Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
using a steel tape to measure a line next to an electric fence. The rear person - we
won't divulge his name so let's just call him Charlie - was a skilled and expe-
rienced surveyor but he occasionally suffered from a puerile streak in his tem-
perament. An introduction to these tendencies may help to acquaint the reader
with Charlie before we proceed to describe the electric fence incident. One warm
summer day, Charlie, while surveying a farmer's field stumbled upon a nest of
unhatched chicken eggs, long abandoned by mother hen. Charlie could not
resist picking up the eggs and aiming them at the party chief's legs. Fortunately,
Charlie was such unskilled pitchers that his aim was well off the mark. The
eggs did hit the ground close enough to the instrument that the smell of rotten
eggs permeated the area for quite some time so that working there was rather
unpleasant.
Returning to the electric fence incident, Charlie and another crew member were
measuring alongside an electric stock fence. I was running the instrument and giv-
ing line to the front person by means of hand signals as the line was long and my
voice would not travel such a long distance. Charlie's job was to hold the end of
the tape as the distance was being measured and pick up the chaining pins as the
measurements progressed along the fence. As soon as the first chaining pin was
set and the front person started walking away, dragging the steel tape as he went,
Charlie mischievously threw the end of the tape over the electric fence. For rea-
sons unknown to Charlie, and to his surprise and dismay, the desired effect failed
to materialize. The tape reel, being carried by its wooden handle, may have had
a high enough resistance that it acted as an insulator and prevented the electri-
cal current from reaching the intended victim. Or, it is possible that a portion of
the tape may have fallen off the brush which was keeping the tape from touching
the ground, and the short circuit prevented the current from traveling all the way
to the person holding the reel. In any event, as the tape was being quickly pulled
along, it immediately fell off the fence. Charlie, who could not be faulted for lack
of resolve, persisted in throwing the tape over the fence, and after several attempts,
Charlie's efforts finally came to fruition. Charlie's actions that day proved that per-
severance is not always a virtue. Although, as I have said, the distance to the crew
was substantial and they were unable to hear my instructions, I had no trouble
hearing the exclamations and expletives of the afflicted crew member. Predictably,
tempers flared. And for a while, Charlie's prospects of emerging from the inci-
dent unscathed did not look promising. The situation did cool down after a time
and being in all other respects a likeable fellow, Charlie was fortunate in receiving
only a verbal rebuke and a stern warning never to do it again.
Surveyors must always be prepared for rapid changes in weather, particularly
if they are working far off the beaten path. In cold climates, and in mountainous
areas, a rapidly moving snow storm could make it difficult for the crew to get back
to the vehicle, especially if a lot of equipment must also be brought out. In hot cli-
mates, sunburn or sunstroke is always a possibility. Plenty of water and sunscreen
should be carried. Surveyors should always check weather reports before head-
ing into the field, so they can be prepared for changing weather. The survey crew
should always carry a first aid kit as small injuries are relatively common. When
