Terminal pedestal for buried wiring systems

Claim 1

IN A FREE-STANDING TERMINAL PEDESTAL FOR SUPPORTING A TERMINAL BLOCK UPON A TERMINAL STRIP FOR CONNECTING TELEPHONE WIRES AND ACCESSORIES IN AN UNDERGROUND TELEPHONE SYSTEM, A SHALLOW CHANNEL-SHAPED STAKE OF A RIGID METAL HAVING ONE END DRIVEN INTO THE GROUND IN USE, A TERMINAL STRIP HAVING OFFSET LEGS SECURED TO THE UPPER END OF THE STAKE TO DISPOSE THE TERMINAL BLOCK SUPPORTING SURFACE GENERALLY ALIGNED WITH THE OUTER EDGES OF THE STAKE TO DISPOSE THE TERMINAL BLOCK OUTWARDLY OF THE STAKE, A DEEP CHANNEL-SHAPED FRONT COVER TELESCOPED OVER THE STAKE COEXTENSIVELY OF THE TERMINAL STRIP AND RELEASABLY SECURED TO THE STAKE, A GROUND-LINE COVER CORRESPONDING IN CROSSSECTION TO THE FRONT COVER AND TELESCOPED OVER THE STAKE FROM THE LOWER END OF THE FRONT COVER INTO THE EARTH ADJACENT THE BURIED END OF THE STAKE, A BARRIER PLATE HAVING A SERIES OF TELEPHONE WIRE OPENINGS TO ACCOMMODATE SAID TELEPHONE WIRES AND HAVING AN EDGE PORTION CLAMPED BETWEEN THE FRONT COVER AND THE GROUND-LINE COVER TO ESTABLISH A CONTINUOUS WALL SEALING THE HOUSING DEFINED BY THE FRONT COVER FROM THE EARTH, AND A CAP SECURED TO THE FRONT COVER AND ADAPTED TO EXTEND OVER THE UPPER END OF THE STAKE TO WEATHER-AND-INSECT PROOF THE UPPER END OF THE PEDESTAL.