Plant Department Records

The Plant Department was responsible for constructing, reconstructing and maintaining domestic telegraph plants; maintaining pole lines, wires and aerial and underground cables; installing and repairing equipment; and operating telegraph buildings. Plant Instructions consist of two volumes. Volume one contains a numerical and alphabetical index to the various instructions that were issued. The numerical index provides the plant instruction (P.I.) number and a title description, while the alphabetical and cross index of active plant instructions, plant general letters, and plant stencils provides a subject description and reference number. Only numbers 1 to 26 and 41 to 52 of the plant instructions are available. Also, there are Instructions and Rules Pertaining to the Construction and Maintenance of Outside Plant, 1915. These instructions--numbers 20 and 21--are rules and instructions for the guidance of district foremen, general foremen, and section linemen.