Sheila ; I forgot about the knocher-uppers Pole , but remember the din . My favorite Pole Carrier was the Street Light gas light man , his pole had a shrouded light and hook on the end of the pole , he patroled his route at dusk , pushed the pole through a space at the base of the lamp pushed a togle lever to turn the gas on , like magic the sidewalk playground was flooded with light . At dawn he reversed the process using the hook to pull the lever down and shut off the gas ., ( A simpler time ) When we had nought but a good imagination .