Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-11-18

az taisihg diaphragm out Vi au
justmen:. This is the case when
a person with strong voice throws it
against a loosely set diaphragm in some in
stances. after transmitter has been talked into
for n long time. the increase in the temperature
will cause the diaphragm TO turn on the side
When that is the case. transmission IL stopped.
hut when the diaphragm coOls 1t will work again.
Atoms will sometimes accumulate on the Carbon
button and render the transmission defective.
The main trouble IL from the batteries giving
out OF fault In the lines. There is no reason
why the diaphragm should not always be In
order unless corrosion clogs it. In the receiver
the paraflne will. If subject to eytLc,nc heat,
melt. and, running down. stick the diaphragm
to the magnet Then message cannCt tc re-
cciVel Some persons who are forever pUtiine
the cart before the horse will try to talk through
the receiver and hear through the transmitter.
Their words will he conveyed by the receiver.
but reply cannot be received through the
tranSmitter.
WHO Is To BLAME.
The subscriber is not always to blame. There
Is often lack of brains in the telephone COM
pany $ employees. The wires must bc grounded
at each end OF the line to complete the circuit.
The "ground-Wire,' as ii is called, is usually at
tached to gas or water pipe. The lead water
pipe. although usually chosen. is not so good a
conductor as the iron gaspipc. but the difficulty
Is in the joints. Whichever Is chosen must run
to the ground. The joints in the water-ppe are
soldcred and arc perfect The joints Of the gas
pipe are put together with red lead TO make
them ar-tight. which Offers great resistance to
the electric current. line-man was sent to 4
place TO Put in telephone, and was told to at
tech the ground wire to the water-pipe. He
was absent long time, and when he came
back he said the telephone for some reason
down. and discovered that he had con-
nected the grOnnd-Wre with the faucet
of the water-coOler The complaints are gem
orally vigorous. and the standard instruc
tons are: "lf you can't fix my tcle-
phone at once you may take the thin. out
There is nothing that will SO excite the irrta-
bilit! of a person, apparently. as the telephone
and the man who can use it and keep an even
temper at the same time Is a paragon of patience
and fOrbearance. There is man up town who
has heap Of trouble with his instrument. but
he never loses his temper. He sends the poitcst
letters to the office of the telephone company.
He invariably says: IL will esteem it
great favor If you cause my tele-
phone TO be put in working ORDER While
other men rave and swear ana exhaust their
vita! forces this man preserves his serenity and
looks on the bright side of telephone eXpe-
rience: For an invention that is in go general
use, the telephone receives an amount Of
damning sufficient to make a failure of a
device possessing twice its merits. 1t is
not alone the instrument that is rallied at.
but the wires as well. a lot of wires were run
over the skyli.ht OF a photographers place.
The pcture-taker stood it as long as he could.
and tiEally went to the telephone company's
office. He was red IN the face and cOnld no
longer contain himself. Take down those
wires. he reared: they're running my bust
ness. Every mans picture Eve taken for
week looks as If he was in JAIL
THERE ARE SOME PECULARlTlEs
about the telephone service that do not come
under the ordinary observation. The letter ''S'
when sent over the wires sounds like Of An
inquiry came from the upper part of the city to
one exchange down town asking il it had a
subscriber named Fever. No such name could
be found on the list BY accident the manager
discovered that the name was Sever. He paid
close attention to the sound of the letter ''S'
afterWard. and was surprised to find that it
invariably came over the wires Of" In
figures % can rare y he told from 81. OF the
people who use the telephone the stammering
man Is the most agOnZing to the operator or
the person with whom he talks His words
sound as if some one had him by the throat and
was choking the breath out of him. The syl-
tables come by fits and starts. ard as the dis
tOrted face of the speaker cannot be seen the
mind cannot take the r:-aning from the poor
wretchs struggii.:, efforts. When the wires
arc crossing and half dozen instruments are
opened tiere is trouble all along the line. The
pe3ple go talking to one another under the
impression they are communicating to the
operators in the central Office. Their ire is
excited war OF words enSue, and only
when the receivers are slammed ON the hooks
in righteous Indignation does 1t cease. Time
was-tO everybodys relief it Is past when am
ateur vocalists used TO howl themselves hoarse
and amateur musicians used to blow themselves
GREATNESS to show their accomplishments
through the telephone to their friends mile or
SO away. People have learned to put the tele-
phone to substantial business purposes. and the
receivers are hung on the hooks when any in
sDired genius starts to sing or play into the
transmitter.
OF all the dreary mOnOtOnies. that of the tele-
DhOnp I'm fhn pfrol nffio icfl
lt Is hello day in and day out. That is the
burden of their life. They put the receivers
mechanically to their ears when annuncatOrs
drop. call out the numbers, and repeat the
movement over and over again. Young women
are employed almost entirely in the exchanges.
Men could not be induced to sit ten hours day
in chair and respond to the call of "hello.''
When boys start in to learn to be operators they
tire before they attain proficiency. Women are
the only ones who will stick to the work. They are
sober and trustworthy, and are cOntented with
the pay they receive. Following out the pOpu-
lar idea which has prevailed, the conclusion
would be that their natural curiosity would
unht them for the duties. There is nothing
that Will cure woman of this propensity 20
quickly as to put her in position where she is
Obliged TO hear, whether she wants to or not.
The things that strike the ear pleasantly enough
at nrst soon grow wearisOme. and in few days
the dreary mOnOtOny begins. Why the word
hello is the invariable telephone salutation
remains great mystery, "YOu wouldn't eX-
claim hey there or say, your would your
asked the superintendent of the telephone
company. I'D like to know what else you'd
say but hello"
Diplomatic Notes.
From the n. Y. Mail
-Senor CalladO, the Brazilian minister to
China has been among the distinguished dplo-
mats In town the last few days.