Answer Man: Why is there a chemical container strapped to a telephone pole?

What is this strange chemical container at the corner of East Cherry Street and John Q. Hammons Parkway? — Rachael Garrett, of Springfield

It's a metal canister that contains liquid nitrogen. That's what it says on the container. The container is connected to a line that goes up the pole.

Because the container is connected to a power pole or telephone pole, I called Joel Alexander, spokesman for City Utilities.

He said the canister does not belong to City Utilities, but he thought it might belong to AT&T Inc. because elsewhere in the nation, phone companies are using liquid nitrogen to maintain phone lines.

It is owned by AT&T Inc.

"As part of an ongoing cable repair, a bottle system was put in place to keep the damaged cable dry," said Katie Nagus via email. She is an AT&T spokeswoman based in St. Louis. "We are working to replace the damaged cable and the bottle will be removed once that work is complete."

A couple of days after taking the photos, I drove by again to make sure the canister was still there before I wrote about it.

Nearby was an AT&T Inc. truck, parked in a lot.

I asked the driver what he knew about the liquid nitrogen canister.

"It puts pressure on the phone lines. Some of the cables are pressurized to keep water out."

He did not know how long the canister had been there.

"We use them when we have had damage on the cables," he said. "We have had construction nearby and there is a damaged cable."

He declined to give his name.

In case you were wondering — like I was — liquid nitrogen does not pose a danger should a driver crash into the telephone pole.

"It has no explosive properties," said Kevin Binam, a Springfield fire marshal.

Keep those questions coming. Send them to The Answer Man at 836-1253, [email protected], on Twitter @stevepokinNL or by mail at 651 N. Boonville, Springfield, MO 65806.

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