<P> Dead - end and other poles that support lateral loads have guy - wires to support them . The guys always have strain insulators inserted in their length to prevent any high voltages caused by electrical faults from reaching the lower portion of the cable that is accessible by the public . In populated areas, guy wires are often encased in a yellow plastic or wood tube reflector attached to their lower end, so that they can be seen more easily, reducing the chance of people and animals walking into them or vehicles crashing into them . </P> <P> Another means of providing support for lateral loads is a push brace pole, a second shorter pole that is attached to the side of the first and runs at an angle to the ground . If there is no space for a lateral support, a stronger pole, e.g. a construction of concrete or iron, is used . </P> <P> In 1844, the United States Congress granted Samuel Morse $30,000 to build a 40 - mile telegraph line between Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C. Morse began by having a lead - sheathed cable made . After laying seven miles underground, he tested it . He found so many faults with this system that he dug up his cable, stripped off its sheath, bought poles and strung his wires overhead . On February 7, 1844, Morse inserted the following advertisement in the Washington newspaper: "Sealed proposals will be received by the undersigned for furnishing 700 straight and sound chestnut posts with the bark on and of the following dimensions to wit:' Each post must not be less than eight inches in diameter at the butt and tapering to five or six inches at the top . Six hundred and eighty of said posts to be 24 feet in length, and 20 of them 30 feet in length ."' </P> <P> One of the early Bell System lines was the Washington DC--Norfolk line which was, for the most part, square - sawn tapered poles of yellow pine probably treated to refusal with creosote . "Treated to refusal" means that the manufacturer forces preservatives into the wood, until it refuses to accept more, but performance is not guaranteed . Some of these were still in service after 80 years . The building of pole lines was resisted in some urban areas in the late 19th century, and political pressure for undergrounding remains powerful in many countries . </P>

A natural history of the wooden utility pole