The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-08-24
SAVANNAH TALKS TO DARlEN.
ANOTHER PLACE on THE LIST OF
LONG DISTANCE CONNECTIONS.

First Conversation Passed Over Shc
Wire Yesterday Neutrality-suspicious.
Grubb of the DaFien Gazette Chats
with the Morning News-Commu-
nicatiOn with Oarien VIII Be Free
To-day and Tomorrow.
Savannah is now connected by long dis
tance telephone with Darien. The first
conversation went over the wire yester-
day morning. AS soon as the Savannah
office was informed of the connection hav-
ing beeen made Manager Pope called up
the Morning News and said that ancient
and humble city of Darien was wait
ing to communicate with the rest of the
world over the long distance telephone
and that Mr.. r. W. Grubb, the editor of
the Darien Gazette, wanted to speak to
Col. Estill. The latter was very busy
studying over the drainage question and
trying to discover how planting water
melons at Buckhalter when the
swamp is dried out would
benefit the health of people
living in Yamacraw or the Old
Fort, but he temporarily put aside that
labor of love and went to the telephone
After several "hellos" he was answered by
the genial editor, his friend, Mr.. Grub,
in the same impressive but inexpensive
words. There was apparently quite a con-
gregation gathered around the
Darien end of the telephone
line and Mr.. Grub was heard
TO ask his fellow Darienites to keep sull
while he opened up the long distance line
in due form. Silence being secured, Mr..
Grubb was congratulated on the compile
ton of the telephone line and told that
the Morning News would be happy to
furnish the Darien Gazette with informa-
ton concerning this part of the globe at
any time, day or night, and he and his
fellow citizens congratulated on the hap
ny occurrence which had brought them
together. Mr.. Grub also said nice
things, and with that he disappeared with
a sudden goodby. Apparently, some other
Darienite was tired of waiting for his turn
to try the thing and took the telephone
away from the editor.
The line did not fall into inaction with
the termination of Editor Grub and Col.
Estill's conversation. Others took it up,
and Daren was communicating with Sa-
vannah nearly all day. Darien was on
the free list with the operators yesterday,
and will be to-day and tomorrow. All
who wish TO talk to friends in the enter
prisinS little city may do so without its
costing them anything, but after tO-mor
row the regular long distance rates will
be put on.
The connection with Darien adds an
other to the four places with which Savan-
nah may communicate by long distance
telephone. The list now stands, Darien,
Brunswick, Fernandina, Jacksonville and
St Augustine. All the construction of the
lines has been under the direction of Man
ager j. r. Haley of the Brunswick ex-
change the stations reached being within
his territory. Another station will be es-
tablished within a short while at Everett
City. This will be open TO the public's use,
and viii be of great use to the telephone
company in enabling the inspectors to test
the line for the location of points at which
damages may have been wrought by winds.
Notwithstanding that the other places
on the list of long distance connections
are all larger than Daren, there is none
with which it gives the people of Savan-
nah more pleasure to enjoy ready COM
nication than the good little city of Da-
rien. Darien has the best weekly news
paper on the South Atlantic coast, and
Dick Grub. it's editor, is one of the clev-
crest and best men in the newspaper field.
1t also has a railroad and other modern
means of making a town grow. Its peo-
pie are never fighting and grumbling
among themselves or with their neighbors,
another sign that it is a city, though it
may be small one. Savannah extends
it's best wishes to Darien on the new meth
DDS by which the two cities are brought
still closer to each other. May both live
long and prosper"