Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1894-03-24
HELLOING /, 800 MILES
LONG DISTANCE AND SHORT CIRCUIT
TELEPHONES.

Them For--The Charges Seem High. but
They Permit the Use OF Considerable
Conversational Lecture For Test Calls
A continuous long distance telephone
line extends between Boston and Mil
waukee. distance. as the line Is run, OF
!, 300 miles.
A reporter who was wondering. ~
many other people are wondering, no
foubt, II the long distance telephone cir
cults are much used, and II 20 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 u
Cortlandt street
YES" said Mr.. Meaney, "the long
distance service is used to such q salts
factory extent that 1t Il being constantly
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 viii bring
Cincinnatiand Indianapolis into the serv-
ice.
What class OF interviews Is most
conducted over the longer circuitsT
Il 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 .
unit. That Is, the charge between New
| York and Washington Is t2, between
| New York and Chicago %, for each five
minutes or portion Of that time. This
does not include the time used Ia max
ing the connection or bringing the par
ties 70 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. IL =
man Is wanted who il not q subscriber
to the long distance service, he Is hunted
up aud brought 20 central station
without charge.
When two people get fairly started ON
lcng distance interview. they can talk
from 400 to 600 words in five minutes,
according to the subject and their farnil-
iarity with it. 1t Ia "a fact that most in
/
elapsed. One New York woman who
J had her son at south Bend, Ind, where
he is at school, called mp anxiously. asked
her startled hopeful II she had put his
! winter flannels in his trunk, II he had
: not maliciously carried of his fathers
! razor and If his tooth had stopped ach-
o 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
|, tance service to consult about terms OF
I contracts or to report the text Of con.
I tracts which must be repeated to insure
8 accuracy.
d The chief difference between the long
. distance and the short circuits 10 that u
the former what Is called a metallic serv
ice is used--that is, in talking between
New York and Chicago, distance q
600 milea, the service Is really over 2 90.
70 miles Of wire, as the wire, instead Of be
ing grounded at both ends to complet'
Is tine circuit, Is doubled or looped to max
the complete circuit metallic. The In
!. structions for speaking and listening ar
y the same rs those printed for the use o
4 the ordinary telephone. and the result
IA SO far as hearing is concerned. Is rathe
1t better over Thousand miles than owe
s. one. This Is owing to the metallic cir
= cult, which does away with the madden
= ing burr-r-r resulting from inductio
:" and from the use Of heavier and 81
In perior copper wire. The wire used i
re the long distance service weighs "a
.. pounds mile, the ordinary service wiz
ia weighing but $40 pounds.
Mr.. Meaney said that while there wi
no mechanical reason why the servis
should not be continued across the COZ
tinent, II Ii not probable that. for Il
present at least, 1t will go beyond Il
= Mississippi river. owing to the great CO
OF construction, operating and snaint
nance expenses. When these facts hi
been given TO the reporter, Mr.. Mean,
asked If chat with Chicago would n
mid an understanding Of the subject. III
reporter thought II might, and Mr.. Me
4 ney drew toward him movable stan
\ ard telephone instrument and called i
Chicago. That active city quickly !
sponded. and the telephone was turn
: over to the reporter. The thousand mi
: away voice began In clear Eingsol
voice, "This is the Worlds fair te
phone exchange station
: "That's all right said the report1
"rm Sun man and wanted to he
your voice
Then 1t laughed and said in natul
manner:
uld 81 have to answer about 90 test cs
ost- day, and 40 have made MP little