The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1882-03-14
NEw Yonk. March 0. 10!

NEW 1oAK, March y, 1857
If the merchants of two or three generations
ago, or even the last generation who did busi-
ness in this city, could revisit their old business
haunts and see tne facilities which the merchant
of to-day enjoys, in the way of transacting busi-
ness, they would probably not only be much sur
prised, but possibly would wonder how they
ever managed to get through the stress of the
busy season at all Though much less business
was done then than to-day the conveniences
were nothing in proportion. The merchant of
to-day can sit in his Office and communicate
with parties in almost any part of the city at a
moments notice, or call the fire department a
policeman, messenger without leaving it
and all by the aid OF electricity company
here furnishes at a trling cost a small apparatus
about three by five inches in size, by which the
posessor can at anr time summon a messenger,
policeman, or send alarm of fire by simply turn
ing small lever to the point desi mated and call
ing for what he wants This was considered a
great thing, and is still in successful operation
but the greater part of lis utility is superseded
by the Telephone-one of the greatest conven-
fences of TO day. By il one can hold a conver-
sation with another in nearly any part of the
city, in an ordinary tone Of voice and without
the assistance OF third party. An instrument
is furnished and kept in repair, at a cost of from
so to SIS per mSnth. If it is desired to speak
with certain party, all that is necessary is to
call the Central Office, and give the number and
name, and they make the connection, and the
desired information is given or received with
The same facility as if the parties were standing
face to face
The business man of to-day can go to his
place of business, and by the aid of the telephone
he can buy or sell stocks il a broker, or merchan-
disc if . merchant-give orders to his butcher
or grocer, or transact business that heretofore
required large expenditure of time, either on
his own part or that of messenger with the
loss of a very few moments; and as time is liter
ally money in this busy place, this is great
item Of course the telephone is not intended
as means of marketing, and is not used TO
great extent for that purpose; but few enter
prising butchers have them, and a great many
OF The large grocers- They are principally in
use among wholesale dealers in the various
branches of buSiness-banks, brokers, hotels,
railroads, etc, where one is supposed TO know
just lat he wants and what it is worth In
addition to the telephone, nearly every bank,
broker, and many of the hotels and business
houses have a stock indicator that registers
Wall street quotations at stated intervals, the
whole being controlled by one operator. The
instrument is generally placed in a position,
where anyone desiring to can refer TO it and see
the quotations which are printed on long mar
row strip of paper One must have knowledge
of the abbreviations and characters, however, to
understand them.
In many of the large houses they also have
an automatic electric fire alarm, consisting of
wires running through the entire building with
small cylinder shaped instrument, about two
inches by three quarters of an inch in size,
placed at intervals of twenty-five feet, which are
so adjusted that should the temperature rise to
one hundred and thirty degrees or over, they
will complete the circuit and sound the alarm
at the general Office, giving the location of the
building, and the portion where the high tenn
peraiure exists, which alarm is Immediately
the central Office of the fire department and
thence TO the several engine houses in the dis
trict, 50 that though the house be closed there is
always an efficient and tolerably sure watchman
within that viii give the alarm long before
fire would make itself apparent TO those outside,
and can be depended on with more confidence
than paid watchman who probably works all
day and of course sleeps more or less while on
duty. and is generally in some place other than
the one where he Is needed when fire does oc-
cur. RAMBLER