Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1893-11-04
HELLOING 1 3;}99 MILES
LONG DISTANCE AND sRcaT CIRCUIT
 TELEPHONES.

l Them Por--Ghe Charges Seela High. bC.
 They Permit the Use Of Considerable
 Convezsation-l4 Lecture For Test clHa.
 A continuous long distance telephone line extends between Boston and 1iil- wau5ee, q distance, a5 tho line $ run, ef ], 800 miles.
 \ reporter who was wondering, as many other people arc wondering, no i doubt, if the long distance telephone cir cults are much used, and if so by what class of people and for what purposes, called to ask these questions of Edward P. Moaay, assistant general manager of the company, in the main office, at IS 1 Cortlandt street.
 'Yes," said 1Ir. Meaney, ''the long distance service IS used to such satis- 1 factory extent that 1t Is being constantly l extended. In the far western part of our territory Milwaukee has been added to the system, and this side of Chicago Q 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 circuits?
 T should say that social and domestic affairs bring most of the patrons now, although there are some business inter views conducted.
 MT. 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 8, between New York and Chicago S9, for each five minutes or portion of that time. This does not include the time used in mak- 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. If a man is wanted who is not 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 long distance interview, they can talk from 400 to 600 words in five minutes, according to the subject and their famll- iarity with if It is a fact that most in- terviews 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 hannels 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 point1, she paid for the service and went on her way rejoicing.
 Business men chiefly use the long dis tance 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 metallic serE- ice is used-that is, in talking between New York and Chicago, distance ef ,000 miles, the service Is really over ,, GOO miles of wire, as the wire, instead of be- ing grounded at both ends to complete the circuit. is doubled or looped to make the complete circuit metallic. The in- structions for speaking and listening gre the same as those printed for the use of the ordinary telephone, and the result, SO far as hearing is concerned, is rather better over 9 thousand miles than over one. This is owing to the metallic cir cult, which does away with the madden ing bu1r-r-r resulting from induction and from the use Of a heavier and su- perior copper wire. The wire used in the long distance service weighs 970 pounds mile, the ordinary service wire weighing but $40 pounds.
 MT. Meaney said that while there was no mechanical reason why the servic, should not oe continued across the con tinent, it is not probable that, for the present at least, it will go beyond the Mississippi river, owing to the great cost of construction, operating and lnainte- nance expenses. When these facts had been given 70 the reporter, Mir. Meaney asked if c at with Chicago would not aid an understanding of the subject. The reporter thought it might, and Mir. Mea- ney drew toward him a movable stand ard telephone instrument and called up Chicago That active city quickly re- sponded, and the telephone was turned ONe1 Go lle I6 oOIVSA' 1uc tLAOusduU-AullO- away voice began in a clear singsong voice, This is the Worlds fair tele- phone exchange station"
 "That's all right" said the reporter. I'm Sun man and wanted to hear } your voice"
 Then it laughed and said in a natural manner:
 "I have to answer about 90 test calls day, and so have made up little lee . ture which give them free" , Then conversation of several min- utes followed, unbroken by "burr-r-r. y a'zip-tsing or single whats that?"- New York Sun.
 A Life Line Suggestion. It is evidently veteran sailor who makes the suggestion that. as a vessel