They sing of the men as goes down to the sea,
Of the heroes of cannon and sword
They tell tales of a dead chivalry,
And the bravery of old knights and lords.

They sigh cause the romance of knighthood is past,
That there ain't no ideals anymore.
They say this old world's a rolling too fast,
To develop that Esprit-de-corps.

But them that complain are the ones that don't know,
Who sit loose where it's warm and then kick. 
They ain't never seen a line saggin' with snow, 
And had to get service back quick.

They ain't never struggled with death at their side,
A snappin', hissin' and pale,
Nor clung to the towers and grimly defied 
The assault of the blizzard and gale.

They sit and are served with never a thought, 
Of the fellows out plugging like hell, 
To supply at their touch the service they bought,
With a light or the sound of a bell.

The lineman ain't decked out in armor of steel,
He don't ride around on no hoss,
They don't write songs about how he must feel, 
In a blizzard when the lines, sometimes cross.

His armor ain't nothin' but belt and boots, 
His weapons are climbers and pliers. 
His battles are fought up where high voltage shoots
And death lurks unseen on the wires.

So here's to the lineman, that son of a gun,
Who can go without sleep for a week, 
Who sticks to the job 'til it's every bit done, 
And the lines can carry their peak

For his is that knighthood that's noblest by far,
That highest and mightiest clan,
Who is fighting the battles of things as they are,
For one cause, just service to man.

--Anonymous (sent by Bud Thompson, Boise, ID) 

Photo is shared by Ed Hunt, Apache Junction, Arizona.

America's Oldest
Transmission Line Relies on
Western Red Cedar Poles

Missouri River Transmission Lines.
Photo courtesy Montana Power Co.

Between 1900 and 1902 two parallel power lines, Missouri River lines A and B, were installed between the old Canyon Ferry power plant at Helena and Butte, Montana, a distance of 63 miles. These lines remain in service from Helena to Boulder and still rely on the original Western Red Cedar poles.

History
From the headquarters of the Montana Power Company in Butte, Ed Hildreth, Purchasing Agent, reports that the power originally transmitted on the Missouri River lines was used for the operation of the Colorado Smelter just east of the town, and for the mammoth 900 h.p. compressor at the Anaconda Mine.

According to Hildreth, these were probably the first real transmission lines in America and possibly the world -- certainly for a time they were the world's highest powered at 60 KV. At present, the lines are energized at 69 KV.

1965 Inspection Report
A 1965 inspection report on the A line states that when the original lines were constructed through the wilderness between Boulder, Montana, and Butte, a wagon road was cut through the timber and into a mountainside, necessitating the dynamiting and moving of large quantities of rock. Where the lines crossed a swampy area at the 7,000 ft. level, a one-mile long roadway was constructed. Large poles were laid in the swamp, then small poles acting as stringers were laid across these poles, and 3-inch saplings laid crossways to the stringers to form the roadway's deck. The roadway is easily discernible today, even though it has rotted badly and cannot be used.

The report also says that the lines consist of graded single 35-foot cedar poles spaced in approximately 110-foot spans, with single 3¾" x 5½" x 10' crossarms supporting two conductors, with a third conductor on the pole tops. There were two major stubbing programs in 1924-25, and again in 1941 and 1945. The stubs used in 1924-25 were heavily creosoted, the majority of which were found to be "as sound as the day they were installed." Between 1928 and 1932, arsenic treated stubs were used and "the majority of these indicate a definite need for repair." The report also says that "it should be noted that many of the original poles still stand un-stubbed," and "are suitable for many additional years of use."

1988 Inspection Results
A 1988 inspection of one of the lines between Helena and Boulder shows that of the 1430 original Western Red Cedar poles, 1355 are still in service, with 779 having been stubbed for continued use. An impressive record that testifies to the in-service durability and reliability of WRC poles.

Stump of 87-year-old Western Red Cedar pole in
Missouri River Transmission Line A.
Photo courtesy Montana Power Co.

- - - - - - - - - -

Alan says, "In my position, I am responsible for the procurement of wood poles and routinely receive Cedar Pole News. I found that occasionally the publication included historical articles relating to the longevity of cedar for power poles."

"The Helena - Boulder lines in Montana show the use of the Muncie type insulators (shown on previous page),  --- go to page 22.

Alan Drew, Sequim, WA, is General Superintendent for Public Utility District #1 of Clallum County (Washington), has been researching the evolution of electric transmission and distribution from a technical perspective.

Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata) is recognized as the most durable softwood species used for poles because of its many desirable characteristics. Its most favorable trait is its inherently decay-resistant heartwood. Fallen cedar trees that have lain for centuries on the forest floor with very little decay testify to this. So do the many WRC poles, placed in lines as long as 80 years ago, that are still providing excellent service.

Resistance to Fungi 

Several factors assure the durability of WRC poles, including natural resistance to fungi. All wood-rotting fungi need food, water, favorable temperatures, and oxygen if they are to grow. They have different food needs, but in general, wood provides enough for their development. Usually wood can decay if the water content is more than 20 percent of its oven-dry weight, but serious damage occurs only if the moisture content is greater than 30 percent. 

As is true with other growth needs, the optimum temperature for the various fungi varies considerably. Decay is slow below 32°F and above 100°F. The oxygen requirement is quite low and fungi are able to grow at levels below the 20 percent oxygen content of air. Control of fungal activity normally results from depriving the organisms of any one of these essential elements.

Cedar Extractives 

Western Red Cedar has an extraordinary advantage over other species in that its heartwood contains an unusually high amount of natural substances called extractives that stop or greatly retard the growth of decay fungi. 

Extractives can be separated into volatile and non-volatile fractions. The volatile fraction, the thujaplicins, have a fungicidal value very close to that of pentachlorophenol, so that even if WRC were not treated with preservatives it would last a very long time. The non-volatile extractives are a complex mixture of phenolic materials which are much less toxic to fungi than the thujaplicins.

The extractives in the heartwood of WRC makeup about 10 percent of its dry-wood weight, which is about twice the amount found in other pole species. These materials are deposited in the wood cells as the heartwood forms and the proportion of extractives to dry wood increases as the tree gets older. By the time WRC trees reach pole size the outer part of the tree sometimes contains as much as 20 percent extractives. These extractives stop fungi from developing, providing a built-in advantage for WRC over an other pole species.

Groundline Treatment 

Decay in WRC poles, when set in a line, is almost exclusively a result of fungus activity at the groundline area or where a "groundline condition" exists - e.g., butt-ends of poles set in extremely rocky or porous soils or where water becomes trapped above ground. 

Below ground, the lack of air helps to prevent decay. In the above-ground section a shortage of moisture or full length treatment of the sapwood with wood preservative is the decay controlling factor. At the groundline and immediately adjacent area -- to approximately 1½ feet below and 1 foot above -- the temperature. moisture, and air are conducive to decay. Since it is not practical to exclude air, water or warmth from this area, the solution is to treat this section of the pole with an artificial preservative. 

Butt- or full-length treatment increases WRC's natural ability to resist fungi-induced decay. Western Red Cedar's natural durability permits it a long service life that is justifiably worth a higher initial cost.

From the CEDAR POLE NEWS Western Red Cedar Association Vol. 2, No.1 Spring 1989

The service area of Washington Water Power (WWP) is a meteorologist's nightmare. There's snow in the north, and dry but fertile plains in the south. To the east are lush, moist mountains, and to the west are arid foothills. In this diverse region any kind of weather is possible.

Because of the Spokane-based utility's broad range of climates, WWP determined long ago that western red cedar was the best wood pole for its 26,000 square mile service area. The utility services about 256,000 customers with 40,000 transmission poles and 180,000 distribution poles. More than 90 percent are western red cedar. The rest are larch.

"Cedar works very well for us," reports Rick Vermeers, Assistant Operations Manager, who is responsible for the departments of forestry and testing and treating. "We stretch from the Canadian border to the Lewiston (Idaho) area, west to Othello and east into the Silver Valley area of Kellogg and Wallace. We've used cedar since the beginning. In 1903, we built a 100-mile, 60,000-volt Spokane-to-Burke line with cedar poles, and the Devil's Gap West line, which still has original poles in place today, went up in 1924."

He also says that the few larch poles the utility has were installed in the 1960s and 70s, and many are already being replaced.

Many Poles From 1930s 

Vermeers said WWP grew tremendously in the late 1930s, and many cedar poles now in use date from that period. Cedar is used for transmission of 230 and 115 kV. Distribution poles carry 35, 24 and 13 kV. Transmission poles are up to 100 feet, but these are not common. Most distribution poles are 40-45 feet in Classes 3, 4 and 5.

"Our guys love the climbability of cedar", he reports. "They also like it because it's clean, since we use butt-treated poles only."

WWP's first high-voltage transmission line used cedar poles
 to supply power to mining town Burke, Idaho.

Testing Program 

Vermeers stated that the utility started a major testing and treating program in 1988 and is slowly building to a 15 year inspection cycle.

"We're inspecting about 12,000 poles, using both company crews and outside contractors. We replace about three percent and field stub about 11 percent."

Vermeers added that Washington Water Power's management also likes the cedar poles. "It has a superior life cycle compared to other species and it takes treatment well. Plus, there is a limited disposal problem. Farmers use the butts for fence posts and the untreated upper portion for firewood."

Western red cedar poles tolerate extreme weather and provide many other advantages. When utility companies like WWP invest in cedar, they end up reaping the benefits many years down the road.

- - - and the Spokane to Burke line in Washington shows old multi-part porcelain insulators. Both of these lines have historical significance and are a testimony to the reliability and longevity of poles and the insulators."

From the CEDAR POLE NEWS Western Red Cedar Association Vol. 6, No.1 Spring 1993

Construction of the Transcontinental Telegraph Line???!!?? NAH! 
More likely pole lineman's school.".

(written by a lineman's wife, Idaho Power, submitted by Bud Thompson, Boise, ID)