The telegraph manual: a complete history and description of the semaphoric, electric and magnetic telegraphs of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, ancient and modern.

CONSTRUCTION OF THE AMERICAN
LINES.
CHAPTER XLVII.
Organization for Digging the Holes-Erection of the Poles-Suspension of the
Wire-Insulating the Poles.
ORGANIZATION FOR DIGGING THE HOLES.
IN organizing men for the construction of a telegraph line,
much consideration must be given to the proper distribution
of labor, to effect the most certain and rapid consummation of
the ends in view. In the classification, a proper force must be
placed at the digging of the holes, the getting and putting
up of the poles, the suspension of the wire, and the necessary
auxiliaries in the premises. I propose to notice each corps
respectively.
The detachment of men engaged in digging telegraph holes
is generally called a "squad," " gang," or "party." In my
practice, I have usually termed them a " squad." The necessary implements are the shovel, fig. 1, the digger, a wrought-iron
rod, about six feet long, with steel cutter at end, and the
auger, with blades about twelve inches diameter, fig. 2. The
use of these tools I will shortly describe. A digging squad
should not exceed nine men, one of whom will act as " boss,"
or director. The duty of the boss is to step off the places for
the holes, locating the spot of each by a stone, removing a little
of the earth, or by driving a stick into the earth to serve as a
mark to the diggers. The boss must be capable, and understand the whole process of construction. He establishes the
range or line of the poles, so as to distribute the strain of the
wire on as many of them as possible. Much expense has been
thrown upon the subsequent working of lines by injudicious
location of the poles; for example, suppose poles A B C are
erected, the first on a hill, the second in a valley, and the third
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