The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-08-29
TURNING POINT PAST.
Telephone Service Will Now
Rapidly Improve.
NEW SYSTEM SOON COMPLETED
Great Task of Transformation Of serv-
ice Complaints Are Fewer
and VIII soon Cease.

There are now go OF the SO telephones
In the city operated under the express syS-
tenn, and fourteen workmen are kept busy
making changes every day They are ay-
eraging eleven telephones per day. and
their progress - Of deep interest 10 pa
irons OF the Sunset Telephone 81 Tele-
graph Company. as every phone added
10 the express system makes the service
that mitch better.
1T IL just as said when we began to
make the changes" said Superintendent
W. p. Armstrong yesterday. You will
remember I predicted at the beginning OF
operations that the service would become
bad and grow steadily worse until the
half way point was reached. from which
IL would steadily grow better. Now the
Improvement has set in. and il will con-
tinue until we have all the phones at
.tached TO the new system. Already COM
plants registered at the central office are
becoming notieeabiy less, and i would say
there has been a falling OF. OF at least 50
per cent. within the past ten days. ex-
pect 10 have the entire work done and
everything in satisfactory condition by
September ~.
There is one thing would especially
emphasize" continued MIR. Armstrong,
'and that is each subscriber added 10 the
new system improves the switching.
makes less work for the operators and
helps out IN every way. so that from now
on until the public has been given an op-
portunity 10 see fully the merits Of the new
system the service will improve. Few
people realize what we had undertaken
when We began to make the change. Up
to the present We have strung all the
principal leads, and have replaced more
than go miles of wire with wire OF a bet
ter quality and larger gauge, This has
been rendered necessary because We have
to maintain higher degree of efficiency
r.sA all mis- .e5f. ~
class; and OF course the character OF the
wiring and the material used makes them
far more expensive than in the old mag
net system. The truth Is, our company
has really undertaken 10 put in an entire
~ new telephone system, for the wires
are new. the switchboards are new, and
the operators here in the Office have to be
taught over again how to conduct the
switches.
"A source Of much vexation 10 subscrib-
ers has been their failure at times TO get
the number they wanted. I recall an in
stance OF a man who. rightly enough
Il seemed. made complaint here. He had
called for number, but was told by GEN.
trail that she could get no answer. There
upon he crossed the street. rang in from
the number he had called for. and on get
ting response hung UP the phone, declar-
ing he had been made a victim OF
the operators carelessness. Now
times happens that phone Will
work perfectly one way and not the
other. and the fault is not In the system
either. In that particular case j found
that the ground wire was out Of order
A cause for delay just at present is the
fact that we have 10 interchange connec-
tions between the two systems. When a
subscriber on the new system calls for an
other on that system and gives the old
instead Of the new number. much delay
results in making the connection Much
Inconvenience would be avoided N every
one would always consult the latest sche-
dule OF numbers before calling for a
switch. Altogether i am pleased with the
outlook. for i can guarantee great I'M
provement in a short time
Mr.. Armstrong illustrated the good
points OF the new system by giving an in
stance Of some one in the Northern Pa
cIhc Office having left the hand telephone
out OF its rack. Almost Immediately some
one called for the Once. but could not re-
ceive an answer. Tho defect was indi-
Gated at central Office. and a man sent
down a. once 20 find out the trouble. The
new system. Mr. Armstrong says. - 50
perfect that the instant wire rs crossed
that fact Is indicated at the central Office
and the difficulty can therefore b ~
moved more quickly than on the OLD sys-
TEN.
The ''raaln'' Office presents now a lively
scene. Eight operators sit in front Of the
new switchboard and seem 20 be busy
every instant Of the day plugging up
numbers until they have before them an
apparently iniermlnable confusion of "a
hlcS Each OPERATOR Is def. and the
hands fairly ~ In making the switches
II an impatient subscriber could look in
tpor the room ard see how expert the op
orators ere. he would probably make an
end o. his complaints. In addition % the
girls in this rooni. there are others AZ the
old switchboard. in tho long-distsnce
room and At the suh-stations. the total
being fifteen with each day the opera
tors acquire greater proficiency. and by
the time all the changes have been made
they viii be thorough exports.