Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1896-02-06
THE HELLOr' GIRL COMING
LANCASTER TELEPHONE SYSTEM A
CERTAINTY.


Digging Holes and setting PoIes-~That ;
AH"-Good Bye.
1t is now an assured fact that Lam
caster is to have telephone system,
and a good one, too. Following close
on the heels of the successful outcome
of our waterworks venture, few days
ago the Northwestern train pulled
into our city freighted with mammoth
telephone poles that were wonder to
most of our citizens and which helped
to draw attention from the vexatious
controversies arising out OF the peace
full. ever-tiowing Griswold spring.
There are $50 of these poles. pur-
chased at Ingalls,, Michigan. The
freight on them amounted to $S0.64
and they cost on the ground where
bought $3.50. They are of cedar
wood, 40 feet long and straight as an
arrow, without a knot, and two or
three of them is a good load for team
70 maui. w neH cISCbCds lCh Pm SiN7H
arms to support the wires will adorn
the top, and then we suppose howl
will 60 up from the conservative old
citizen because he can't jump out OF
a tenth-story window and strike the
ground without interfering with lot
of wires.
The central station into which all
wires converge and are manipulated
on switch board by the ''hello' girl,
is located at Smiths restaurant in the
HERALD block. 1t is worked in this
way: When Mr. Warren Hannum,
residing near Pigeon bridge, desires
20 ascertain of Mr.. Rolla Watkins, re-
siding near the waterworks standpipe.
if he knows where good hired girl
is to be found that is out of employ
ment; or Anton Schmitt, residing on
Quality HILL wants to ask VIM. Bar
rows, at the brick Yard, how he rattles;
all Mr. Hannum or Mr.. Schmitt will
have to do is to ring up the central
and ask the ..helIo" girl to s.please
connect me with Mr.. Watkins, or
..put me onto Bill Barrows." The
central girl connects the wires of the
two persons desiring to talk together,
and thus many steps and much time
is saved to patrons of the system.
DIR. q. c. NARROW, who has the fran
chise, has contracted with Gay, Minor
4 CO. to put in the plant aud the CON
tractors several lays ago put to work
a large gang of men on our streets at
digging holes and planting poles. Mr..
Geo. Gay of the firm was formerly
superintendent of the electric light
system at Monroe. Wis, and he put
in the electric light plant at Madison
as well as number of others in diff
ferent towns in tbs vicinity Mr..
Minor is of Chicago. These gentle
men thoroughly understand the r BUSH
ness.
The cost per year to patrons is: One
phone in business place, $50; one
phone in residence, SIS. Any one
person taking both business house
and residence phones will be charged
$40. These charges are for any dis
tance within one-half mile of the
central station. The person. firm,
family or employees paying these rates
is entitled to free use of the whole
system (outside the city as well as in)
as far as now constructed and to all
that will hereafter be constructed.
Twenty-six phones were spoken for
before work was commenced.
We look upon this improvement as
a long stride toward electric lights
and other improvements that will
ultimately bring us to be recognized
as a ''city" in the fullest sense of the
word. The HERALD, while earnestly
striving for improvement and the best
interests of all, has few thoughts of
condemnation and an unbounded char
ity for those who quarrel with the
leaders of forward movement-for the
! little band of mistaken economists
who cry ''hold onr' and pull back in
the harness and sulk and kick. The
reader understands how it is. A long
time ago one man came into the center
of grand old Grant county oval
empire in itself-and built c, in.
Some time afterward another IN
came along and erected habitation
near the first one. The first man be-
gan to hump his back and intimate to
the second man that people is gettin'
pretty thick around here. Then a
third man came along and settled
where the ''flock" appeared to be
alighting, and the first man tried to
induce the second man to nelp Kill
ell the third man using the argument
that as he was the first one here he
owned everything in sight and that
very soon there would be 80 many
people here that nobody could get