The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-07-29
WITH THE HELLO GIRLS. :"
A Glimse Into the Salt Lake
Office.
PATIENCE IS REQUIRED.
DUTIES OF THE OPERATORS TRY
ING TO THE NERVES.
The Operator Must Be Quick Witted,
Deft and PoIite-She is Usually
Pretty and Sweet Tempered as
wholesome of Their Every Day
Experiences.

| Hello Helloii Hello! What's
the matter with this blasted telephone?
Say have you cut me OFF," This from
the irate bald-headed man.
Later Hello, sweetheart! Do you
Hove me today? If you do give me s2O-
That's right; thank you. How well you
are lookingl in caressing accents from
the black moustached young man who
votes himself lady killer.
'Hello, Central! This is the third time
I've tried to get that number. What is
trouble? Nobody in? o. there must
be! and the nervous woman fairly
writhes in distress.
Someone has lost the telephone direc-
tory, but insists that a certain number
belongs to someone else than the own
er, a proud mother charges Central to
tell babys papa as soon as he comes in
that that interesting infant has at last
cut the tooth that has kept him, pater-
Ifamilias, awake for three nights; some
body else wants a doctor, any doctor,
don't care who; and a basa0 profundo
inquiries where the fire is.
Against Whatsounding board all these
more or less musical sounds are direct
ed few know. The common conception
of a central telephone Office is not de-
serving of that title. 1t is a vague idea
or nebula of ideas in which babel of
voices figures prominently, and in which
there is a hazy vision of walls lined
with telephone receivers and transmit
tiers. There are two or three figures in
the chaos and when the chorus of "hel-
los' and ringing of bells reaches its
height of discord the figures stop and
put their fingers in their ears.
On the top floor of the Deseret Ma
tional bank building is to be found the
original of this much distorted picture.
In room that has equal possibilities of
gloom in winter and heat in summer a
bevy of young women is performing
service which is not equaled by any
other of that number in any department
of usefulness in this city.
Contrary to expectation the small
room is not pandemonium unless the
temperature Of 80 degrees is suggestive
,of it. Evidently the temper of the girls
docs not contribute to the tropic heat,
for their answers are given in low, even
tones and the patience with which they
repeat information that is demanded at
the other end of the line would win an
Iadmifing comment from the shade of
Job.
Sitting before what the chief obliging-
lily informs us is called a switchboard
are eight prepossessing operators en-
crossed in their work which seems to
the uninitiated to consist in saying
"WhaJt number?' and in manipulating
cords that are Suspended from bar in
front of and above them. But we learn
later that each has in charge an allot-
ted section of the switchboard which
the visitor on first entering was inclined
to think was a peculiar sort of partition
dividing the east and west halves of the
room; that the lower part of this board
lis dotted with enunciators, each marked
with number corresponding with that
of the telephone at the other end of the
circuit The falling of the tiny metallic
covering thus marked signifies that Mr..
A. or B., or Number as he is tech
ndcaIly known in the central office, de-