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Show Mtn. Bell Asks Vandals To Stop Shooting Wires Mountain Bell today asked hunters to avoid shooting at doves or other birds on or near aerial telephone lines. Shooters anmually interrupt hundreds of telephone conversations and sometimes entire communities in Utah by hitting overhead lines. Mountain Bell Exchange Manager Mike W. Andrews said shotgun pellets, .22 shells as well as high power rifle lead can easily penetrate the protective pro-tective sheathing, cutting the small transmission wires inside. in-side. "We've had some communities communit-ies isolated because someone shot through aerial telephone lines or used glass insulators for target practice," Andrews said. A broken insulator allows the wires to touch the cross-arms cross-arms on poles causing poor voice transmission or complete comple-te service outages during stormy stor-my weather. He pointed out that many people in rural communities depend on the telephone to summon emergency services from neighboring cities. Hunters Hunt-ers also rely on the phone for help when shooting accidents. acci-dents. "Those who shoot at telephone tele-phone lines or insulators don't realize the hazard and inconvenience incon-venience they create for families fam-ilies who telephone service is cut off. I don't believe they know that someone's phone will go dead when they hit an aerial line otherwise they wouldn't do it," he said. The outer, plastic protective covering of cable is often damaged in the fall but the trouble does not show up until winter when water gets into the cable, shorting out telephone tele-phone service. Many shooting incidents occur oc-cur in remote mountain areas that are almost inaccessible for repair during winter months. "We are asking hunters to help protect the phone service of their neighbors by not shooting shoot-ing at wild game on or near tlephone lines," Andrews concluded. con-cluded. The willful damage of transmission trans-mission lines is a violation of Utah Statutes punishable by a fine of up to $299 and, or six months in jail. |