#Throwback Thursday

Splicing, Wiping & Laying Submarine Cable In San Francisco Bay (1936)

• uploaded by Chris Dodds | Sales Marketing Manager at Thorne & Derrick

Picture the scene, its 1936 and in San Francisco harbour a ship arrives from Baltimore having travelled through the Panama Canal bringing with it 6 reels of submarine telephone cable which is transferred to a waiting barge. After a long journey the final resting place is the floor of San Francisco Bay to provide telephone communications to America.

Unique skills and techniques are shown throughout the film.

The underwater cable circuit must be installed by cable splicers with protection against leakage. The protection can be seen when the camera zooms in as it pictures two cable lengths being spliced together – multiple layers of water-blocking jute and double armouring protect the cables against water ingress.

Splicing is no small task – 1,056 wires must be spliced per cable. This wire is separately insulated and the boiling out process with petrolatum removes any moisture. The lead sleeve is then pulled over the cable splice. The lead sleeve becomes very hot as it is to be made part of the protective metal cable jacket.

The cable engineers need to make sure the cable splice is airtight so they carry out testing investigations. A hole is made in the lead and nitrogen gas at twenty pounds pressure per sq inch is forced through the hole made to surround the wires just spliced. Soap suds are used to check whether any gas escapes as the soap will bubble at the exact point.

Corrosion is minimised as the cable gets two overcoats to reduce the risk of salt water on the metal. Finally the two miles of armoured cable is added to a drum before it is transported out to sea.

Thorne & Derrick

T&D are Specialist Distributors to UK Distribution Network Operators (DNO’s), NERS Registered Service Providers, ICP’s and HV Jointing Contractors of an extensive range of LV, MV & HV Jointing, Earthing, Substation & Electrical Eqpt – this includes 11kV/33kV/66kV cable joints, terminations and connectors for both DNO and private network applications.

Contact our UK Power Team for competitive quotations, fast delivery from stock and technical support or training on all LV-HV products.

All international sales enquiries can be serviced and supplied by our Export Power Team.

Key Product Categories: Duct Seals | Cable Cleats | Cable Glands | Electrical Safety | Arc Flash Protection | Cable Jointing Tools | Cable Pulling | Earthing | Feeder Pillars | Cable Joints LV | Joints & Terminations MV HV 

The Kiss Of Life

• uploaded by: Chris Dodds | Sales & Marketing Manager Thorne & Derrick International

Pictured: The Kiss of Life – A utility worker giving mouth-to-mouth to co-worker after contacting a low voltage overhead line wire. 1967.

Taken in 1967 by Rocco Morabito, this photo called “The Kiss of Life” shows a utility worker named J.D. Thompson giving mouth-to-mouth to co-worker Randall G. Champion after he became unconscious following contact with a low voltage line.

They had been performing routine maintenance when Champion brushed one of the low voltage lines at the top of the utility pole.

His safety harness prevented a fall, and Thompson, who had been ascending below him, quickly reached him and performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

He was unable to perform CPR given the circumstances, but continued breathing into Champion’s lungs until he felt a slight pulse, then unbuckled his harness and descended with him on his shoulder. Thompson and another worker administered CPR on the ground, and Champion was moderately revived by the time paramedics arrived, eventually making a full recovery.

Champion lived an extra 35 years. He died in 2002 at the age of 64.

Thompson is still alive today.

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Rocco Morabito won the 1968 Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography for “The Kiss of Life”.

“I passed these men working and went on to my assignment”, says Morabito. “I took eight photos at the strike. I thought I’d go back and see if I could rind another picture”.

But when Morabito went back to the linemen, “I heard screaming. I looked up and I saw this man hanging down. Oh my God. I didn’t know what to do. I took a picture right quick. J.D. Thompson was running toward the pole. I went to my car and called an ambulance. I got back to the pole and J.D. was breathing into Champion. I backed off, way off until I hit a house and I couldn’t go any farther. I took another picture. Then I heard Thompson shouting down: He’s breathing!”.

The photograph was published in newspapers around the world. Morabito, born in Port Chester, New York, moved to Florida when he was 5, and by age 10 was working as a newsboy, selling papers for the Jacksonville Journal.

Overhead Line Equipment – Suppliers Of Medium & High Voltage Electrical Equipment

Thorne & Derrick

Specialist Electrical Distributor

Established since 1985, T&D International based in the UK distribute the most extensive range of LV, MV & HV Cable Jointing, Terminating, Pulling & Installation Equipment – contact us today for a competitive quotation.

Key Products : MV Joints & Terminations, Access Chambers, Cable Cleats, Duct Seals, Cable Transits, Jointing Tools, Feeder Pillars, Cable Duct, Earthing & Lightning Protection, Electrical Safety, Cable Glands, Arc Flash Clothing Protection & Fusegear.

Distributors for : 3M, Pfisterer CONNEX, Nexans Euromold, Elastimold, Catu, Roxtec, Emtelle, Centriforce, Lucy Zodion, Alroc, Cembre, Prysmian, Ellis Patents, ABB & Furse.

T&D Providers Of Jointer Training Courses By Pfisterer CONNEX & Nexans Euromold

Engineers Jointing A Cable In A Manhole, Manchester, 1935.

Image: BT.com

THORNE & DERRICK

Thorne & Derrick are national distributors of LV, MV & HV Cable Installation, Jointing, Substation & Electrical Equipment – servicing businesses involved in cabling, jointing, substation, earthing, overhead line and electrical construction at LV, 11kV, 33kV, 66kV and EHV. Supplying a complete range of power cable accessories to support the installation and maintenance of low/medium and high voltage voltage power systems:

• Slip-on Cable Terminations
• Cold-shrink Cable Terminations
• Heat-shrink Cable Terminations
• Cable Joints – Heat & Cold-shrink
• Separable Connectors (Euromold)
• Surge Arresters & Switchgear/Transformer Bushings

Key Product Categories: Duct Seals | Cable Cleats | Cable Glands | Electrical Safety | Arc Flash Protection | Cable Jointing Tools | Cable Pulling | Earthing | Feeder Pillars | Cable Joints LV | Joints & Terminations MV HV 

Underground Cables & Overhead Lines

Courtesy of BT a nostalgic and photographic record recalling bygone days of engineers laying, jointing and installing telephone and power cables.

• Engineers Working On The Construction Of The New London Central Exchange, 1901.
• Laying Underground Cables In Maida Vale, London, 1939.
• Engineers Working On Cables Near The Severn Railway Tunnel, Gloucestershire, 1940.
• Engineers Soldering And Jointing Telephone Cable, 1945.
• Laying Underground Cables In Chiswick, London, 1949.
• Cable Cross Connexion Cabinet, Queen Victoria Street, London, 1949.
• Engineers Laying Underground Cable, 1951.
• Laying Underground Cables, Chester, 1963.
• Engineers Working On Underground Cables Below Wood Street, London, 1967.

See Album here ➡

Image Disclaimer: Note these images are not to be used for any advertising, marketing or promotional purposes by third parties, or for internal communications requirements such as newsletters or non-commercial websites, without the expressed permission of BT and the copyright holder.

Engineers Working On Underground Cables Below Wood Street, London, 1967.

Image: BT.com

THORNE & DERRICK

Thorne & Derrick are national distributors of LV, MV & HV Cable Installation, Jointing, Substation & Electrical Equipment – servicing businesses involved in cabling, jointing, substation, earthing, overhead line and electrical construction at LV, 11kV, 33kV, 66kV and EHV. Supplying a complete range of power cable accessories to support the installation and maintenance of low/medium and high voltage voltage power systems:

• Slip-on Cable Terminations
• Cold-shrink Cable Terminations
• Heat-shrink Cable Terminations
• Cable Joints – Heat & Cold-shrink
• Separable Connectors (Euromold)
• Surge Arresters & Switchgear/Transformer Bushings

Key Product Categories: Duct Seals | Cable Cleats | Cable Glands | Electrical Safety | Arc Flash Protection | Cable Jointing Tools | Cable Pulling | Earthing | Feeder Pillars | Cable Joints LV | Joints & Terminations MV HV 

Underground Cables & Overhead Lines

Courtesy of BT a nostalgic and photographic record recalling bygone days of engineers laying, jointing and installing telephone and power cables.

• Engineers Working On The Construction Of The New London Central Exchange, 1901.
• Laying Underground Cables In Maida Vale, London, 1939.
• Engineers Working On Cables Near The Severn Railway Tunnel, Gloucestershire, 1940.
• Engineers Soldering And Jointing Telephone Cable, 1945.
• Laying Underground Cables In Chiswick, London, 1949.
• Cable Cross Connexion Cabinet, Queen Victoria Street, London, 1949.
• Engineers Laying Underground Cable, 1951.
• Laying Underground Cables, Chester, 1963.
• Engineers Jointing A Cable In A Manhole, Manchester, 1935.

See Album here ➡

Image Disclaimer: Note these images are not to be used for any advertising, marketing or promotional purposes by third parties, or for internal communications requirements such as newsletters or non-commercial websites, without the expressed permission of BT and the copyright holder.

#TBT Underground Cables & Overhead Lines | Photo Album

• uploaded by Chris Dodds – Sales & Marketing Manager at Thorne & Derrick 

Courtesy of BT a nostalgic and photographic record recalling bygone days of engineers laying, jointing and installing telephone and power cables.

• Engineers Working On The Construction Of The New London Central Exchange, 1901.
• Laying Underground Cables In Maida Vale, London, 1939.
• Engineers Working On Cables Near The Severn Railway Tunnel, Gloucestershire, 1940.
• Engineers Soldering And Jointing Telephone Cable, 1945.
• Laying Underground Cables In Chiswick, London, 1949.
• Cable Cross Connexion Cabinet, Queen Victoria Street, London, 1949.
• Engineers Laying Underground Cable, 1951.
• Laying Underground Cables, Chester, 1963.
• Engineers Working On Underground Cables Below Wood Street, London, 1967.
• Engineers Jointing A Cable In A Manhole, Manchester, 1935.