Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-10-11
A LONG TALK.

A reporter of the RECORD UNION happened
in at the Western Union Telegraph office
yesterday afternoon, and found Chief Operator
medium of an Edison carbon telephone. with
his friend Sabin in San Francisco, but
| Sabin's response could not be heard. The
two men communicated about it over More
wire, but neither couldn't make the tele-
phone "talk turkey" particle. Rae
shouted and whistled, and cried: Hal
| loo,n and "o-ho, and 'uh-hu," but
never a "uh-hu'' came from Sabin. Some
thing was wrong, and to show that the trouble
was in the San Francisco Cfhce-125 miles
away-and not in the Sacramento office,
Red Bluff, 125 miles north, was called up
and responded promptly:
Halloo, Dug" cried the Sacramento
| operator.
"Halloo yourself the voice came, clear
and strong.
sob, get you, and I'd like to get hold
of you"
lyon go to thunder !"
.'Oh, forgot thought you'd been mar.
ried six years. l remember-it's only six
months. Say, Dug?"
" Well.
"Here's one of the press-gang, 1 want to
introduce? ?"
"All right. How are you, sir?"
"Well, thank you. By politeness of Mr..
Rae am permitted to speak to YOU
"Whos he?"
" Ha, ha, ha ~
''What sort OF weather is it in Red
Bluff"
"Cold, disagreeable strong north wind"
"What voice comes best through the tele-
phone--one of tenor or one of base quality ?s
''The tenor comes clearest, l think. 1t is
shriller"
:" How about woman's voice ;"
''It generally comes clearer STILL"
" Perhaps you like it better, anyhow"
YES, Stree"
"Got anyone in the office who can sing:"
"What?"
"Sing'
What"
Using us a song.n
81 can't. I'll whistle one."
$50 ahead"
Dug" then whistled "Then you'll re-
member me-" and every note came as clear
and distinct-though diminished in volume
as if he had been whistling in a subdued tone
in the room in Sacramento. He concluded by
asking, 'How's that ?"
Excellent. Heard every note.
Now you sing for me-"
"Cant all got colds in our eds in Sacra-
mento. Epizootic is around"
Then whistle"
"Can't; can't get up the quicker even nee
essary to whistle.
'.Well, tell story then"
"Oh, 1 can do that"
"Go it."
swell, up at the Secretary of States Of |
flee at the Capitol they are bothered by fell |
lows that come into the echoing corridors |
whistling as if for dear life and they gener- |
ally keep it up until they get through their |
business in the Office. So the clerks up there |
have specific remedy hung and labeled on |
the wall near the entrance, to which the at !
tention of all whistlers is drawn. 1t consists !
of two small corks hanging from two slender |
threads. and one big cork suspended from a |
larger string. The directions read that you |
are to tender the big cork to the whistler for |
his mouth and if he don't take the hint you |
can. as last resort, jam the two small ones |
into your ears until he leaves"
Say. Sacramento, has that story any per- !
sonal reference ?"
ooh, no. But say, this talking easily |
125 miles apart is wonderful thing, isn'tit % |
Yes, come in some other day. Rae and |
L are going to fix it SO that Red Bluff, Sacra-
mento and San Francisco shall all be in con- |
versation at one time over 250 miles of wire"
YES" added Mr.. Rae, that will be the |
longest stretch attempted on this coast prob |
ably"