The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-11-24
New use for The
Phone Button
You Press 1t and 1t Does the Work
of a Telephone Operator.
ARRANGEMENT IS AUTOMATIC
Description of the Ingenious Method
Which Promises to DO Away with the
Force of Employees Now Needed
at Telephone Exchanges.

A Philadelphia exchange contains the
following concerning the manner in
which the automatic telephones, which
are being introduced in this city, are
operated:
The reporter was shown the automatic
telephone instrument in the Office of the
company, and saw that the receiver was
an ordinary one, but the transmitter
was of porcelain and metal and of diff
ferent shape from the ordinary one. Be-
meath the transmitter box was q small
keyboard with four black keys above,
the first being designated by the word,
hundreds" the next tens" the third,
units" and the last, release"
"The system is very simple, remarked
one of the company's officials. you
make your own connection with this
keyboard, and are thus entirely inde-
| pendent Of any central exchange ope
rator. The first key here is hundreds,
and you press it once. IL the number
wanted is Of three figures. You press
| the tens and units for the others. OBJ
serve now, will call 164, which is the
| hundreds key once, the tens six times
and the units four times, and then
have the connection. Then ! ring the
bell and call up the subscriber / want
No delay and no possibility of mistake
unless make 1t, and then it is instantly
corrected Unless connected the bell
does not ring. That is how you can
know that the subscriber called Is busy.
You can then call him again and again
until you get him. You observe we have
only four keys here, but more can be
added. Thus for four figures We will
put on a thousands key Then you
would push thatonce and your hundreds
and other keys as many times as re-
quired to get your connection.
Switchboards Are Automatic.
1--WE have an exchange, but no ope-
rators, as the switchboards are autom-
attic" The switchboard differs mater
tally from that of the ordinary tele-
phone, and perhaps the use of the word
board in connection with it is hardly
proper; but 1t will do. In this system
there is an automatic switch for each
subscriber. This is operated by two
pairs of magnets and armatures and the
corresponding levers with one shaft
and rachel wheels The essential part
of the switch Is four and one half inch
es long, four inches high and one and
one-quarter inches wide. There is no
complicated machinery to get out OF
order, and its action is sure and accu-
rate.
do you see the possibilities Of this
automatic switch?" queried the electri
clan, and added: "They are many
and as | said before, we can give any
kind of service desired. Each subscrib-
er has his own switch, which can only
be manipulated by his own telephone
AS you saw at the telephone there is 9
release key. This is to disconnect, anC
you see when the line is in use the bel
does not ring. A subscriber who doe!
not wish to be bothered for any reason
can disconnect his telephone so that HI
cannot be called until he so desires. H
can also talk as long as he pleases with
out any interruption, for no one, cen
tral employer or others, can call hin
until he connects again.
IF for any particular reason a sub
scriber objects to any particular sub
scriber calling him he can be entirely
disconnected, while at the same timt
keeping his other connections Thu!
each subscriber is entirely Independent
of the company in the use of his tele
phone. He has his own keyboard OF
his telephone and operates his own au
tomato switch in the exchange. Their,
is simply an attendant there to see tina
the switches work all right
I'm what does the transmitter yoI
: use differfrom that of the ordinary tele
> phone?"
, Points Of Difference.
; "It is a magnetic telephone, similar t