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Show Ward Leech, Mountain Bell cable repairman, splices a multl-transmission wire telephone cable This fall, hunters will again fill the countryside and Mountain Bell repairmen will be close behind to restore aerial telephone lines damaged by misplaced gunshot. "Hunters should be careful of utility service when in the field," said Kenneth 0. Hill, Mountain Bell's Utah public relations manager. "A stray bullet could isolate that was severed by a shotgun blast from directly underneath the cable. Vandalism causes damage 'Misplaced' Gun Shots Hazard to Phone Lines a community's telephone service and deprive them of emergency service," he added. Hunters should not shoot at game on or near telephone lines or equipment. A missed shot could mean a dead telephone line for a long time. Shotgun pellets, .22 caliber bullets and high powered rifle lead can easily penetrate the plastic sheathing of a telephone cable, rupturing the transmission lines inside. Glass insulators will also shatter from gunshot, causing excessive noise to be heard over the transmission lines or even a complete severance of service. As mentioned, damage occurs most often on telephone lines that serve rural communities. These areas depend on the telephone for an emergency services they might require from larger neighboring cities. If the damage is inaccessible to vehicles, especially in winter weather, days could pass before repairmen locate the downed lines. This could mean lengthy interruption of critical emergency assistance, which many hunters also depend on in case of accident. Around Central Utah hunters have damaged the toll cable to Fairview and Fountain Green, disconnecting telephone service to these communities and isolating them for more than a day. "These cables are quite difficult to get top, they are in the field and inaccessible to vehicles", said Gary Harrison, Mountain Bell cable repair foreman in Richfield. "The steel cable appears strong, but bullets easily penetrate, causing severe damage", he added. |