The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-06-24
WORK FOR AN ARMY.
The Telephone System Is So Complex
That Tt Makes the Brain whirl.

The Tel6pnone system is so complex
That It Makes the Brain Whirl.
From the New York COMMERCIAL advertiser.
A distinguished French electrician, in
the preface to book of some 500 pages
devoted exclusively to a description of
the apparatus and methods used in prac-
tical telephony, speaks as follows:
when one contemplates all that goes to
make up a large telephone system one is
impressed by the remarkable contrast
that exists between the implicitly of the
telephone itself and t1e complexity of the
apparatus required to make it servicea BILE
on a large scale" This is in fact one of
the most curious features of telephony.
The magnet telephone itSelf-the found
alton of the industry-is one of the sim
plest appliances possible to imagine. 1t
has no movable paris, nothing in it but
the case is exposed to wear and tear, and
it rarely gets out of order, except through
actual damage inflicted on it, Yet to
bring it into position of commercial
utility has required the invention and
production of an immense variety of cleo
trical and mechanical devices, and the
assembling of all these devices into
great city system results in piece of
machinery that has no equal for compli-
cation outside of the human body itself.
A telephone exchange system has aptly
been compared with the human body.
The brain is the central Office, the nerves
are the wires, and the fingers and other
organs the subscribers stations. You
touch something hot with finger, and
the sensory nerve sends message to the
brain: the brain sends out orders by the
motor nerve to remove the finger from
the hot substance. 1t is done in a flash,
but so is a telephone connection; indeed IN
some telephone systems an exactly anal
ogous method OF working is pursued.
One wire from the subscribers station is
used for calling the central Office, and an
olher for the actual connection required.
The additions to the magnet telephone
began at the subscribers station itself
There is Joined to it the transmitter,
which requires its battery and induction
colt the call bell and the automatic
switch. which Joins the line either TO bell
or telephone as required. The magnetic
telephone did well enough for talking
over short distances, but its limitation
was soon reached and the battery trans
mitter was produced to increase the car
rving power of the telephone subscribers
electrified voice. To call the exchange
some electric power was needed, and
to be called up something to receive sig
nails
tric generator and bell, was devised.
Then a switch was required TO connect
the line alternately to the bell and TO the
telephone, and the automatic switch OPP
Grated by the weight OF the magnet tele-
phone, now sunk to the humble position
of "receiver," was invented. This col
( lection of apparatus, the work OF many
inventors anu the product OF much laoo-
rious experimenting and in 9estlgatlon, Is
what the telephone grew TO within a Few
wears of the discovery of the electrical
transmission of articulate speech.
When we come TO lines and central OF,
fees. the complication is simnly beyond
des. ription. Special construction oil over,
head lines, special types of underground
and submarine cables, different from any
used in Other electrical Industries are re-
rents. The cost of these conductors Is
enormous. The telephone cables under