The Lonely Life of a Government Wireman
Operating the seventy-six-mile telegraph line to the tip of the Olympic Peninsula was a grueling, low-paying job that pitted the weather bureau against the raw Washington wilderness.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
A paying investment on the capital employed, the government telegraph line which extends from Port Angeles to Cape Flattery is not a success. It would swamp most any kind of a private corporation to handle it, and it is only through the fatherly kindness of Uncle Sam that the people of this state enjoy its benefits. The monthly receipts of the whole line average about $10, and the cost of operating it is about $120 monthly. It is seventy-six miles in length with six stations upon it, each one having an operator in charge who is also an observer of the weather. He has, in addition, to keep from ten to fifteen miles of the line in repair, and in bad weather the latter duty absorbs all his time and attention. After a heavy blow or rainstorm, the whole force generally takes to the woods for several days to get the ends together again. As the line penetrates through a country where there are few roads and very bad trails, the operators have a better chance to make observations on the weather than any other class of citizens. Reports of the state of the weather and passing vessels are sent in twice each day to the chief operator at Port Angeles, who in turn transmits them to San Francisco. The average pay of the government operators is $50 per month.
“After a heavy blow or rainstorm the whole force generally takes to the woods for several days to get the ends together again.”
Today, the tip of the Olympic Peninsula remains rugged and remote, but in 1892, it was a literal frontline of climate observation. The 'wire to the woods' highlights the historical struggle to maintain infrastructure in the Pacific Northwest—a battle that continues with today's broadband expansion efforts.
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