This kind of crossarm arrangement was known as "alley arm" among the electric, telephone and telegraph companies. The reference "alley arm" was derived from extending crossarms with their live wires on poles safely away from buildings within neighborhood alleys. This predominantly one-sided crossarm design was also frequently employed for telephone and other open-wire so that the trees would minimally affect the working lines as seen here. Electric utility companies still use alley-arm construction for clearance where their power lines traverse through heavily treed areas.