Wire Fence Inventor Dead

1916

ADRIAN, Michigan. — J. Wallace Page, known as the "father of the wire industry," died at his home here, aged 73. Fifty years ago Page first conceived the idea of a wire fence.

—The Saturday Blade, Chicago, Sept. 16, 1916, p. 2.

Broncho Busting Near Its End

1921

Said There Will Be No More Wild Horses in Rocky Mountain States

CIVILIZATION SPELLS FINISH

Ranches Are Being Fenced and No More Do Wild Horses Range the Plains of Wyoming and Adjacent States

Denver, Colo. — Broncho busters of the northern Rocky Mountain states are about to go out of business, according to reports from officials of wild West and frontier shows. The reason is there aren't any wild horses to bust. At least not around Wyoming and this part of the country.

But down in Arizona they have wild horses to eat. There are 10,000 of them. They belong to the San Carlos Indians, who have a reservation not far from Globe. But there isn't much chance of getting the Arizona ponies for the broncho busters of Wyoming, for the Indians won't give them up.

Growing Shorter

The day of the wild herd of horses roaming the plains of Wyoming and adjacent states has been growing rapidly shorter with the encouragement of civilization. More and more ranches are being fenced in, herds of cattle are reduced or confined, and to make the matter worse for the existence of the wild steeds, oil drilling camps have been extended over wide areas of Wyoming, northwestern Colorado and Utah.

But down on the San Carlos Indian reservation there are 10,000 wild steeds, roaming at will over the fields, destroying mile after mile of grazing land which might be put into good use for cattle, and turning green grass of the prairie into a scrawny covering for their bones which hardly makes even a decent meal for an Indian.

The cattlemen have tried to buy them, but the Indians wouldn't listen. The government, through A. H. Symonds, Indian agent, ordered to purchase them at about $6 a head, invest the money in cattle and save the meat from the horses, giving it back to the Indians for winter food.

Horses Are Worthless

But the Indians would have none of it. The horses are worthless, even for hides. They cannot be domesticated and the meat isn't much of a delicacy, but the Indians insist on their age-old prerogative to have their herds out on the open prairie even as their fathers did. The Indians also have about 2,000 wild burros which they say they will keep.

"And when an Indian makes up his mind," Symonds says, "you've got to have patience to get him to change it. They are proud of the horses and burros for some reason, and although some of their leaders have tried to persuade them to accept the offers made, so far they have refused to sell."

Wire Replacing Old-Time Fence

1921

Stone Walls, Split Rails and Hedges Rapidly Being Discarded by Farm Owners

MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENTS

Essential That Ends and Cornets Be Erected Firm and Solid—Posts Should Be Large Enough to Give Needed Strength.

(Prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture.)

Of all the changes wrought in the farming industry during the last century none is more noticeable than that in fencing, say specialists of the United States Department of Agriculture. All over the Eastern United States there are hundreds of miles of stonewall fences which are monuments to the patience and thoroughness of earlier generations. Overlapping this territory, and extending west, are found fences of split rails, with their familiar weeds and berry bushes in the angles, while still farther west, where there was neither wood nor stone, are seen osage orange and other hedges. These are natural productions of the time.

The farmer usually finds today that barbed-wire or woven-wire fence will best serve his ends for new construction, and at the same time cost the least. Barbed wire is used on large stock ranges where the loss of one or two animals through wire cutting is not serious, but for the farmer with fine horses, or a selected herd of cattle, large mesh woven-wire fences are coming more into use.

Ends and Corners.

The manner in which the fence is erected has much to do with its service. The ends and corners are by far the most important elements of a fence. It is essential that they remain firm and solid in order to hold the fence rigid. The first thing to consider is placing the corners. The posts used should be large enough to give sufficient strength; they should be set deep enough to prevent heaving by the action of frost; they should be braced from each direction of tension by a stout rail about 12 feet long.

Metal and concrete posts are on the market, but a great many farmers cling to wooden ones. The line posts should be approximately 4 inches in diameter. Various woods are Used, including osage orange, locust, red cedar, mulberry and burr oak. They should be thoroughly seasoned and the bark removed, and to get the longest life should be dipped in creosote at a temperature of about 220 degrees, long enough for the preservative to penetrate the wood. These posts are best set in the spring after the frost is out and when the ground is soft. On level ground they may be driven with a maul, but in depressions should be anchored down by 2 by 4 cross pieces spiked on the bottom of the post before setting. The distance between posts depends on the location of the fence and the numbers and kinds of stock to be turned, the average in field fences being about 20 feet.

To construct a woven-wire fence properly it is necessary to have a woven-wire stretcher, a single-wire stretcher to be used in attaching the fence to the end posts, a pair of wire cutters, a barbed-wire stretcher, a splicing tool, and hammers for stapling and fastening the wire. Barbed and woven wire may be unrolled by attaching the reel to the back of a wagon or by running a bar through the core and drawing it along with a horse.

Stretching the Wire.

After the wire is unrolled it should be drawn up to the line of posts and freed from adhering trash. The stretchers are then attached and the line wires drawn until they are so taut that they can just be pressed together. Some slack may be allowed for uneven ground. In fastening the wire on the posts the line wire should be kept as nearly horizontal as possible and allowed to follow small irregularities in the ground. The staples should permit horizontal movement of the wire, allowing the weight of the fence to come directly on the corner posts, thus taking care of contraction and expansion due to weather conditions. A woven-wire fence is not complete without a strand of barbed wire above it; this prevents the stock from reaching over and crowding it down.

Sign Painter's Work – Advertisements on Fences, Billboards

1887

The Sign Painter's Work

Interesting Information About the Advertisements We See on Fences

"That man is a sign painter by trade," remarked a contractor, pointing to a man who was erecting a fence before a building that was to be torn down, "but he finds it pays better to put up fences where building is going on and let out the spaces to advertisers. The big profits in the business have brought about a healthy competition, and everything is now reduced to a fine art. I remember a few years ago this sign painter came to me and offered to put up a new fence free of charge in front of a building I was erecting providing he could use the boards for advertising purposes. I jumped at the offer and thought the man was a fool for making it. The shoe was on the other foot, however, for I should have received several hundred dollars to boot for the privilege.

"This man has brought the business down to a science. He has scores of agents scouring the city for eligible sites, as well as canvassers to drum up advertisements. His fences, which are very neat and attractive, are built in uniform sections and join together on the groove principle. An advertiser can thus have his announcement changed to different localities at will without going to the expense of having a new sign painted. The old method of building a new fence every time made this mode of advertising very expensive, and the lessees often lost money by being unable to let out all the spaces; but the cost is now reduced to a minimum by making the sections to slide in and out like the lid of a box.

"The rates, of course," he continued, "depend upon the location. A sign on Broadway costs the most, but many of the cross streets are nearly as desirable. The big advertisers make contracts by the year. Some of their signs are very elaborate. As soon as one building is finished they are put up elsewhere. The lessee who has a number of these contracts runs no risk in leasing a privilege, because he has his advertisers beforehand, and their signs are ready to slide into position. The first charge is made for the painting of the sign, and then so much per day for its use as an advertisement. The artistic appearance of the signs has improved very much since the introduction of the movable section, for enterprising houses no longer look upon it as extravagant to have trademarks or pictures of specialties correctly painted on a fence. These signs don't remain long in the same place. A building is soon put up in New York." — New York Evening Sun.