The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1893-11-25
HELLOING 1900 MILES
LONG DISTANCE AND SHORT CIRCUIT
TELEPHONES.

Who Use the FORMER anu Nh"t Ahcy use
Them For-The Charges Seem High, but
They Permit the sUse of Considerable
Conversational Lecture For Test Calls.
A continuous long distance telephone
line extends between Boston and Mil
waukee. a distance, as the, line IS run. OF
1900 miles.
A reporter who was wondering, al
many other people are wondering, no
doubt, If the long distance telephone Cir
cults are much used, and if 80 by what
class of people and for what purposes,
called to ask those questions of Edward
p. Meany, assistant general manager OF
the company, in the main office, at IL
Cortlandt street.
YES" said Mr.. Meaney, 1.-THE long
distance service is used to such q salts
factory extent that it is being constantly
extended. In the far western part of
our territory Milwaukee has been added
to the system, and this side of Chicago a
line has recently been run down from
| Toledo to Dayton O., and from Dayton
| extensions are making which will bring
Cincinnati and Indianapolis into the serv-
ice.
What class of interviews is most
conducted over the longer ~clrcuitsy'
II should say that social and domestic
affairs bring most of the patrons now,
although there are some business inter.
views conducted"
Mr.. Meaney explained that the charges
for long distance interviews are based
upon FIVE minutes conversation as a
unit. That is, the charge between New
York and Washington is 81, between
New York and Chicago 80, for each five
minutes OF portion of that time. This
does not include the time used In max
ing the connection or bringing the par
ties to the ends of the line. All sub
scribers to the long distance telephone
can be connected with the circuits just
as they are in the local business. LII a
man is wanted who is not a subscriber
to the long distance service, he is hunted
up and brought to a central station
without charge.
When two people get fairly started on
a long distance interview, they can talk
from 400 to 600 words in five minutes,
according to the subject and their famll-
iarity with it. It is a fact that most in
teryiews end before the unit of time has
elapsed. One New York woman who
had her son at South Bend, Ind, where
he is at school, called up ~anxiously, asked
her startled hopeful if she had put his
winter fannels in his trunk, If he had
not maliciously carried off his fathers
razor and if his tooth had stopped ach-
ing. Being satisfactorily answered on
all these points, she paid for the service
and went on her way rejoicing.
Business men chiefly use the long dis
lance service to consult about terms OF
contracts or to report the text of con
tracts which must be repeated to insure
accuracy.
The chief difference between the long
distance and the short circuits is that in
the former what is called a metallic serv-
ice is used-that is, in talking between
New York and Chicago, a distance OF
1000 miles, the service is really over 2 ,00t
miles of wire, as the wire, instead OF be.
ing grounded at both ends to complete
the circuit, is doubled or Topped to make
the complete circuit metallic. The in
structions for speaking and listening arr
O the same as those printed for the use OF
the ordinary telephone, and the result
Q so far as hearing is concerned, is rather
better over a thousand miles than ovel
one. This is owing to the metallic cir
= cult, which does away with the madden
Q ing burr-r-r resulting from induction
p and from the use Of a heavier and su
perior copper wire. The wire used il
the long distance service weighs 81
II pounds a mile, the ordinary service wiz
y weighing but $40 pounds.
10 Nh. Meaney said that while there wa
10 no mechanical reason why the servic
70 should not be continued across the con
tinent, it is not probable that, for tn
g present at least, it will go beyond tn
20 Mississippi river, owing to the great cos
st of construction, operating and mainte
u nance expenses. When these facts ha
10 been given to the reporter, Mr.. Meane
it asked if a chat with Chicago would nc
re aid an understanding Of the subject. Th
SO reporter thought it might, and Mr.. Mes
be- new drew toward him a movable stand
es ard telephone instrument and called u
Of Chicago. That active city quickly r.
sponded, and the telephone was turne
re over to the reporter. The thousand-mil'
away voice began in q clear singson
TX voice, 'sThis is the Worlds fair tell
In phone exchange station" ii
Ill s.That's all right" said the ,reporte1
is tsPm a Sun man and wanted to hea
your voice"
nd Then it laughed and said in a naturs
er manner
OF II have to answer about 90 test cal
G.. a day, and 30 have made up a little le
co ture which ] give them free"
no Then a conversation of several mil
re utes followed, unbroken by a s.burr-r-r
10, a "zip-tsing' or a single whats thatg'-
ng New York Sun.
sh- A Life Line Suggestion.
nd 1t is evidently a veteran sailor wi
es. makes the suggestion that, as a vess
ity always goes ashore to leeward, and II
in life line shot from the shore must ther