The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-01-20
HELLO, CENTRALw
THE NEW TELEPHONE SYSTEM IN
AUGURATED YESTERDAY.
Salt Lake Now Has One of the Finest
Exchanges in the United States
Enterprise of the Rocky Noun
tain BeII Telephone Company.

The Telephone company Is now in
stalled in the handsome new fire proof
building on State street, immediately
north of the theatre.
The formal opening of the new house
Will not take place until Tuesday, but
the hello girls were installed there
yesterday afternoon and Salt Lake has
now one of the finest telephone eX-
changes in the United States.
The 1900 wires are brought to the
building in conduit, and are conveyed
to a distributing board, where each
wire is protected by an arrester, which
is a complete protection against heavy
currents and lightning. From the dis
trIbuting board in the basement,
the wires are carried up TO
the top floor in cables through
new switchboard, which is the finest
in the United States, for the reason
that it is the last one constructed and
is therefore equipped with the very
latest devices This switchboard il a
marvel of construction, and cost
about 49, 900. The company has
builded for the future as well as for
the present, and the limit of the plant
is placed at 1000 wires, so that ample
provision has been made for future
growth.
The new system is a radical depar-
ture from the old methods, and every
change is a vast improvement, Bells
are entirely done away with in the ex-
change. AN the subscriber has to do
now is to ring once for central, give
the number wanted and wait for the
response. After making the connec-
ton, the operator, by pressing "a but
ton, calls up the party wanted, and
after the business has been transacted,
the subscriber rings off.
One ring throws up an annUnciator,
giving the operator the number, and a
miniature incandescent lamp flashes up
in front Of the table. When the con-
nection is made, the operator remains
in until the person called responds,
and then waits for the signal that the
conversation is ended.
This greatly siInplifies the whole op-
GRAFTON, and subscribers will all be
educated to it in a few days.
There was much suppressed excite
ment about the new exchange at )
o'clock yesterday afternoon, when the
| arrangements for the change were
| completed.
The operators took their positions
IN front of the switchboard, adjusted
the steel bands over their heads, and
waited.
At o'clock, the little incandescent
lamp in front of Miss Rand's section
hared up and No. 2O5, the Rio Grande
Western Ticket office, asked for 2O2,
the general passenger agents office.
There was a click as the connection
was made, and a moment later the
first connection under the new
system had been held.
From that time on, the little lamps
kept glowing away in front of the op-
erato%s, and the system was installed
without a hitch.
The proceedings were carefully
watched by President Wallace, Vice
President Downey, Superintendent
Murray, Miss Smith, the chief opera
tor, number of electricians, a, Her
aid representative and few others,
and all were delighted at the perfect
manner in which the bushes was dis
patched.
When you telephone today, remem-
Der to ring up central as usual, give
the number you desire and simply
! hold the instrument until you are an
swered, and ring off when you are
through.