The New York herald., 1879-08-08
A NEWPORT NOVELTY.
TAGERs-A GREAT PUBLIC CONVENIENCE Es-
TABLIsHED WITHIN THE PAST YEAR

HOW THE TELEPHONE IS USED BY THE COT
TAGERs-A GREAT PUBLIC CONVENIENCE Es-
TABIIsHED WITHIN THE PAST YEAR.
NEWPORT, August 6. 1879.
The modern man of Newport who has telephone
in his cottage performs greater wonders than the
fisherman of the arabian Nights" who liberated
the genii from the bottle. Last summer there
no telephones in Newport In August 1873. tho cot
tager who wanted to communicate with his neigh
Dor or with his butcher and baker and candlesick-
maker had to send messenger and bide his time for
an answer. In August, 1870. the same cottager
stand i'll his library dining room. IS the case may
be, and by the more ringing OF little, bell sum-
mon and hold conversation with not only his
nelghbors and friends but the hotels shops. stables
DOCTORS iremen and police officers of the town. So
common has the of the telephone become that
more than two hundred are in daily action and the
cottager aforesaid can communicate at moments
notice with grocers. druggists. fshmongers jewel
lers, tailors florists. photographers and dentists.
This reads like suggestion from Jules Verne. but
the telephone is really practical fact the churn
or the sewing machine From central Office in the
town network wires radiates to the cottages or
shops of whomsoevcr will pay $35 year for the
of a telephone Each subscriber becomes thcreupon
the proprietor of neat looking instrument consist
ing of an electric call Nell and two black handles
dangling from shelf which is screwed up in any
convenient corner of the room. By pressing an
electric button connected with the bell the sub
scribcr "calls" the operator at the central Office
and begins conversation with him through one
of the mysterious black handles. the other being
applied to the for the transmission Of the
reply. Suppose John Doe to be the cottager. He
signals the central Office and asks to be connected
with Richard Roe another cottager who also SUBJ
scriber to the telephone exchange The wire run
Immediately put in contact with that extending to
the library OF Mr.. Roe. and Mr. Doe and Mr. Roe
far AZ the purposes of conversation concerned,
as If they were standing in the same room.
have before me the Telephone Directory"
pamphlet called into existence by this new and
interesting state of things 1t is arranged both
alphabetically and as business directory If
count right there 206 Names including cottagers
hotels aud trades people. The supposititious Mr.
Doe, besides asking his friend Roe to dinner, can
also with equal ease, summon clergyman an
undertaken, a dentist or photographer. In alpha
betical order the cottager has st his commando
An architect
An antiquarian
Two attorneys.
Three bottlers and brewers.
A stationcr.
Two clergymcn.
Three carpet dea ers.
-Four city expresses.
carriage painter.
Four coal dealers
a circulating library.
Five dairy farmers.
Three railroad depots.
-Four druggists.
A dentist.
Three fish markets.
Two furniture dealers.
Four florists.
Three grain dealers.
Fifteen grocers
A harness maker.
A house painter.
Seven hotels.
Three confectioners.
Three jewellers.
Seven livery stables.
Three tailors.
A machinist.
Eleven butchers.
A mason.
Five notaries public.
Four paper hangers.
Nine physicians.
Two undertakers.
veterinary surgeon.
And all the public officers, including the Mayor the
Police and the Fire Department. The usefulness of
the latter connection shown time ago by
actual demonstration. Mr.. Peleg Hall discovered his
stable to be on fire and the flames well under way
that it seemed impossible to save it, There was no
telephone in Mr. Halls house, but his ncighbor next
door happened to be subscriber to the Telephone
Exchange, and through his telephone the alarm
given and the hremen called to the spot within
twenty minutes, saving much property that must
otherwise have been destroyed. 1t needs only a
working system for greater distances and by another
season the househoders Of Newport New York
may have a cable connection laid on and enjoy the
singing of Patti or the defamation of Irving from
the stages Of the London theatres.