plan to pull the cable through as many manholes as possible without
cutting the cable; for the joint is, especially in telephone or
telegraph cables, the weak point. To do this the rope should be pulled
through the proper duct in the next section without unfastening it from
the cable; the winch should be moved to the next manhole, and pulling
through then done as before. There should always be a man in every hole
through which the cable is running to see that it does not bind anywhere
and to keep protectors around the cable.

It is not advisable to pull more than one cable into a duct, and never
advisable to pull a cable into a duct containing another cable, but if
two or more cables have to go into the same duct, they should always be
drawn in together. Lead covered cables and those with no lead on the
outside should never be pulled into the same duct, for if they bind
anywhere the soft cable will suffer where two lead covered cables would
get through all right. Some manufacturers are now putting on their
cables a tape or braid covering, which saves the lead many bad bruises
and cuts, and is a valuable addition to a cable at very little
additional expense.

Practically all electric light and power cables are either single or
double conductors, and the jointing of these is comparatively a simple
matter, although requiring considerable care. The lead is cut back from
each end about four or five inches, and the conductors bared of
insulation for two or three inches. The bare conductors should be
thoroughly tinned by dipping in the metal pot or pouring the melted
solder over them. A sperm candle is better than resin or acid for any
part of the operations where solder is used. A lead sleeve is here
slipped back over the cable, out of the way, and the ends of the
conductors brought together in a copper sleeve which is then sweated to