The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-12-19
NEW SWITCHBOARD IN.
The Southern States Telephone Company
Perfsets Its Exchange Service.
NORFOLK GIRLS ARE THE OPERATORS
No Foreign Talent Being Employed
The Modus Operandi-The Man
agement-B Rapid Progress-Clear as
Beil-Educating the Telephone
Girl Not So Easy M IL Looks.

The Southern States Telephone Com
lpany yesterday completed the work OF
putting in the new switchboard in the
main central office over the City Ma
tional bank.
! The. board is marvel Of mechanical
ingenuity and construction, represent
! ing. as 1t does, a combination If all tine
latest electrical improvements, and hav-
| ing capacity for over 900 telephones,
500 being the number actually OH this
particular board.
| The Berkeley switchboard, with a ca.
pacity of 100, will be put up to-day. The
Portsmouth board. made Cor 200 tele-
another of the same size Will he put in
on Queen street later in the week, ever
DR.. Migrants drug store.
THE BIG BOARD.
The big board in the central office is
thing of beauty to the lovers Of science.
1t was manufactured by the Western
Telephone Construction Company, of
Chicago. and put in place by MIR. .. b.
Nlng, the clever electrician OF shat COM
pany. 1t is different from the old style
board in many ways, one Of Will N Is
that 1t is movable and resembles In ap-
pearance an upright piano, OF, even
more. an organ.
HOME INDUSTRY.
At this new board for the first time
yesterday there seated themselves the
SIX pretty Norfolk girls who have been
carefully trained for the work Ivy Mr..
j. d. Hobbs, the genial exchange man.
aSer. 1t was serious and colossal I'M
dertaking, and that Mr. Hobbs hasn't
lost most of his hair and all Of his re-
liSion must be set down as Il compli-
ment to the young ladies, whose wits
have proven, in the accomplishment of
this difficult task of learning n switch
board, quite as bright as their eyes
The result is Mr. Hobbs has kept all
his hair and is still q Christian, while
the young ladies have acquired rapidly
and thoroughly sufficient knowledge to
render them experts. though. Of course
perfection can only come with practice
| The irate subscriber who can't get
everything on earth he wants on n fivs;
call should bear this fact in mind and
unburden his mind of after he has hung
up the receiver.
THE MANAGEMENT.
! The company has been extremely for.
tunate i'm securing the services OF Mr.
j. a. Kelvin as general manager, and il
is largely ana chiefly due to him that
such rapid ana admirable progress has
been made in the construction OF the
systemic
Mr.. Charles f. Fink is president; w.
d. Bagley. bookkeeper; ]. II. Simmons.
stenographer and collector; Starke &.
IStarke. attorneys.
PROGRESSING RAPIDLY.
The company now has between 1000
and LOO subscribers, and the work of
getting their phones cut In is progress
ing rapidly and satisfactorily. several
gangs being ut work IN different parts
OF the city, as well as in Portsmouth
and Berkeley.
THE MODUS OPERANDI.
\ fpatOra nf thn cyctorp &c tbat a,.b
telephone has n separate, return wire,
service, so that you can hear no one
over your wire except the person you
wish to talk with. unless by the acct
dent of wires getting crossed.
The modus operandi of the system IS
as follows: Yon so to your phone, ring
your bell and listen. You soon hear an
operator at the central office say: Mum
ber,' or Number. please" which means
that you must land not till them give
the number of the phone with which
YOU want connection When you first
ring your bell something happened at
the central Office; that is. your number
on the indicator fell. and the operator
moves Il little lever in front of her and
places Il plug In the hole at your num-
Der she then asks You for the number
you desire. rs stated, ana puts Il plug in
the number You give, which makes the
connection. You don't call out YOUR own
number at all. After YOU are done usin"
your phone, You are expected (as also
is the person to whom YOU are talking
10 ring your bell TO let the operator know.
that you have finished your conversa-
ton. When the number YOU desire Is
not OF the 100 in front Of the operator
called. she. by an electrical contrivancc.
connects you with the number you want
wherever it is in the central station or
exchange. each operator having leo
nun bers all in Il row, ana before her
OF course the service Is ut night as
well as day, a proper relief going on
AS CLEAR AS a BELL
a Nhginian reporter visited the ey-
change yesterday in company with Mr.
Kelvin and talked with gentleman nj
the Country club, some five miles away.
The answers that came TO his queries
were in n clear. full distinct tone, which.
had one not known better would have
led him TO believe that the person he
was talking to was in the same room
with himself.