The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-05-15
MoTIKG THE ExCHfNGE.
Everything Ia Ready and the Transfer WIZ
Take Place To-Day.


For number Of weeks past the officers and
employes Of the Southern Bell Telephone
Company have been kept busy in making the
necessary preparations for removal of the
Telephone xcharge from the top iloor OF the
Hanewnckel building to the northwest cor,
ner of Ninth and Main streets. where II VIII
hereafter occupy the two upper floors recent
~ vacated by the officers of the Grand lodge
of Masons BY tomorrow morning IL u eh-
pected that an tho connections Will Oe com
pietei So that tho transfer from the Old ONCE
and old switchboard 90 the new Office ana the
new switchboard can bo made
The new quarters OF the company, which
have been leased hy Superintendent G. T..
McCuer. the efficient and popular head or
the telephone service, for term OF ten
years will be in every respect far superior
10 those lust about 20 be given up. ne
new switch board. which covers the Whole
width of the building on the top moor mas
a capacity for 2, 400 subscribers and IS Just
double the size of the old one. 10 IS con
structed in the latest and most improved style
of the Jaw system. and the board contains all
tho improvements made during the past two
or three years. The appointments OF the
several officers are very cOmmodlQus anu
comfortable The upper floor OF the Dul!I ing
has been set aside tor the exchange oHceS
proper The largest room. containing the
big switchboard is the ouerating-rOo m. IT'S
table is divided in sixteen different sections.
each one of which will be no charge Oh ON
operator In the old Office there were only
six sections each one OF which was attended
10 by two operators. 1he table OF the chiel
operator is placed on platform IN the centre
of the room. and communications can easily
be made with the various sections. Next 10
the Operating room Ia spacious room set
aside for the lady operators. 10 contains q
number of lockers. lounge washstahu ana
an OIL stove for the accommodation OF Tue
Young ladies' 10 warm tea. coffee etc. Two
other rooms are set aside tor the manager auu
the cashier of the company.
On the lower floor the district offices Will
be located There Will be found the coy
office Of superintendent McCluer with an
ante-room for his assistant and his clerk
Another room will be used by the telephone
inspectors while waiting for orders. The
largest room on that floor is to be the repair
shOp where all repairs necessary viii pc
made and adjoining II IS the supply stock
room.
The work of constructing the new switch
board and connecting II with the y tUO wires
while the old one was stu IN operation was
very complicated one. The transfer OF the OLD
service with its 900 subscribers TO the new
switchboard with rs complication OF wires
without any interruption 10 the service re-
Ouired a great deal Of labor and ingenuity.
With such q large number OF men WORKING
uIfAueOlslN OUTDOORS hl ll. Ip'l0 30 NN'N'f't
not be az all surprising If some few errors
should be made. and the new swift hpoafd
being somewhat different from the one here
tofore in use IL may take a day or two for the
iadv operators 10 become accustomed
a. the new surroundings. Subscribers.
therefore need not be surprised Il
the telephone service should not be as
satisfactory 40 first as they have been accus-
toned OF finding il. it IS also possible tnat
a few subscribers may have been wrongly
connected. but il Is 20 be hoped that any one
who fails to secure prompt attention Will
notify the manager Of chief operator at once
iB order that the mistake may be remedled
without any loss Of time.
During the past few days nearly every teie-
phone wire I'D this city has been called up al
leadluarters and connected with the new
switchboard. and only about dozen wires
are left now without connection, for the rea-
son that the respective customers failed ~
name their numbers when they were asked
from headquarters % do so.
The eight different office-rooms IN the build
ing are cOnnectei with each other by speak
ing-tube system which IL an invention OF SUI
perntendent McCluer The connection is
made on a little switchboard Ia the repair
shop. and IL is not necessary 20 call mp the
central Office 10 secure the desired connec-
tiou.
The Office of superintendent McCluer IS an
important one, for he has full charge OF the
telephone system of the States of Virginia,
West Virginia and North Carolina