When a heavy electric cable is suspended from poles it often would be
unsafe to trust to its longitudinal strength to support or sustain its
own weight unless the poles were very near together. In such case an
auxiliary or sustaining wire is run along with it, and by clips or
hangers the cable is connected thereto at as frequent intervals as seem
desirable. The contrivance may take the form of a strip of metal
surrounding the cable and carrying a hook or eye through which the
supporting wire passes.