Author -

Date:

28 Apr 2001

Time:

17:14:52

Comments

I had just about forgotten about this one but I guess I'll tell it anyway. I was working for a contractor one time and we had built a piece of 3 phase 12470/7200. It was replacing an existing line for some reason I don't recall but it was heated up from one end and then my polebuddy and I had to put it together from the other end where it was hot on both sides. The other crew had wisely hurried to the one end and made the line hot which made them only have to work one side hot. This was a rat contractor of course and so we were gloving everything from the pole. These saps had left enough #4 acsr wound through the shoe so as to run the jumper without cutting another piece. Smart huh? We were dumb for doing it also. Anyway they had about 3 foot of springy wire wound thru the shoe. My polebuddy got up high on this buckarm and told me to hand him the end of the wire. This was the center phase and had a steel extension link on it. I looked at it and asked my pole buddy how in hell I was supposed to get that wire out of there. I remember he said just kind of glom it out of there. Good advice right? Anyway as I worked it out of there the tail got away from me somewhat and contacted the steel extension link causing a fair sized ball of fire. I jerked it in the clear and after a pause asked the other guy if he was ready for it. He replied yeah as soon as my knees stop knocking. After he connected the jumper and we got out act together we discovered that the steel link was contacting the ground wire on the back of the pole via the thru bolt. Kinda made you alert for awhile after that.