THE OMAHA : DAILY BEE : STJXDAY , SEPTEMBER IT , isoo.
Great September Sale of Furniture
JL
Wo desire to call your special attention to the WHOLESALERS AND RETAILERS OF FURNITURE. Desire to inform the public
, . , , , , , r , , . .
i i i
fact that our great September sale is half over.
that oil merchandise on our main
You cannot be in too great a hurry about buying your furniture , for the
floor such as Dry Goods Groceries and Shoes will be
, , ,
reason that prices have taken on an upward tendency , Wo have , however ,
hold them down for the reason that we made extensive preparations in an- sold for cash only. Merceandise on every other floor ,
tisipation of the advance , But when our present stock runs down wo such as Ready-made Wearing Apparel , Millinery , Furn
might be forced by the manufacturers and in consequence be compelled to iture , Carpets , Stoves and Household Goods , will be sold
advance them. At present we continue the low prices that has created a as heretofore either for cash or on
stir. Wo offer some extra specials for tomorrow you should not miss.
OMAHA. The Plan.
.An extraordinary opportunity don't ' let it slip. THE rEtJl'MJ'S Ftm.MTUUi : .t CAIU'ET CO. Easy Payment .
SOLID OAK SIDEBOARDS with three ex Stoves Sale of Fine Carpets and
tra largo drawers , cutlery drawer velvet
lined , with largo French bevel pinto mir The largest carpet room In the west. Three sootlons llko the ono Illustrated hero
rors , elegant carvings on top , solid filled with now and beautiful carpotd , ever 101) )
braes handles , worth fully $20 , _ _ . _ .
only 1275 BEAUTIFUL INGRAIN ( URl'ETS the
newest designs , worth uOc a yard , only
LARGE CHIFFONIEIIS antique finish ,
with largo plato mirror , nice carvings on FIBER CARPETS now fnll designs , at-
top , 5 drawers , solid brass ban- _ , - . o tractive patterns , worth fully 63o
dies , $15 value , for el.c/O a yard , only
SOLID QUARTERED OAK CHINA CADI-
NET with heavy glass doors and sides , 4 * RIOH VELVET CARPETS rare beautiful
largo adjustable shelves , nicely designs , $1.25 value , yard . . . . .
finished , $20 value , for
ELEGANT TURKISH COUCH full size AXMINSTER AND MOQUETTE CARPETS
with best grade No. 2 otccl springs , largo beautiful designs , goods worth $1.25 a
roll head , finest silk velour covering , 1900 MORRIS CHAIR beautiful yard , sale prlco
design , $16.00 value , September _ HANDSOME DININO ROOM frames , rich upholstering ,
sale prlco only 7 > BEAUTIFUL MAHOGANY CHAIR handsome carvings , full set splines , worth
ROCKER cobbler or wood cane teal , worth _ _ fully $12.00 STAR ESTATE STEEL
WHITE ENAMELED IRON BKD has heavy corner posts vciiii 'ftvok t > uiiu luiiy " * - RANGE nicely niado ,
, seat , richly carved , extra $1.23 , sale price . . . .7iJO sale prlco very JFine Oriental
4 value
rot\t design , brass trlmraon , ? , only full size , a positive $5 value of heavy wrought steel , high- Kugs.
BEAUTIFUL ENAMELED BED September sale - } y polished full nickel trlm-
has heavy corner posts , strong price < jj Del 'mlngs , has duplex grate for BEAUTIFUL RUGS slzo 39x30 , of fine mo-
wood or coal , worth quetta , velvet , tapestry and axuitnatcr
fitoel side rails , handsome brass Sp'o'J &arg'n fully $45.00- worth fully $1.60 , special solo prlco - tt * r\
trimmings , worth fully special
$10 , sale prlco GRAND SEWING MA ELEGANT ART SQUARES slzo 9x12 , very
CHINES every machine FOUR-HOLE COOK STOVE beautiful designs , rich patterns , worth $7.00 $
COTTON TOP MATTRESS covered - t
full
- very heavy castings , aalo prlco
ered with fancy ticking , well I warranted , -written guar nickel trimmed , good slzo
filled , worth $3.00 _ antee given These machines even , guaranteed a good bak KIOTA RUGS rara nnd beautiful designs ,
ealo price * embody all the Improvements er , worth $15 , sale handsome patterns , direct from the orient , .
of the best sewing machines , Blzo 9x12 , $25 valus jtt >
prlco only
WOVEN WIRE SPRINGS f adapted for all kinds of plain
hardwood frame , worth and fancy sewing , light run NEW SPLENDID OIL Department of Fur Rugs
fully $2 , sale prlco . . . ning , worth fully HEATER a good burner , ,
Second Floor.
The largest line of brass and cnamolcd beds In the west , over 200 styles $10 , Sept. warranted perfect , no smeller .
3-PIECE BED ROOM SUITE flno oak fin or smoke , $7.00 val-
ish , beautiful carving , large dresser with uc , only
Sale of Croolzery , Housefurnisliings & Lamps. sale beautiful prlco plate only glass mirror , worth $22 13 85 HOME CORAL BASE BUR Lace Curtains , Draperies and Bedding.
NER hns heavy castings ,
PARLOR LAMPS In endless variety , the
Fine Nottingham Loco Curtains
full ulckled , largo flre pot , a elegant deV Flno Feather Pil
newest designs , beautiful and artistic our good steady heater , and a signs , very beautiful patterns , 3V4 yards lows , worth $2.60 e.
special for Monday Is 50 beautiful lamps coal saver , worth _ - x-v long , our own Importation ' pair , sale
- * * > - -
with fancy decorated globes complete with $28 sale prlco . . 2t > . OCI $2.50 values for 2.2t > price only C/OO o/- %
front , burners , chimney , worth PENINSULAR BASE BUR
fully $7.50 ale prlco only 4 NER hns very heavy cost Beautiful Tapestry Portieres all shades Prime geese Feather
ing's ' , with full nickel trim- * and designs , over 300 different patterns , Pillows , worth fully
Stone Jar * , BOl- 75o benntlfal Jnr- mlngs , largo fire pot , a worth sale
. good $5 a pair prlco * - * -v * - $4 a pair special
Ion .Sc tllnlerca 4Uo heate-r , worth fully only 2.98
Milk CrocUd ,
lOo White Granite . .
trillion So ly $37.50 , only price *
lOo tup nnd snu- ite Platen Oo ESTATE OAK air tight Beautiful Rope Portieres worth
BEAUTIFUL INDIA SEATS , Paragon Blankets , white , 11-4 , worth
ccr canclii . . . .Go 25o White Gran guaranteed to bold flre 48 fully $3.60 , only , .1.98 . sale
100 PIECES DINNER SETS beautifully ISo half ite Bnkera . . . . 15o concaved , nicely finished fully $1.75 prlco * -io
gallon STRONG BUILT hours , with soft coal
TRUNKS WOO
. . . . only
tifully decorated Engllshware , fine . . . worth fully $1.75 ,
Brian * Jusa ; . .9o 25c While Granite .
9OC covered with sheet Iron , worth fully $15.00 _ _ Chculllo Table Covers rich designs and
underglazed , neat designs , worth lOo srlnnn Crcum ite Scallop * . .12o only 9.7.O Fancy Colored Blankets , superior quality ,
nicely Japanned , nicely lined , special only patterns size , 4-4 _ .
. . . . .
.
fully $12.00- _ , PHchem .no lOu pic Plates So
worth sale
special O.o 0 > HANDSOME TABOUR- complete with hat box and SILVER GEM RANGE worth ' .ully 75c , only 4tcrC fully $3 , special fS" Q
JL-4O
ETTES solid top , antique tray , also other convenient prlco only -
or
6-PIECE TOILET SETS COPPER BOTTOM WASH BOILERS heavy castings , ilargo oven , a
pretty
mahogany , an ornament to partitions , solid etcel corners good baker , full nickel Largo slzo Comforters , filled with white Heavy Wool Blankets , superior quality , the
patterns , Engllshwaro -t c r\ heavy tin , worth fully 85c any room $1.00 with brass lock , _ _ trimmings , $20.00 cotton , batting , nicely covered , kind generally cold for $7.60 ,
*
-
. price.ltO9 -r\
. . . .
worth $2.50 sale Oc/O o O O
, special
: prlco only /
value O9O worth fully $6.50..4.JD ! value worth fully $3 , sale prlco .1.48 aalo prlco O > e/O
LIFE AMONG WIRE-PULLERS
Incidents that Break the Monotony of Tele
phone Line Building ,
STRANGE TOOL WITH A STRANGE NAME
How the Gangs Go from Place to
.Vlnan Carrying ; Their Commissary
Ueunrtmciit with Them
: for
Including all hands , from pretty girl
" " " " It
"operators" to brawny "groundmen"
takes 30,000 persons to kcc < p the telephone
business of the United States moving. '
( Twenty-eight thousand are employed In the
operation and maintenance of the com-
pletad lines , the other 2,000 are hustling
-oonatantly In the stretching of now line's.
There Is much of the humdrum and the
monotonous in the life of the 28,000 , for
Iholr duties , mostly of a routine nature ,
are gone through with week after week and
year after year , without much variation of
method or change or scene. Monotony Is an
unknown quantity among the 2,000 ; they nro
continually on the rnovo , for tlephone exten
sion Is going on In nearly every stfcto In
the union , and they encounter new com ?
fclnatlons and novel problems almost dally.
The laying out and building of a line
of speaking wire requires tno services of
Individuals following runny different occu
pations men of profound scientific and
technical knowledge , shrewd professional
men with political aptitudes , men trained
to & dozen different trades and common
laborers not counting those who draw the
Wire for the line or those who make the
Instruments and the numerous minor essen
tlals of construction.
It would not be easy to say ulong which
Una of activity the energies of the tele
phone men aye first exerted In actual con-
ntructlon , but , logically , the man who lays
out the line makes the start , with a great
cumber of county nnd city maps , covering
the territory to be crossed , spread out he
fore him. When the line Is several hundred
nillea in length his examination of these
naps Is long nnd tedious. Both telegmph
and telephone wires are almost Invariably
strung along either railroads or highways
that repairing linemen may reach them
readily. Railroads offer tbe shorter routes ,
04 n rule , but telephone lines generally fol
low the highways , because the telegraph ,
being earlier on the ground , had pre-empted
most of the rallrcud lines before ever a
telephone > wlro was strung. It Is the duty
of the man who lays out the line his title
Is engineer of construction to determine
what roads shall be followed In order to set
( he shortest route and provisionally to Indi
cate Its exact location In vivid red Ink llnea
en the map ot every city and county be
tween terminal points ,
Courier * .
A thousand men are preparing the material
for construction , meanwhile , but the work
next In order , logically , la that of those ad
vance couriers of the telephone , the "right-
of-way men , " Their flret task IB the secur
ing of franchises or other legal permits from
all tbo local authorltlcn to go ahead. These
vero often overlooked In the early days of
telephone construction , but never are now ,
lack nt formal permits bavins been taken
advantage of In some places by the Ill-dls-
poaod , to the great Inconvenience of the
publlo as well as the telephone folk. It In
In doing right of way work that the profes-
lonal men with political aptitudes are em
ployed. They are generated by a man who
has had much previous light ot way expert *
once In various parts of the country , but
local characters , possessed of ' 'pull" ' with
councllmen , town boards and other homo tu-
wo nftcwMuwUy Ulcon OB , from on *
nd of the route to the other. Besides fran-
hlses , they also secure permission for the
placing of the poles from the farmers and
other property owners In front of whose
premises the line Is to pass. This must be
rery carefully nnd thoroughly done , hence
awycrs are employed mostly , and well paid
or their services. The title of every piece
of property Involved must be looked up and
when there Is a mortgage the mortgagee's
consent , as well as the owner's , must be ob-
alned , otherwise , In coso of foreclosure and
sale , the new owner might cut down the
poles , thus crippling the line seriously and
still be within the law.
Naturally , the right of way men operate
n harmony with the surveying party. The
surveyors are as important In laying out n
elephone line as In laying out a railroad. As
a t as franchises and permits are got the
poles are located nnd tholr height deter
mined. There Is variation 4u height only
when the country Is broken ; then poles of
extra length are employed to overcome Ir
regularities of the ground. Telephone men
; erm this ' 'grading. ' " At curves In the line
: ha strain on the poles Is equalized by guy
ing. A stake Is driven by the surveying
party ito show the exact looatlog of every
iflle , Instructions as to Its length , whether It
s lo bo gujod or not , etc. , being written In
delibly upon the top of the stake which has
jcen emoc'tohod off for that purpose.
Dynamite anil "Headmen. "
The construction party follows the survey
ing party as rapidly ns maybe. It taken a
iarty of about eighty men to build a line of
on wlrcn through a well settled region. In
cluding all the extras , 100 men at least are
needed for construction across a stretch of
new country. They are placed under dis
cipline , almost military In Its severity , the
party ns a whole belng _ In charge of a con
struction superintendent and each division
being controlled by a foreman.
The "ground men" coma first after the
locators. Ground men dig holca , of course ,
and are armed with crowbars , picks , shovels ,
augurs and dynamite. Formerly dynamite
wu ( not used when rock was found near the
surface ; now-a-dnys holes are dug only a lit
tle way down with pick and shovel , oven In
the softest soil , after which n boring Is made
with a two-Inch augur ac deep as the pole Is
to be > set , half a stick of dynamlto Is In
serted and the hole Is "blown out. " The use
cf dynamite has Increased the rapidity of
telephone construction vastly nud It has also
tended to make construction gangs unpopu
lar In some places. Thus In a certain New
Jersey town the blowing out of a hole lo
cated near a back yard , where ai week's wash
waa hung out to dry , resulted In sprinkling
the spotless linen on the lines with a lib
eral deposit of fine rod earth dust and called
for the payment of a crisp $2 bill to a highly
oxcltcd housewife.
The "eroctori'1 follow the ground men
closeJy. Each erecting gang carries a "but
ting board , " "pike poles , " a "deadmaa"
and a "plumb bob. " The butting board Is
placed upright in the hole for the pole to
"butt" against so that the hole may not
be enlarged during the process of erection ;
the pikes are for the pulling and hauling
ot the poles this way and that. The
curiously named "deadman" Is a tool used
only In setting telephone nnd telegraph
poles. In length tha "dcodman" Is a llttfe
lesa than six fe t , to correspond with the
average live man. It Is made of heavy ,
strong wood. Ono end Is shod with a piece
of pointed Iron eo that It will penetrate the
earth a llttlo way ; the other end is hol
lowed out for the reception of the pole and
furnlshod with a stoarp steel pike.
Tie name dead man was Artt used after
the killing of a live man who filled the
place now filled by It. Erectors use the
deadman as a prop while raising the pale.
Having fitted the pole to the butting board
the small end of the polo Is lifted by main
strength till It Is about six feet In the air.
Then the deadman la put In place under
neath and the polo allowed to rest on It
while the Mvo men get a fresh hold and lift
It a llttlo higher. When this has been ac
complished the deadman Is shoved a few
feet nearer the big or hole end of the polo
and these operations are repeated till the
pole IB up. After the erectors the "align
ment man" comes nlong with hlo plumb
bob to BCO that the pole Is exactly vertical ,
and he and the tampers complete the setting
ting ot the polo.
AVorUlnir In the Air.
The vilro stringers follow about two
miles behind. They work much more rapIdly -
Idly now than formerly. In the old days
they were content 'to ' put up ono wire at
a time ; now they string ten together.
The first wire-stringing operation ) s per
formed by a man who drives n horse haulIng -
Ing the "runnlns ropo. " To It Is attached
the "running board , " formerly made of
wood , but now of steel , triangular In shape
and fitted with "snap hcoks" nomowlmt
Ilko those on harnesses , to which the wires ,
as unwound fron the reels , are attached.
The rope Is carried over the cro&pleeen
of the poles nnd a halt In made for each
pole as soon aa the wires have reached It.
While the horse has been hauling thorn
n lineman has been shinning up the polo ,
He attaches each wlro to Its proper Iniu.
later with fingers so expert that the work
Is done at nn Incredible rate. Then he
! cllmta down , mnkoa for the next pole , 130
feet away , and repeats the operation. This
goes on at the rate of forty poles to the
mile nnd two and one-half miles a rlay
(100 ( poles Is a standard day's work ) , mile
after mire and day after day , till the line
Is completed. At every three-quarters of a.
mile the wires ore cut , temporarily "dead
ened" to the Insulators and now lengths
ot wlro taken up. While the latter are
being got In place the wires already strung
are carefully stretched by another gang of
men working with "block and fall. " This
cause no end of confusion among telephone
subscribers.
After the stretching comes "transposition"
of 'the ' wires. "Transposition" means cutting
two wires carried by the eamo cross-bar and
crossing them at definite Intervals so that the
current travels first on one eldo and then on
itho other nldo of the line of poles. This is
often overlooked in telegraphic construction ,
but never In long distance telephone work. A
complete explanation of Its whys'and where
fores would need to bo a treatise on induc-
hustllng progress across the country and
their materials must always bo at hand.
The method of conducting the commis
sary department varies according to the
nature of the territory .passed through. In
thickly settled regions the men oat and
sleep at hotels , farmhouses and boarding
houses along the route , hotels being pre
ferred. The advent of a gang of eighty
men creates no end of excitement In each
neighborhood , and , of course , their accom
modation fills , all the spare bedrooms and
INCIDENTS IN THE LIVES OF MEN WHO BUILD TE LEPHONE LINES.
Is done In order that each wlro may bo of
exactly the name length as all the others
and under the same strain. Wires cxaotfy
equal vibrate In unison when the wind
blows and never strike each other wires
of varying tension vibrate variously , often
striking together In wind } time * , nnd BO
TWO IMPORTANT ADJUNCTS OF A TKLnPHON U CAMP.
EEJJ iliM
tlon and other intricate electrical phenom
ena , but a hint or two may bo given. In
modern telephony metallic and not ground
circuits are used ; that makes two wires nec
essary for each circuit so that ten wires
mean only five circuits. Experience has
shown that the mystic current plays all sorts
of pranka with the transmission of Bound
when a lot of wires running straight along
are btrung on the eamo poles. The pranks
are mostly eliminated by transposing the
wires , but curiously enough , It won't do to
transpose two eots of wires whlch _ run over
the same line of poles at Identical points ,
for this leads 'to ' "complete parallelism , " a
phenomenon which alj telephone men dread ,
but which few outsldo the business have ever
heard of. Accordingly , a 'transposition '
"scheme" hao to bo wrought out for uvery
line , and when there nro several wires the
scheme Is a highly elaborate affair. Like the
man who fastens tbe wlrca < to the insulators ,
thu ono who transposes them spends much
of his time bhlnnlng up and down poles. Ho
must have great expertncsa , but his knowl
edge of electricity need not bo great , no
matter how complicated tbo transposition
scheme , for It Is made ready In advance and
ho has only to follow Instructions , He is tbe
last man to pass over the line. When toe has
finished the wires are as nearly ready to
talk as tbe overhead construction party can
make them ,
Coiiiiiilnimrr untl 'Material. '
So much for tbo actual construction work
between towns. Tbe comtnlbsary and ma
terial departments are quite as Important ,
for the men must be housed and fed in their
the eoctra places at every table. Every
construction gang Is preceded by one or
moro men hunting for boarding places , nnd
those men are also charged with arrange
ments for the transportation of the force
to and from work mornings and nights.
From seven to eight mllea Is about as far
na they can bo taken economically , and
there Is , Ui ore fore , an average distance of
about fifteen miles between headquarters ,
When the country Is thinly settled tbe
party la furnished with vans great spe
cially constructed < wogons , somewhat like
circus wagons some containing berths for
sleeping purposes , tome being fitted with
ranges and cooking utensils to serve as
food for the- men , fodder for tbe 'jorses '
and miscellaneous supplies. A camp Is
pitched nt the close of each day's work
and the number of men in tha party U
augmented by teamsters , cooks , Walters and
doers ot all sorts ot odd job * . Houseboats
were built to accommodate tbe party which
constructed a line along the course ct a
certain southern river through a region
ill-supplied with highways , and nil hands
were floated down the stream by night be
tween days' works. That party was hltily
unfortunate ; the men insisted upon dr.luklns
the river 'water , a lot ot there fell sick ol
typhoid fever and several died before its
ravages could be checked ,
'flatting poles , wires , cross-plojea am
other essentials of construction to tbo men
promptly is as necessary aa feeding am
bousing them. Thla work la In charge o
the material man , who precedes < the con
structlon party , and must be possessed o
unusual executive ability , He must be In
close touch with the polo-buyers scattered
all over the country , the engineer wtoo drew
the specifications for the line and the su
perintendent of construction. Working in
mrmony with the material man la the
'framing gang , " whoso members assemble
and put together itho croBS-plecea and polos.
Their -work Is satisfactory only when the
construction party finds everything It needs
ready to hand at all points along the route.
Tha commissary and material departments
make extensive use of horses and mules ,
which are generally hired from farmers and
others along the line , in the hauling of
poles , wires , etc. , and In the transportation
it the men between sleeping places and
heir work. It Is not at all unusual for a
larty of telephone builders to use from
, wenty to thirty teams , nt least ; somo-
Imcs a teamster will follow along the
ontlro dlbtance , but not often.
IIroad Trail of Money.
It will bo seen that telephone construc-
lou leaves n broad trail of money through
out the regions traversed. Almost everyone
ono In every neighborhood gets sctme of It.
loardlng house and hotel keepers , grocers ,
rakers , farmers anii general dealers all
come in for a share. Possibly the saloon
cccpers get least , since drinking among the
men is frowned upon nnd discharge follows
drunkenness with the certainty ofate ,
From time to tlmo dismissals for this and
other causes make the gangs short-handed
nnd new men have to bo token on. Thus
t falls out that nearly every existing tele
phone party include 'members from all eee-
lens of the union , cast , west , north and
south.
Entering towns , building and organizing
exchanges and connecting the same with
.ho trunk lines are the final operations ,
though gencraly carried on simultaneously
with the wire-stringing. Formerly towns
wore entered on poles , but the tlmo Is un
doubtedly coming when burial ofwires will
be Insisted upon In nil municipalities , and ,
therefore , the long distance telephone now
passes "tho limits" Invariably underground.
Thla necessitates the employment of sub
way builders and cable-layers Instead of
groundmen , erectors nnd wlro men , nnd of
tile , wooden or metal conduits in place of
poles. The erection of exchange buildings ,
the laying out nnd Installment of switch
boards , the putting in of batteries and
dynamos , the establishment of lightning ar
resters , the threading ot the subways all
these operations call upon ns many different
sots of men as are employed In general
construction , and all must complete their
several tasks before the pretty girl opera
tors may seat themselves before the switch
board * and. begin their Interminable "hello-
ins" to the talking wires.
Visitor What kind of a building Is that ,
Johnny ? 'Is ' it a summer kitchen ?
Johnny No'm ; It's a tannery.
Visitor A tannery ?
Johnny Vcfl , that's where dad Uus us.
Ho calls It a woodshed.
Dyspepsia Cure
Digests what you eat.
Itartlflclally digests thefoodand aids
Nature In strengtheuing and recon
structing tlie exhausted digestive or
gans. It Is the latwit discovered digest-
ant ana tonic. Ho other preparation
can approach it in etllclency , It instantly -
stantly relieves and permanently cure. " .
Dyspepsia , Indigestion , Heartburn ,
Flatulence , Sour Stomach , Nausea ,
6ickHeadacheGastragiaCrampsantJ ] ,
all other-results of Imperfectdlgestlou ,
orcoared by E. C. DeWItt A Co. . Chlcaao-
