Chapter 3

Being one of the last of the Tramps hired, I was one of the 1st ones layed off when about all that was left to do was clean-up of the right-of-way. I went to Local 304's Hall and they sent me out to a small town south of there. The Contractor had a small job replacing cracked and/or broken insulators. This was a low primary voltage system of 2,400 volts and a lot of the work on the poles was done without safety insulated covers on the wires. The wires had some insulation still left on them and it was pretty safe unless you got in between 2 of the primary hot wires.

The GF (General Foreman) took me to the jobsite and asked me to help a Lineman that was already up a pole. I started climbing but stopped I noticed lots of small copper tie wires hanging from his tool belt's tool loops. I stopped, belted off, and then introduces myself to him. Then I asked him why he had all of those used tie wires on his belt. He said "You can't drop them to the ground. The Grunts here will just steal them all."

I said "OK, bye!" then unbelted and went back to the ground. The GF was still there talking to some of the Grunts. I told him he could give me a ride back to the show-up. He said "What's the matter?" I said I didn't feel safe working with that Lineman with all of those old tie wires hanging from his belt. They could easily get him in between 2 hot phases and blow us up. The GF said "You have to do it that way or these Grunts will steal all of them!" I got my 4 hours of pay from the Bookie (clerk) and want back to the Hall.

The Assistant BA said "Let me guess. That old Tramp Luther is still hanging tie wires on his tool belt to save them from the Grunts, right?" I said "That's what's the matter." (This is an old phrase made popular in the book SLIM written by William Wister Haines in 1934 and made into a movie starring Henry Fonda) He said he was having trouble filling this Lineman call as many others also had drug up on it. He said "How are you with working on street lights?" I said I had not done much of that but I wanted to learn it. He said he had a new call here in town (Topeka, KS) for a Contractor putting up new lights on poles, stringing secondary wires and energizing them. I said "I'll take that call."

The Contractor's GF met with me (the only Lineman so far), with 2 operators and 4 Grunts to go over the scope of the job. He told me as I was the 1st Lineman on the job, he would make me the Lead Lineman (climbing Foreman) with Foreman's wages if I would run the job. So I took that as we would only be working a 40-Hour week. We spent the rest of that day hauling material to our show-up site's yard. We also started putting some street lights, masts and wiring together for the next day's work.

The next day a Lineman that lives in town showed up. He was upset that I had gotten the Lead Lineman / Foreman job ahead of him. I overheard the GF tell him "Now, now Chris you and I are friends! I work with your family at the Power Company! I will give that to you for the next crew we put together." Chris quieted down and said that would be OK if that happened quickly. From that time on Chris would be from 5 minutes up to 30 minutes late for work. Then on days when we were getting a sprinkle he would say "We're not going out, it's inclement weather." I just let it ride as I was the new Tramp Lineman in town. The Power Company Inspector must have complained because our GF showed up one morning and asked why we were not out working. I told him it was inclement and we would just stay in the yard until it quit or until our 2-Hour show-up time was over, then we would go home.

The GF said that I was too strict and asked if it would be OK with me if I stepped me down to a Lineman and gave Chris the Lead Lineman / Foreman job. I said "Sure" as I would rather be climbing than doing paperwork! So he did that. Chris called us all together and said "There will be no more leaving for the jobsite late. You all will be ready and in the trucks before the time starts. We will wait on no one and I will fire any man that is late getting here. And we will work in sprinkling rain as we are not doing any hot work. Now get in the trucks and let's get out of here!" I laughed and started taking my tools to my pickup. Chris said "Where are you going now?" I said I was dragging up. He said "You'll never work in my town again!" Well, I did several times and I later found out that most of the local Linemen wouldn't work with him or for him unless they were very hungry! I know I never did see him on other jobs again.

I heard about the Contractor that I had worked for during the tornado line repairs had a job going near Lawrence, KS going through a low-transmission (70 kV) line tightening the pole hardware. I went to the Hall and got cleared out on it. A lot of the hands I had worked with were there. Including Danny Adams who was just weeks away from having enough hours to "Top Out" as a Journeyman Lineman. We had met as I mentioned in Chapter 3. We set around the show up office having coffee and talking before going out. As this was my 1st day on that job, Danny filled me in on who was good and who was bad to work with. We went out to the line and the Grunts started dropping off Linemen at several poles. We would go up, tighten up all bolts and nuts and inspect the lines for damaged or broken crossarms or insulators to be repaired later.

As usual, Danny took the lead. He was dropped off at the 1st pole, 1st one up in the air and the 1st one finished with shaking that pole down. I was the last one dropped off at my pole. As I was getting ready to go up, I heard a horn honking and saw Danny going west by me for his 2nd pole. I saw he skipped a pole and went on the next one in line. I looked at the pole he had skipped and I saw that it had an open-air switch on top with a handle almost to ground level to open and close the switch. I saw that the switch was in the open position and I couldn't get my brain in gear to figure out what was going on. Before I got started up, I heard an electric arc, and as I looked towards Danny he yelled. I saw him start falling and it was like everything was going in slow motion!