " fronds. Its
fruit tV In smitU clusters, composed of
nuts as larre as eg?s, whote yellow
coverlflK to very hard and bursts when
ripe The inner nut Is while, divided
into thres parts, less solid than, the
outer sheiU , Jts Uste is agreeable,
but It sours In a she rt time. In Porto
IUco the curoao serves a food for
swln-s but foreigners exlrsit from Its
nuts an o'l which is Tnetliclnal. and
useful fcr many purpose.
The coco paint i foun"l In great
nutnbrs on the r'ains and coasts a.nd
I a profitable 'plant for cultivatloii.
The external bath of the co.;.iinut
is composed rt a multittide of r.brs
which, fcrm a nap ; of itddlsh color,
which is -ycel!ent for calking boats, as
It m!t water Wtter' thun tow, and
endures long-er. The IndL-ins ma"w a-
cordajre from thU fibre and sails frr
their boats, and In th4 dockyards of
Guayaqulll. Iiquador, they ue no
other calkirur material In retMirin
vessels. Beneath uhla exterior flbr.ui
coveting to another, Ihe color of
chestnuts,' which is very hard, and
although el.Nstic la easily brfk-n. A
fine on made from h meat of the
ccvoanut is used for lhUng; and ceokr
i.TS. The Indians tnCke en it.tcxi
catii's drink fnm th f ap of the co-:t
nut trte, which at first hjS a bitter
sweet Mste, aftei-wards beiMmlnsr
sour. In Porto Rico the nuts are
utilised by drlnklnjf the water from
them when younf, by rakln aweet
utiaU from, the aaeat. and by nanu
facturlrg drinking cux from the out
tfido shelL From the trunks of the
tre,s the best plain boards are mad
far the ticvtes, because of their resist
ance to the inclemency of the wea.lh r.
There are masses of flbr at the base
of the leaves, vhich appear like
bunches of tow or bast. These are
the clroua rei.iains cf dried leaves
which have lost their fleshy , l orllon,
and'appeitr i'ke piece ' cf clota woven
FINE PALMS.
from thick tow. TMs 2s uxed for fil
tetlrK and sifting. . - - r
Hardly second o the ialms In i-oint
oi ueiuinesn 4s the b.ml-o case
This beautiful plant may be seen f -fcry-ber
growli.g in giac-ful. f.ati
fry clumpK. Its item H ud f ,r
fence posts, ufltgraoh poles, and coti-a-truct-'on
of the huts of the peasant.
The individual Joints are slsn n.i
for uUnsiis, flower i ots, and for prop-
A siinall tree Vmwu as the hlzuMLi
also called the Falma-'arfsti, abounds
on the coast. I This tree produces a
Duncn-of berries similar tu ih- eoffe.
which, when belled, ; yields very clear
OIL This serves a an illuminating;
oiL giving clear light ; without odor
and without smoke. It Is also much
usod as a purgative, as r'-meily for
evers, ana: me , Indians apply J-th
leaves for reUef'froio beaduf he. i
; The tamarind is found in the plains
ana m tne roreet. It grows, -o,ually
wi en in warn constt and in . thi
cooi mountains. ; The Have Is very
large snd spreading. Its trunk reach
es 10 feet in circumfet-nce. The wood
is Oiard and red in color. -Th ' ftul'.
has a pleasant taste. Diluted with
water it forms a delicate and a hole-
some beverage like that cf the lemon.
and is considered by ome evn more
agiecable Eweetmeats are made -of
the fruit; a'o - rernedh-s for fevers,
vicous humors, scurvy, etc. ; :
The papaya, or p.iwi..tw tree", la
found In the mountains and is grown
near 1be houses, becaute the Islanders
enjoy itbe fruit as well raw as cooked
In tha "olla." The tree is small,
reaching 3 or 4 yards in height und
less than a fiot li. diatoeter. It is
straight and fra r.e brunches, fro:ii
the middle of the trunk lo ths top 1:
lhrws out leaves. The fruit ryws
In' the argle of tlu leaf where It is
Joined f the trunk itnd covers the ?n
Ti". ;irt-umffttice cf the latter in such
a manner that it cannot be seen from
Its middle to its top, being covered by
pawpaws. Th. fruit grows to th9
size of an ordinary melcu. The very
sweet pulp of the fruit Is somewhat
nauseous and lnxipid. Eater with the
srvds it has an Agreeable taste, its
strergthenlng, d I untie, antiscorbutic,
nCm as it vermifuge, and is used ; in
making comfits. , r
The guanabana grows here, but is
fcmall. It blooms twice c yc-ar. The
fruit is heart thaid. and ordinarily
weighs from 6 to 7 pounds. Irs pulp
is very white, tender and full of, a
Juice which is raoseous krauw fv
sweet, and con tt Ins small black sds
like the'water melon. ThU fruit is
used tt i remedy for diarrhoea ' and
fevers. b?lng very cooling and health
ful. The Juice extracted Iras the col
or and tat cf muscatel wine, but it
soi'K sours.', ,
The tachueLo or totumo (cnlabash)
tree is found neaa all hous.-s. This
tre Is quit! large, its trunk : and
branches are croked and kmrdtr. with
a few smell, flet-hy, lustous g-een
leaves. The fruit Is ovaL t with ; a
smooth," light-green and very compact,
although plinnt. covering, and m the
t.-,-e pre$tnts different forma ; The
pulo Is white, spongy, like that of the
sandi?s watenm Ion. and the seeds
res-emble these of that fruit, but .; th
tate is bitrtei and biting. The guitrd
like fruit fcere fcr platen, s pitehen.
spocii, and other domestic use. f ur
nlshJg innst of the dishes and utm
eiLa of the poor. The ! gui'jl'erc, or
gulrc, a pecuMa. musical instrument
use! by uil the insantry, is ; aJso
made of kt. j.'-:.. f i.;.j-':.' 1
Tlw tree called talianuco, which
yields a valuable resin, la common, es
ptrcially In the xrc-untnin t LfUquillo.
ir.d In high parts of the Island. This
resin is very white, very bitter, and is
said to kill the borer and other pesfs
that destroy wood. or this reason
it was- used iu former times for calk
ing boats and was of great mlllty be
cause of its durability j and value j as
an toneotlolde. ,, . It la sometimes em
ployed" la the churches for .Incna
and as a remedy in some diseases.:;
. No less useful are the rfs!i-a of the
trees called eupey mora. , algarroba,
and especially that called pinuela.
The latter makes a varnleh-like ce
ment so permanent she broken au ti
ck e may be united so firmly , that they
never break again at the point. of un
ion. ,-;. :. M "
The ctflba tree grows to over i 100
feet in height. Its diameter Is .
great that from it' trunk canoes are
50 feet in length and 10 to 12 feet in
breadth. This tree produces a gieat
quantity of pc-ris. 4 inches In length
and 1 inch in width, wtich are full of
a fine soft down called wot I of cciba.
Wheu these pods mature, they I tpen
and the wlml carries away. the con
tents. The sane as the-cwee w.th the
tr.-e caMed uao, blch differ but
little lxcm ih's. Fome value th wool
highly for mattresses - ft.nd ; cushions,
becauee they sre cool and soft.
The canulistolo 1 1 not uncommon.
Th5 tree U tall. Its wood hard, or a
re idi-sh eoler, and the leave have the
form of a lance. The tree Is overed
with yellow flowers In the spring. Tho
physicians call -the puln of the fruit
catia, and purgaUv' are irade from
It.,"":-:-'' :;- ''-'-r :
Another tree which the forest con
tain pre d tees the pimlenta of all
spice. AMnough . It is abundant and
of the best quality. It Is little known
because of It IimRI exportation. It
ordinarily gatkered by the native
only after falling from the tree when
it is ripe, on wet toll exposed to rain
und dews, ThJch cause It to deterior
ate. Therefore Its condition when
exported is ot a criterion of It real
quality. Tbi tree groit , among the
lurisi ire.s or ibe southern caU of
or jorto IUco. especially Jr. the
trkts of Guayuma, F.mce,ffcnd Couma.
which are tne dcyest an leat fertile
in the islat.d. the ir bn'ng rare" on
the norther,, ccaet. vbkh arc fertile,
it stem I tall, straight, and tmotth;
the u Lard and actable for
wot king, having a dark tedJish color,
which in time fc-cjines a lutdrous
bla;k. Its bark is a diver gray. Us
branches Hch In fo'.Uge; U.e leiiVM,
which resemble the laurel, hsve the
odor of icpper and srve f.r condi
ment and different remolifs. 1 In Ja
maica and ctbr rlaie this trve is
cultivated by transplanting ft to ut
lands which will not serve for stwrar
eane The- pimlenta is also galberrd
In Jamaica by beating th branches
with & role before It is perfectly ripe,
and It Is dried "in the sun, protected
from all dampness aud dew. It Is
cleansed with care r,d put Into bags
f-r tranportittion to Ilurope. with
whU.h there is a p-tfperous ,ommerce.
In Forto Rico it Ir uUMxed mostly
without any precautions for pretv
ing it from humidity, or any prepa-a-tions
fo? d tying U in the sun, as it It
gathered a few barrels at a time, the
rest being abandoned. ,
The climattt produce' a variety f
frtata, unusual In tlieir growti. ml
of( excellent qunlity. The OMnjs,
feme, lemon, citron. ,guaa, cashaw.
a nana, cumsones, mamejr. Joltos, agu
acate (alligator pear), mango, and
other frul trees of warm, countries
are common throughout the u-land. ,
The Antilles are coniaratively ; f it
from barniful animals and poisonous
plants, but, there are a few srecies of
the latter with whic h the traveler
should become acquainted in .rder V
avoid unpleasant consequences. Three
of these are alleged to be esp-sji.-tlly
injurious the guao tree, the manch'.a
eel bush, and a small herb ca'I.Mi th
til-cy.
Tho tree calll guao. called by the
Mexicans ceilathiam. alth gl useful
fcr the Juice Oitrbtted, ' is poisonous;
4t Is allcgtKl that it bcnuni'os the per
sn who retts under its s had and
cau the hair of animals which rub
agunst its trui;k to fall off. It in-flar-es
for some (Lays the - hands and
rye of carpenters who work IU It Is
employed, for makti.f; led, beet ae It
drives away the chinch (or oed b.i,
and Its juice kills the ,wo.h1 borer
which grows In ar;a.-k made of vood.
5lre et-rious t'.IIl are ald to e the
results of resting in th. shade of the
manutnlllo or manchineeb This tr"
spreads tbre.ughu: the .a coasts un-1
river bankx, is covered vritj rfg tiar
leaves, its stem almost two "feet In
circumference, its bark smooth and.
delicate, the flowers rose tinted; it is
loaded with small apple like .fruit of n
pleasant Appearance and t'dor; the
leaves resemble thce of the p-ar :re;
the entire tree is full t t a mil y Juice.,
which exude In thu heat of the sun.
Acccrdir.g to current belief, the Incau
tious trawler, attracted by the beau
iful apt-earance of '.he mananzillo re
posing in Its shade, soon finds himself'
poisoned, and If the lacteal substance
falls upon him from the leaves, or If
he touches-the leaves,' he suffers a
frtrr. an aplication of seme blistering
subatance. It 1 also ss id that a-fish'
which eat Ih-.s .food b-scomea infec:ej,
the gilt becoming velor "artl b'acx.
and one who eats the nh in this state
Is said to fall into a profound lethanry
with a general relixatton of nl. the
limbs, arcorblng to the qu.intU of
fish he has eaten. This effect. a
cording to ipular belief, coiitluuos
twenty-four houtr, and frequently re
sults In death. The use cf brandy or
other spiritual liquor or the drink
ing i f sea water is considered beneils
l il ns an antidote. '
A small berb called the ttoey, tho
flower of which re;mble tht lobelia,
grows In the pastures of the ;sland.
It- pouon is said to be so a.-tive that
n.hone or other anaiaal eating of it
lies in a ehort time The nntuial In
stinct of the animal teaches It to
avoid this dangen-us ilant as svon as
th odor reaches Nnu ,
The cowhage abounds tion tbe lime
stone scile c: Pcrto Rico. This It a
tropical climbing i lat-t, with beanlike
pols, very "much resembling huge
brown caterpillars. They are overei
by a multitude cf fine poisonous hairs
which, when disturbed, irritate the
skin Ilk the sting of nettles.
THE BRITISH INDIA COMPANY
It Owns 99 Steamships. 11 of Which
. Kxceed 5,000 Tona .
At t v1o nt la.v th fleet of the
Britieh India eteam Navigation com-
pany, limited, consisted of 99 steam
ships, the gross registered tonnage of
no fewer than eleven exceeding 5,000
tons, say an Australian newepaper.'
Moreover, the directors had contract
ed for seven more steamships, each of
a dead-weight capacity of over l.ooo
ton, four to be delivered thi year
and three next year. But. owing.
doubtless, '-to the rapid development
of avn enormous coastal trade, and
rwuuilhlv to th erosDect of trooping
engagements from India to the cape.
the company nt? purenasea iour or
ti irrest stesuTMhiD of the New
Zealand Shipping company, each of
a gross tonnage of about 4M tons. .
TOi Rrltiah India romMW has been
very prosperous, having, with a paid-
up capital of 694,800, accumuiatea a
reserve fund of 300.000. a boiler and
Mnair rim rf 1 on Ana anil an Insur
ance fund of 350.000. It has another
fund worth noting, via; -good service
and compassionate fund amount held
for -providing pension for and assist
ing widows and children of old or in
i,iMiUnt a rift djtrv4nsr pmuJovrt
of the company, at the absolute direc
tion of the director. 37,633, iss so."
BWjW THE I- fa thick.
let a largs aheet or table cloth and
mail fVather. - Hate the company
take hold of the edge of the beet and
form a ring. Tnen spme one mow tne
(!,. Intn tt mtr att.-i ill mut do
their part to keep ft lu the air and
not let It touch any cue, and to it Is
blown from cne side tc another, white
the efforts made to keep it -loatlng are
very funny.' Eometimeit in the excite
ment of keeping the feather up, some
one wU forgc all about holding the
sheet up and then roc-re exciten.ent
and fun follow. '
S? -A. -".
BUILDING NEW-
Peculiar Features of a Comparatively
struction ot Long-Distance Lines Is Carried On.
v Including all hands, -from pretty
glil; c Delator' to brawny -ground-men.
it take SC.OOC persons to keep
the jtele phone businee of the United
Stages moving. Twenty-eight thous
and are employed in the cperattwn in
malnuaiance of the completed tines;
the other WOO aie hUMtling constantly
In the stretching of new line. Tliere
Is much of the humdrum' and the
monotonous In the life of the 2S.00O,
for their duties, mostly cf a routine
nature, are gone through with wet-k
after week at.d year after year. With
out much variation f method or
change of scene. Monotony Is an un
known Quantity among the 23, they
are continually tn the move, for tele
I'hone extension is going cn In nearly
every atate of the union, and they en
counter new ccmblnattens and nnvel
problems almost daily.
f Tfce laying out and building of a
Mrve of speaaing wire requires the ser
vices of individual following many
, Hffetent kinds . of cccuMttijn inrii
of irefourd scientific ate technical
knowledge, shrewd prof essional ma
with political aptitude, men trained
to a oosen different trades and com-'.
tenon laborers not ccuntina those who
Iraw the wire for the line or thos
wno maae me instrument ana tne
numerous minor csent!als of con-
t ruction.
it wouia not D eeify to say aiong.
which Jine ol activity the energies of j r,llel lnc place 1UlW aJ1((l by lt. ferect
ths telephone mew are first exerted J or ns the cttad-nan i s a prop while
in actual ccnstructlon. hut, loglcalljc. raiding tho pole. . Havli.g fitted thi
the man who lays out the line mik; pole to the bUlUng board, the small
the start, with a great number of eo-d la lifted by main sttcngth till It
county and city mr.ps, covtilng the ia abt.nt feet 'In the air. Then the
vemtory to oe crcsteu. spreau out oc
fore htm. When Che line is several
hundred miles In length bis examina
tion c f these maps Is long and tedious.
Both telegraph and telephone wires
are almost Invaiiably strung a'ong
either railroads or. blghwrys, that re
pairing linemen may reach them read
ily. ' RaiUrjads offer) the shorter
route, as a rule, but telephone lines
generally th highways, because ths
telcgrtipb belny earlier on the ground,
hal pre-empted moit cf the rillrotd
l'nes before ever a telephone wire
whs strung. It is the duty of tbe
man who lays .out the line his title
is engineer e-i wwiracutfn-ig tuner-
mine what rad thaU le followed In
order to iret th shot test route and
provisionally to indicate its exact lo-j
cation lit vivid red-Ink lines on, tne
map of every city and county betven
terminal iritla " " :
A thousand men aro preparing the
materials fcr coiutructlon, meanwhile,
; but the wc rk next in order, logically,
is that of these advance couriers of
the telephone, the "right-cf way
men." Thair first task is the secur
ing of franchise or other legal r
mits front all the local authorities to
!go. ahead.. Tbe . were often over-
hoked In the early day of telephone
jconstrurtion, but nevr are now. lack
of fumal permits having been taken
advantage of in some places by the
ill-d imposed, to the gteat inconvenience
of ihe pubJlc s well es the telephone
folk. It Is in dclr.g right-of-way
work that the professional met. with
political aptitude are employed. They
are generated , by a man who has had
much previous r-ght -of -way expet I
ence in vat loos parts of the. country,
but local characters, possessed of
. pull" ' with the cour-dlmen, - town
beard and other home authorities,
are nice reanly taken on from one end
cf the -route to the rout to the other.
Besides franchise, they olno ecrure
peimteiion- for the placing of poles
from the farmers and other property
ownets iu front of whose premises the
line Is to pass. : . This must be very
carefully and thoroughly done, hence
lawyers are employed, mostly, ani
well' paid for 1 their servlcea Tha
title of every Tiece cf property In
volved must be looked up, and when
there is a mortgage, the mortgagee"
coiuxnt, as well as the owner', must
be obtained, c thcswise. in case of fore
closure and sale, the new owner might
cut down the pole, thus crippling the
line seriously, and still 'je wilhvn the
law. ; , --'";; " ': -- ',- '
Naturally the right-of-way men
operate In harmony with the survey
ing party. The surveyors are as Im
portant in laying out a telephono line
'as in laying out n ralljrrad. , A fast
as fraxta-hisea and permits are got the
pole are located snd their height de
terptlned. There. Is, variation . In
height only when the country is brok
en; then pole of extra length are em
ployed ; to overcome Irregularltlc of
the ground. Telelp-heme men . term
this "grading. At curves In the
line the atrrht or. the pole is equal
ise! by guying. A. stake is driven by
th surveying party to show the ex
act location of every lole. Instructions
as to It Kmgtb, whether it is to be
guyed or, not, tic. be'rg written In
dlibly uin the top of th3 Make,
which has been smoothed off for that
punxe.
The construction party follow ths
surveying party as rapidly as maybe
It ta'ces a party of about elshry men
to build a line of ten wires through a
well ttled region. IncIuJing all
the extras. 100 men at leart are need
ed fcr construction across a stretch
of -new conn try. They are placed
under .diseiplJi.e alnwist military , in
it teverity, lb jarty as a whole be
ing in charge of construction eaper
intendent and each divhslon being con-,
trolled by a foreman -
The groundmn come - first after
the locaters. Ground men dig hole,
of course, and are armed with crow
bars, pick, shovels, augurs and dyn
amite. Formerly dynamite wa not
usodl save when rock was found near
the surface; nowadays holes are dug
ordy a little way down with pick and
shovel evti In the softest soil, after
which a boring 1 made with 2-lnch
augur as deep as the pole I to be set,
half a stick cf dynamite i inserte d
and the. hole Is -blown out. The use
of dynamite has Increased, the rapldi-
TELEPHONE LINFS
New Business How the Work of Con
ty cf tephone construction vastly
ana it has also tendnl tc- make con-a-ttuctfoc
gangs unpopular In tome
places. ; Thus, in a certain town the
blowing out of a hole loca.-d near a
back yard, where a week's washing
was hung out to dry, resulted in
sprinkling the Miotics linen on the
linea with a Literal deposit of fine red
earth c"ust an J callett for the pay
ment cf a crisp -J bill tc a highly ex
cited housewife.
The "e-ectors" folkw the ground
closely. Each erecting gang carries
a 'butting bcard., pike poles,' a
"doadroan" and a 'plumb bob. The
butting board is placed upright in thi
hole ft r, the i-ole to 'butt against, so
that the hole may ,,tiot be enlarge 1
again tbe process of erection, th
pikes re for the jHiliing and .hauling
ot ;the pedes this way and th.it- - The
curiously named "deadman" i a tool
us--d only it. setting tel-phone and
telegjcaph pdes. In length the "deaJ
man" Is a tittle less than feet, to
correspond with the average live man.
It is made of heavy, stror.g wood.
One end la sl-od with a piece of point-
ire.n. so thst it will penetrate the
i ...i, . iti ts. aik.. .
) boUowed out fot the recepticn of the
pel and furnished with a sharp- steel
spike.,
I The name deadntan was first os-d
4fter lhe knjur of a live man who
deadman is put in place underneath
and the pole allowed to ret on It
while the live men get a freth hoii
and -lift it u little tlgher. When this
has been accc mpl'shc'd the dead man
l- h.ved a few feet nearer the beg ' r
hold, end Cf the pole, and these rj-cr-ationa
are repeated till the pole Is up
Aftr the erectors the alignment
man" one along with his' p'uinb
bob to eee that tho pole is exactly ver
tical, end Le end the tamr-ers com
plete the Batting of the io!e.
The wire stringers follow about two
miles behind. They work much mor
ruDloly now than formerly. In the
oM duvB ljM(y were content to put up
ono -..ir at a timt: row "they string
ten together.
The first wtre-strlnging operation is
perfotmed by a nan. who drives a
horse hauling the "running rop,. To
It is alt.tthed the "running loard,'.
form'vly mede of wood, but njow of
steel, triangular In shape and fitted
with "snap hooks somewhat like
those on harneeees, to which the wires
unwound fix-m he rls, are attached
The rc-pe i carried o-er the cross
pieces of the poles and a hallt is made
tr eech pcle as soon as the wires have
leached it. While the horse has Ken
hauling thm a . linemen has been
shilling up the pole. He attoches
each wire to in propel Irsulatr with
fingers so ex)ert that the wrrk Is
done at an Increellblel rate., Then h
climbs dftvn, makes fr the, next poly
1?0 feet away, and repeats the opera
tic n. Thlt goee ti at the rale of
forty poles ti the wile and two nnd
one half tales' a day tb pnile I a
standard Sir' work ). mile after mile
and rar after day till the lino 1 oom-
f pitted. At every three-quarters f a
to lie the w lies are cut. leiniHMrariiy
'deadened' to the insu'ators, and new
lengths f wire are taken , up. Whllo
the latter are being got in place tho
wires already strur.i, re carefully
stretched by ancther gang of men
working with r block asvd, fall. This
is done In order that each wire may
be of exactly the same length as all
the others and under the same strain.
Wire exactly equal vibrate In unison
when the wind blow snd pever trike
eech other wires of varylngjenslons
vibrate varlouely, often strike to
gether in windy times and o cause
no end bf confution among telephone
subscribers.
After the istretcblrig comes "transpo
sition" of the wirea "Transposition"
means cutting two wire carried by
the same cros-ebar and crossing them
at definite intervals so that the cur
rent travel first on One side and then
on the other side of the line of ole.
This I often verkoked In teleg.-nph-1
construcIon, but never In long dis
tance t telephone 1 work. A complete
explanation of It whys and where
f ares would need to be a treatww on
Induction and other intricate electric
al i-benorcena, but a Wnt or two may
be riven. In me-dern telephony me
talllc ?nd not ground circuits are usd;
that, makes two wires necessary for
each circnit, eo that ten wires mean
only five circuits. !Exiertenee has I
sbown that the mystic current play
all sort of prank with the trans
mission of sound when a lot of wlrei
running straight along are strung on
the same iok. Tbe prank are
mostly elin-4ualed by trersNslng the
wires, but curiously eneugh. it wm'tj
do to traiu5re two set of wires!
which run over the same line of pole J
ni identical t-otnts. fr this leads to;
"comi-lete parallelism.' a phoneme- J
... .... . , .
non wucn ail lejepnwne men r-.w,
but which few utl le the buid
nete have ever h-rd t. AH-orcllng-ly.
. a traisp.t.IU4n chcnse" has
to bo wrought out for every line, and
whn there are tevctal wire the
scheme I a highly eU. borate affair.
Uke the man who fasten the wire
to the Insulators, the one who trans
poses them spends much of hi time
shinning up and down pole. He
must have great expertne, but hi
knowledge of electricity nel nt be
great, no matter how complicated
the trwiplUon scheme, for it I
made ready in advance and ' be has
only "to f.-llow Instruction. - Yl t
the last man to pas over in una
When he ha finished' the wire are a
nearly ready Co talk a the overhead
conatruction party can make them.
Bo much for the actual ccnstructlon
work' between town. The vcraml-
.Vry atid mateilal departmntj ate
quite imprlant, for the nvm must
le ht.u:d and fed in their bustling
pregrees acroes tbe count ly and their
mateital muet always be at hanJ.
. Tl.e medhexl foi conducting the com
missary department varies ncecrding
to the nature of the territory passe-l
through. In thickly settled regions
the men eat and sleep at hote's. farm
houses and bearding be uses along the
route, hctels l.-elng preferred.. The
advent of a gang of eighty men cre
ate no end cf excitement ' iu each
neighbcrbxJ. and. t f course, th"ir ac
commodation fills all the spare bed
rvKinx und the evtra places at the ta
ble. Every construction gang is pre-o-eded
by cne or njoro men hunting
for bearding p'aces, and tbo4 ?aen are
als) charged with at raner.tents for
tbe trnstortatton of the ft rce to and
from work mornings an I nights.
lYvm fceve't to ei:hi mile is ab ut as
far a tby can be taken economic il
ly, and there is. thtrcfi.ie, an u vera go
distance of about lifteeo m'.lc be
twe-en headquurtera. m-'-When
the country Is thinly etlle.l
the party i furniwhej with vans
great pe tally o-m true ted wag n.
scmewbat Uke circus wagons some
containing berths for t leering purpos
es, wme be?r.g tiitej with ranges and
cook'ng utensil to serve a kitchens,
and ether being loaded with fond for
the men. f Oder for . the hoi ses aud
mi sella neous t. up plies. A ramp t
pitched at the . ck of each day's
waik and tbe number of men In the
party is. augmented by teamsters.,
cook. waiUrs and dcers cf all sorts
of odd Jc.ba Houseboats wer Lullt
to ace-ommcdati the arty which c n
Structed the line along the courts of
ia certain Southern river through a
region lll-eupplied with highways, snd
all hands were foated down the stream
by night between two days', wotk.
That party was nighty unfortunate;
the men lr.fM.d upon drinking the "
river water, a lot of ehem fell sick of
typhi 11 fever and several died before
its ravages coutf b checked.
Getting poles, wires. cross-piiKe
and e ther essentials of construction to
the men promptly , ii as nece-esary as
feeding and housing i them. This,
woik in charge of the mati-rUl nan.
who I recedes the ci.itMructioH party,
and muat be iosc:ed of unusual ex
ecutive ability. .
: TLTttetitig towt.s, building and organ-
ixing exebat-ges and connecting the
ame with the trunk lines are th4 fi
nal opera :iors, though genera'iy car
ried on simultaneiwsly with the wire
strirging. Formerly towns weie en
tered on poles, but thenin.o Is un
doubtedly coming when buiial of
wires will be Insisted uin In all mi
nicipaLtifs. and. tbrcf.re. tlw? long
distance telephcne nuW passes "the
limit'' inviuUbly. underground. Thi
nccetsltates the empbiynient of eub
way builders and cable layers instead
cf ground men. erectors and wire men.
and ef tile, wooden tr metal ce-ndults
In pla-e of Hie.-' The erection cf ex-
cbarof buildings, the laying nut and
installment of ltchboards, the put
ting In cf batteries and dynamo, ths
eatablishnicnt of lightning arsf-tors,
the threading of the sulovaya all
these operations call upon as many
different sets of men as ere employed
in general construction, and 1 must
con plete their several" task before
the pretty girt cerutors may ,eat
theineelves . before the switchboard
and begin their Interminable 'hello
ing to the talking wire .
LINES 1113 WALLS WITH LEGS.
Chicago Veteran Turn Uncle Sam's
Bounty to a Novel Use.
Henry Curtln, a veteran of the civil
war living on the West Side; ha a
room in M residence that lnjprese
all his visitor as a veritable chamber
of horror. Th la is because its most
conspicuous decoration and ornament
In a row of human legit sufpenced on
the walls and entirely ' circling the
room.' Mr. Curtln always laughs at
the fright of strangers at the first
eight of this room, and then explain
that the legs are only artificial one.
and there nothing to be afraid of.
Then he tells tbem how tbe legs come
to be there.
Tou ee., aay Mr. Curtln, "In 64
I wa so foolish a to try and atop a
cannon ball with my right leg. Of
course, I waen't one. two, three, and
the next thing I knew I was In a camp
hospital with only one leg left. That
ended my soldiering. The government
had me measured for an artificial leg
a soon as I we able to be about, and
X osvme home to Chicago.
"Well, I discovered that I Wouldn't
wear the kind of leg the government
give, owing to eome reasons ejotinect-.
ed with the way my lear , was ' ampu
tated, and the only, leg I can wear le
this wooden slump that straps to the
thigh. It wa In 5" when I got my
first leg. In '64 an expres package
brought me another. I sat don and
wrote the war department thiat the
leg were of no use to me. and. there
fore, not to send them. They didn't
take a bit of notice of my letter, and
In 7 another leg came. . 1 wrote again
to Washington; told them I had three"
of their legs now that I couldn't use,
and didn't want them, to go on and
bankrupt. the government buying m
legs--- ;'.'.."
"They never noticed me. In '68 I
got another leg. They began to get
In the way around the house, so then
I started tbe labeling and bating of
each one. and hanirtn them up on the
wall of my den. They erome regular-"
ly one each year. There' thirty-five
there now, and .1 guee I'll lat lon
enough to see fifty or more if Uncle
Sam doesn't get tired sending them."
CV2t TO KIIOOT FIFTEEN MILES.
The Icoyal gun. factories at tVooI
wlch have, it is stated, Ju. turnel tut
a gun with a rang so much n excess
of any previous orJinance that the
revet nment range at Ehoe.burynes
has been fcund tni-ufflclent for ascer
taining Its maximum rsrge. When
fired for the first time, the dvl went
cut to sea mile beyond the targ-sU.
Thong h the range of the new weapon
has not been actually measured or
t-alculated. artPktitts estimate It tt
fifteen tale, ti about ten mile more
than that ef the latest rlflo small'
amor t- James's arett. .