Print, Photographic

Photograph. Black and white photo showing a Detroit Edison workman who is working in a snow-covered field. He is dressed in winter clothing and is swinging a pickaxe at three metal cylinders that are partly tipped over on the ground in front of him. An axe is resting against the side of one cylinder. Two other cylinders are standing upright at the right side of the photo. Possibly, the cylinders are frozen in the snow and the workman is trying to break them free. The cylinders appear to be made of galvanized steel with reinforcing bands at the edges, a narrow opening along the side, and a handle on top. The cylinders might have been used to contain a small wood or coal fire that could be used to thaw frozen ground prior to the installation of a utility pole. After the ground surface was sufficiently thawed, then the soil could be excavated by hand or with a power auger.