, 1885-05-01
CENTRAL TELEPHONE OFFICE.
Operators at work-TheIr Marvellous DeE-
terity-Work and Wages

AA1AN 091~
terity-Work and Wages
lChicago Cor. Indianapolis Sentinel
1t is a wonderful sight-the scene Mt
a central" telephone office, Fifty girls
are seated at square and round tables.
the square ones running the full length
of the room. Each operative attends
to an average of forty wires. In st.
Louis, Memphis, Milwaukee and other
cities where the rush of business is not so
great as in Chicago, one girl can at
tend to 100 wires. Men in Chicago are
blessed with talking propensities more
than the average, as they tell me they
use the phone twice as much here as
in other cities. The operatives wear n
head telephone attached to the ear. II
is constructed for the purpose, and
very light. It is fastened by a band
which holds the telephone tight TO the
ear, and most days the operator keeps
the instrument to the organ for hours.
Does rot its continual wearing in
iure the ear, - we asked.
The manager assured us not, the in
strument is very light, and, he said,
lit does not effect the mere act of hear
ing at times. fyou use the telephone a
great deal you have become accustomed
TO the unsatisfactory answer returned to
the central Office to a call, he's busy.
What do you mean by a busy
wire
from - to 100 connections are on the
switch board at any time during bust
ness hours. Each connection represents
two telephones in use. Any one being
called for would be reported busy
You sec the young ladies at the long
tables answer calls while those al tho
small tables attach the numbers called
to those calling them. See3'
Tn annunciators arc an upright
board after the fashion Of those used
in hotels. When the telephone rings
the annunciator drops, showing tho
number of the phone ringing. Con
nections are made by means of plugs,
having wires attached, which, when
me telephone is to be connected with
another are inserted in we'll fitted holes.
Here is where the dexterity of the OPP
orator is displayed. The hands fly hither
and thither filling the holes, and the
bodies twist and turn in the rapid mo-
tons by which this is accomplished.
Zach operator has n block of paper at
her right, on which she records each
telephone calling up the office; her hands
consequently are always busy, and If the
telephone were not strapped TO her head,
she could not hold it at all.
A new switch board wa described to
me-, differing from the one in operation,
which is an improvement, the greatest
ndyuntags being that the connection is
land el BY two persons instead of five.
ach operator has thirty-fiye to fifty
sliaorm ors' wires on her board, and n
unnhcr Of trunk lines to each Office.
8 hen the subscriber calls, his number is
nsceriained, and connected to the trunk
line ~rdnning TO the Office having the
party called for and rings. The oper-
ator ut the other end Of the trunk
line answers and repeats the
saae. The subscriber gives the
number wanted a second time, and the
connection is completed and rung up.
In this way the speed is increased, and
the chances for mistakes decreased. The
circuit is always complete and connec-
tons unbroken.
There is no ringing of bells, no
hello. no rushing or noise, only a sub
dued hum. The operators talk quietly,
do not yell like so many amateurs do.
In nearly all the offices of the city the
operatives are women, and the man
ayers give them the credit Of attending
strictly to business, and assert their
preference to girls and women to that
Of boys and men But there ) one
thing not quite right yet; girls work for
less wages than boys. Why is it,