Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-12-03


T11E TELEPH0NE IN WASHINGTON.
How the Business fs Vow Conduceed-
new Fcatures-The s'Flug WAr''-Vts-
lttnE Per Observation-Disclosures Teie-
PhOnic Wrinkles.
Inc telephone business In this city is now con-
quoted by corporation duly created by law.
before the plug war of some months ago II
was run as copartnership concern. The presi-
dent OF the company is Mr.. H. s. Cummings, a
lawyer, VINO has pleasant Office on street.
MT John w. Thompson is the vice president and
d. ID. Cooke, the banker, treasurer There is
no general manager. Mr.. Cummings and Mr..
Thompson look out for the general interest of
| the stockholders, and Mr. Warren Choate has
| charge of the central Office" Mr. Cummings
the other day. in answer to inquiries told the
STAR reporter that the company was doing
better now than ever before 1t has more sub
scrbers, its outfit is complete and there
| Is, which is very satisfactory TO u.s."
| he said. ''but very little complaint
from our patrons. The subscribers are ali bona
tte ones" The plug war; has not interfered
Mr.. Cummings thinks that it was rather an ad-
vantage than otherwise. The temporary back
| set while the war was in progress was soon re-
acted from. Good effects came from the con-
test. The patrons and the company got to know
each other better and arrived at better under
standing. The result was a largely increased
subscription list. The sum of S25 is charged for
putting in telephone, and then Az cent toll
is levied on all messages sent. Many who have
telephones charge 6 and cents to people who
want TO send message, and thus help to pay
LOT their own service 1t is claimed that it does
not pay to put a telephone in when it does not
remain more than year great many new
INES nave been put in operation during the last
phone wire in Washington. Seventy-five miles
OF this wire have been put up in the last six
months.
THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF BUSINESS
done by the telephone company One is what
is known as Exchange" business and the
other private business. In the former the
telephone is connected with all the general
wires at the central office. The latter business
Is where the company put up wires for private
USE The police line of telephones is the biggest
private business in the city, 1t has one wire
tnat going to Tennallytown-which is seven
mics long. Private wires are very often put
up from one part of a building to another
lhere are a number of private wires in the CITY
running from mans residence to his stables
It is noticeable that the private business of
| the company is on the rapid increase The line
| connecting the Reform School with the building
| on New \ Ork avenue is five miles long There
Is wire running from the exchange to beyond
the Congressional Cemetery. which is seven
miles long. Another wire running in an oppo-
site direction is five miles long. The two latter
| can be connected for talking in a moment: and
| mus make twelve miles of wire over which
! people talk every day. There is no limit to the
circuit for talking if favorable conditions can
be obtained.
You could talk over 200 miles as easily as
| around the block" said Mr.. Choate to THE
STARS young man. The possibility of connect
ing cities by the telephone is settled 1t can be
done very easily, and it is only question now
| of business arrangement with the telephone
companies. We have talked from here to Balti-
more without any trouble" The books of the
company show that the number of people who
nave telephones i'll their houses are on a steady
| increase The talking instrument is used great
deai IN social way, and such use of it is rapdiy
increasing. Members of Congress are having
| telephones put i'm their quarters and con-
gresslonal boardng-houses are securing the
same convenience. There is a telephone on the
Senate side, and there will be one on the House
! size OF the Capitol this winter for the use of
members of Congress. 1t looks as if the MEM
l. Der was not going to do as much tramping
around the departments on constituents bust
ness as heretofore. but is just going to call the
| chief clerk and have his business transacted in
ie" words and without any trouble.
SOCIAL CALLS BY TELEPHONE
A good deal of society calling is done now
per telephone. The conversations take the
Il
day-a large number of calls were made per
telephone. This was somewhat uniaue and
quite as sociable as most New Year calls.
! The telephone Office is never closed. It is
ready for business at all hours Since the GEN.
tral office was opened inthis city, four wears AFRO
work IN 1t has never ceased a minute The
/ busiest time is from 9 a. M. to IL m and from
p M. TO p. M There is not much use of the
telephone at night. 1t is then used principally
| by newspaper men. The other night business is
! almost entirely confined to calls for physicians
drug stores and livery stables. The peoplemost
called for during the day are the merchants to
whom orders for goods are given The mer-
| chants themselves are always talking with
| the depot people about the shipment and
! arrival OF goods. Perhaps the grocer is called
up more than anybody else. He deals in kind
OF goods that everybody must have. One grocer
| In the retail line says that he can get better
goods by ordering from the wholesale city dealer
! 10y TELEPHONE than by personally calling himself
He orders the wholesale man to send up for in
stance. twenty-five tubs of butter. saving that
he will take lit if it is good" 1t is always sent
| good he says, as the wholesale man knows
that upon inspection and it not suiting him. he
would order it hauled back People who do not
make up their minds to go to the theater until
! too late to get there and secure seats. or who
forget TO provide themselves during the day. are
great patrons of the telephone during the eariy
hours OF the evening. Such conversations as
this are Of daily occurrence: Central Office
Give me the theater,n Short pause. s.What
seats have you left?" The answer is according
to the size Of the attraction on the boards.
''Well, save me three. l will be down immedi-
ately."
| THE UNDERGROUND QUESTION.
| The STAR reporter asked Mr.. Ch0ate what the
telephone company thought of the proposition
that they run their wires under ground He
said it would be better for the company if the
wires could be put under ground They would
be much easier to get at to make repairs But
the con. truction of the sounding apparatus is of
such delicate character that the ground chr
rent, being the stronger, would. if the wires
were I'm der ground, interfere very materially
with the transmitting power of the telephone
"a QUEER IDEA"
said Mr.. Choate, laughing. sis prevalent
among some persons that the communication
by wires through the telephone are possible be-
cause the wires are hollow. They have no idea
of electricity, and do not seem to be able TO get
| rid of the notion that the sound goes through
hollow wire from one point to another. This
seems to be pet notion with ladies. WHY a
young lady, who had just graduated from Bos-
ton academy. visited our central office one day
and asked TO look at one of the wires She ex,
claimed "Oh mV / thnurhf If uoc b,IIo,,,