New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-07-19
TIE BIG SWITCHBOARD DESTROYED.

TIE BIG SWITCH BOARD DESTROYED.
4 DESCRIPTION OF THE INSTRUMENT - ITS
VALUE AND USEFULNESS.
one cf the most serious features OF the nre i t'e
destruction Of the switchboard In the oper'u"s'V''
II ,voud he dlnIcult t. describe this Important p'''
Of mechanism so that il could be wei uhncISV'o' ~
any except those who are familiar with at lea'' INC
fundamental principles by which the electrical current
Is controlled The switchboard, however, II eau Do
plainly said, Is the medium through when oic c"Ir'"'
Is brought TO the wircs-s convenient conrvancc by
which the batteries attached to the or'"'' "'"
the wires connected with the instruments
on the mezzanne floor Just below the oP'''uinH
rooro were tle chemical batteries furnishing the
current Before II was found practicable to Apply the
current from dynamos 10 single, duplex ana quiu'u
nick wires the chemical batteries were inc Only
ones used The entire floor was devoted 10 uih' te'
of Thousands Of Calland Jars illcd WIN ~'"t'"n
being placed In juXtap)sition on shelves u r''"'"
from the floor TO the ceiling. The Use oil WHaHio9
located in the cellar did not obviatc the necessity ot
using the chemical batteries which are required Tor
locals or TO work the saunders, reporters ana ocr
instruments essential in such an once. He'"cS TIC
DYNAMO current is not always reliable ana Eiiso
chemical batteries had 10 be maintained Tor Use III case
OF emergencies.
The wires from the batteries run to strips Of brass
which extend horizontally the rear OF e2ch SEE
tlon Of the switchboard. Tho line wires run 10 pcpen-
dcuar strips the front Of The board cross
Ing but not touching the battery strips. Al close
intervals there are metallic discs with concave spares
on each side brought 50 close together tat ePHt
brass plug Of circular will III in firmly between
any two discs. This plug therefore. becomes con
necion between battery strip and any desired strip
connected with a line wire. By this arrangement a
number Of wires may be supplied with current from
single battery, battery having enough rover u
supply yz-or eight aud sometimes even ten wires. II
battery gives out or wire is tronbe." 1t + onN
necessary 10 shift plug 10 another disc To remedy
the difficulty All chemical batteries are 50 arranged
that their poles can be made TO correspond with
those At the other end 81 any wire. some being rom
copper zinc. and others from zinc u copper II the
battery the Boston end Of a wire has IT. poles
from copper 10 zinc that on the New York end must
have them from zinc to copper to produce the positive
and NEGATIVE effect. Nv simply moving plug In
the switchboard requiring the fraction Of second Of
time battery can be reversed 10 conform 10 the
pole, Of the one the opposite end OF the circuit
The instruments connected with the switch
board by means Of loops running under the n1or from
the tables. ON the end Of each loop Is slug which
Is slipped into spring jack attached T. each pcrpcn-
dlcular line strip the board. Iy means of the
loops slugs and spring Jacks any instrument I'm the
Office can b. attached ~ any wre. just a. ans battery
NAV be applied to any wire by the discs and plu-s
one Of the most important usages Of the switch
board , that which provides the connection between
batteries and leased lines and wires to branch ofce'
From brokers' Office. for instance there runs loo?
to the main Office and d the end Of the loop Is
lug with metallic Sides between which Is strip Of
yutta pe-cha Insulation. This slug ran he
slipped into a spring jack attached 10 the leased
WIRE the battery connection being made by Inserting
a plug into Of the disc aperturcS OF The strip by
which the wire enters the board. Wire from branch
offices are loopcd In in the way. thus enabling
ia. all its a
plant The destruction Of The board must necessarily
Inconvenience those having leased wires for II Is ohy
through that medium that current can be supplied.
Another source Of great Inconvenience and delay
which must inevitably result IS that connections be-
tween the through wires from point; east and north 10
those south Of NewYor, broken, and cannot be
restored save through a now switch. Wire, running
from Boston TO Philadelphia Baltimore. Washington
and other points south arc equipped With reporters
In the New York main Office. These arc Instruments
attached to line and battery wires by which the current
Is passed along from one section TO another with an
cvcnncss Of resistance that would be Impossible WIN
,lt them. The repeating Instruments are connected
with the switchboard and the batteries. and are APP
piled % the wires In the board In the same way that
the ordinary machines are, l. e., by loops, sings
spring Jacks, plugs and discs. They arc more
over, the most intricate Of all the Appliances
used in modern biography. The greatest car"
must be used in their construction and adjustment
operate them. They are too. the most valuable o.
| all the Instruments for tclenaphy ever invented \
quadrupcA repeater saves the labor OF elEt operators
! four on sdC-aud prevents the delay ihcldent
to the RELAXING Of business. They are automatic III
action recurring Oaly that they be accurately adjusted
| after being attached Ia the wires.
As an example Of their utility. II may be explained
| that The wire between New York and New orleans
| works through two lets Of rpcatcrs, one being at
| Chattanooga. Tenn. and the other NJ Atlanta, Ga,
add operator, would have 10 De employed on the
ok a!I NV Oglcans on druplex circuit TO hand
The business. \ larg: number OF these lustruncI Is
were DESTROYED In the fire. and II VIII take consider
| able tI.u" - replace them.
The Ic switchboard In the main operating room
was I'm sections each connected with the other
| by metallic strings. As the demand for facilities In
creased thc number ~ wire, AUXILIARY SECTIONS, we're
afdc unti is tDp, ifcs and Interior rel " IL
extra battery and line strips II viii take considerable
| time reproduce all these attachments, and II an
entirely switchboard must be built 10 VIII probably
be constructed with complete and spare instead Of
| auxiliary sections.
| the electric current nom chemical batteries 10 Ignite
| gutta pcrcha Insulation. a few years Samuel
Bogs- r. a chief operator I'm the operating burned
ont Yesterday, vas seated at thDe trying 70 OBTAIN
a static balance In the relay on the polar side OF "A
quadrupteN instrument. His LETT hand rested on the
l1ttn .parcha covered coils, while with his right he
| plugged and unpluggcd the resistance coils In the
| rheostat and condenser suddenly The gutta percha
| over the coils became ignitcd and the liquid nro
spurted over his hand 30 which IL continued 10 adhere
| while burning The flesh burned away 10 the
| bone There may be some Significance IN the fa"t
that the operators duty smclcd burning rubber
when smoke first seen issuing from the centre Of
the room where the rubber covered wires come through
| In a seemingly ineXtrcablc mass.
EFFECTS OF THE BLAZE HERE AND THERE