Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1893-02-01
A TELEPHONE TALK.

There is something to my miao on
tepsely amusing ID nsteninE On
operator on the telephone "a. the
fascinatiaS to speculate wha' w haar
lzzz bzzz which is all can ever len
standing ly) was the rePS P.,;"n 70
caused tie composed hrst ques,W VII
be fullowed by an irsscioie NoI -
tell youl tuesday" or tames oo"a Ill
hans an indignant beginning, anu ca.,s
forth a meek 80, very weii supp
1 must. shan
addressed to myself, confess W os
a dead failure! Happening 10 DC
eut in the board room OF 1eiepnone
company, when a new lnstrumeu, -
tried, l was courteousiy invlIee
listen thereto, and spoke put tns ' nd
in saving 1 'only hear fuhcn
Judy" which guileless remsrk, pe,hs ahs
Immediately followed by weird II uneh ~.
laughter, overcame, L snppose,
gravity of "the other END, ou.i,uy
waiting for remark from the cua
man, and covered me Win saIt
confusion. But L have always iei'
-, ,ntares. in these wonderful ma
chimes, and therefore halled VIII ~
an offsr TO 90 over the works OF the
consolidated Telephone Company, and
fonnd myself. early one May morning,
in compapy with the energetic cnair-
man. at their spacious establishment
Here / saw the curious "Divers teie-
phone, for speaking under water' VIII
Its helmet transmitter, and queer looA-
ing ear pieces. Small WONDER 'ne
Admiralty have found 1t worthy oi
y.
polished case, which looks first cousin
t. o-e of the many sur prise cameras OF
the dav, so portable is II, Is ~ lelo
Telephone" which must surely prove
O. equal value to the sister service.
Agair in large establishment, how
Invaluable would be tue ''Domestlc
desk telephone" by which, without
leaving her writing table, the mistress
can speak to ten different departments;
can order the carriage, tell the gardener
to hurry in with the flowers for the din
ner table, or to the upper housemaio
to prepare rooms wanted unexpectedly,
etc, etc.
Those who know the etiquette, cir.
cumIocution, and consequent waste OF
time the transmission of the simplest
order means in "big house" will in
deed understand how much compressed
utility this dainty little affair contains.
But let us go down into the whirr
and clash of the mschine-room where
every single part of the telephones
sold by the company is made. The
first thing to arrest my attention Is
q wondrous machine for cutting
! wheels. notching the hard metal with
faultless precision; another Is making
hinges as fast as boy can feed 1t. We
pass on and see fiat piece OF metal
placed on large machine, when lol
a huge drop press relentlessly descends,
and 1t is converted into a neatly fash
ioned cap" l see thick square bar
of steel cut of as easily as If made OF
cheese; it is then passed on to an un-
canny- looking machine, which by
slow persuasive push of a vicious-look-
ing fiat bar, converts it into a "mag
net" form, and-with an effect OF being
''glad to be rid of you"-shoots 1T i'm
patiently into a receptacle placed a
convenient distance for the purpose.
! caunot resist an amused glanced at
a no;ice-the necessity for which, how
ever, we shall none OF us regret
"Employes are strictly forbidden to
wash themselves before stopping time"
as we turn into the Furnishing de.
partment, with its bright brass pins
and pretty ornamental hnishings, and
peep into the large dusky- looking tank
for nickel plating, where my worn