Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1884-02-06
Music on the Wires.

|
The central telephone Office called up
the Ddiiy Ntms editorial" last night
with this inquiry: "Hello; have you
any musical instrument in your Officer
Nothing but Tyre" answered the
funny man, who continued, "ahd that Is
out of tune-whyp
The inquiry of the central, which at
iilst was supposed TO be in the nature of u
| pleasantly, was asked in seriousness.
The reply came back from the central:
"Well, somebody has been playing on
the wires ever since eight o'clock this
evening, and we can't tell where it comes
! from.
The telephone in TIM Daily News
editorial rang again.
"IIello," came from tie night man at
the central police station. whats tho
matter down thereW
Nothing. What's the matter with
your
"Were you singing, or playing an in
strument just awhile ago?
"No."
The central station man then repeated
what the central telephone station had
asked, adding that all night long the
telephones had been vibrating with the
sweetest of melodies, and that no one
could tell from whence it came. Just
then the Cottage Grove avenue police
station called up the central station:
"Hello; who's that singin' up thiry The
answer was sent back that there had
been no singing. "Who's that playin'?"
Nobody had been playing. otis bin
singin' all night to us, the swaitest yez
liver heerd."
At late hour the Office at Elgjn, forty
two miles distant, called to the central
office: "Hello, central, hello. This is
Elgin. Where is the music that has been
going on all nightY'
Don't know"
'It has been heard here all night; ever
since eight o'clock. Several private
telephones here have heard the same
thing. Hello-did you hear that?"
"What~
"Did you hear that-'Home, Sweet
Homer"
A call was made at the central Office
at later hour, and the information was
repeated that the wires had been singing
all night long. 1t was first heard on the
stock-yards line, and the supposition
was that it had emanated from the office
there, but the stock-yards Office knew
nothing of it save that it had been
flooded with melody all night long, while
at the central Office it was learned that
the entire circuits had been ringing, sing
ing and vibrating with music; soft and
low the cadences of the "Suwanee
River" had come; then, as they died
away, there came the quickstep Of
"Yandle Doodle" fairly making the
wires laugh. As the notes of the colo
NAL air fell away to echoes, the Sweet
By-and-By" succeeded in numbers that
soothed the ears of the transmitters al
most into slumber; then came the "Beau-
tiful Blue Danube" and following was
the dulcet symphonies of "Annie Lau-
rie." Then the harmonies of all seemed
TO combine and come sweeping down to-
gether in q strange medley-nows soft and
low, now majestic and sweeping, like the
"harpof pines" whenswept by the winds.
The effect was strange and enchanting.
The mystery connected with it added to
the interest, and held those who listened
captives to wave of melody which
seemed to have come over the-city and
taken possession of every wire.
The inquiries in regard to the strange
sounds came into the central office from
every quarter, from every police station
in the city and from many suburban
offices. The explanation offered is that
some one who had in mind the test of
the telephones between Chicago and
New York by musical instruments deter
mined to try the plan of concertizing
among the subscribers of the Chicago
Exchange, and played" into his phone.
That the sweet strains were heard with
more or less distinctness all over the city
is accounted for in the fact that all the
wires run to switchboard at the central
office, from whence the sounds were
transmitted by induction.
The city electricians could give no
real explanation of the phenomenon, but
attributed it to peculiar condition of
the atmosphere, which increased the
power of induction and conductvity.
The generality of the sounds on the wires
was best illustrated probably at the fire.
alarm office, where there are hundreds Of
wires from all parts of the city, and on
each one of them the music was plainly
audible. Chicago Daily News