So we came back home around the last of July.  We spent quite a lot of money.  We left with $100 and came back with about $25.  I made pretty good wages but we went sightseeing so much.  I think it was 1920 and broke the news to all the rest of the people.  

 

When I got back to Enid, I went right back to work at OG&E.  I know the OG&E was growing but in 1921 if my memory serves me right, we had about 27,000 HP load.  That was in the whole company, not just in the Enid Division as we called it at that time.  Incidentally, prior to about that time, or about the time that I began work, the Enid Division was the Enid Electric & Gas Company.  I have some "keep sakes" commemorating this; old stationary and an old badge that says Enid Electric & Gas Company.  I have some notes from that Superintendent's log beginning October 8, 1921.  He wrote that there was some miscellaneous meter work, investigations, electrolysis tests.  We used to make electrolysis tests because of the old electric railways. 

 

Trouble duty means that I was running a trouble car at night to take care of trouble.   Air switches at that time were mounted on top of a pole on a 66KV line and had about a 10 Ft pipe extending down to a handle that operated the switch and a platform there for you to stand on.  I remember this occasion going down to Waukhomis to stand by there to operate the switch.  What you would do is stay at the telephone office and wait for a call from the office and they would call me if they wanted me to open or close the switch.  In this case there was so much ice on the platform that I had hook my feet around the edge of the platform to hold onto the switch and it was almost impossible to work it with all that ice on it.  I was pretty leery of going up and coming down the pole too because of the ice.  Ice was all on one side of the pole so you couldn't hold on very well. 

 

The next big thing to make note of was that Allen was born December 9, 1921.  I can remember the day before I was out at Covington working, I don't know what I was doing but probably investigating meters for high bills or something like that and I came home about 5 o'clock and found that Virgie had been in labor since about 2 P.M. and so we were occupied with her all night till about 5 A.M. when Allen was born.  That was a big day. 

 

On December 16, 1921, that was the day that I was inspecting and testing meters and found the rooming house at 112 E. Market had a great big electric sign on the outside of the house which was connected ahead of the meter.  In other words they were stealing the juice to run it.  I took the meter out and the fellow that ran the place went in the bedroom and got a big pistol and held it on me while I put the meter back up.  I left & when I came back I had some policemen and the line crew with me and we cut his power off and took the meter out. 

 

On March 12, 22, I took the High School general science students to the plant and explained its operation and then on the 14th I took them to the meter room and explained meters to a high school class.  Then on March 16th I did the same thing for High School students studying Chemistry.  I found it very convenient while I was in High School to do my science laboratory work at the OG&E.

 

Had lots of Sunday work.  Didn't get any extra pay for it.  We worked 9 Hrs per day, 6 days per week and I believe I got $100 per month.  It was thrilling, interesting work & we didn't complain.  It was along about this time that I was doing some investigating work and I came to a house and started to look at the meter and it started up right in front of my eyes and I went inside and checked the wiring and found that these people had a secret switch tucked under the counter board, the top board of the cabinet.  The woman could flip that switch and by pass the meter.  Pretty good trick, ha?