The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1897-10-03
HELLO EVERYWHERE
The Long Distance Telephone and Tele-
graph Company Is Open for Business.
FORMAL OPENING OF THE LINE MONDAY
His Honor, Mayor Mayo, VIII Talk to
carter Harrison ma Gus1aye
THfei = Invitations TO Busine ss
mcn-Their Main Omcc-The Local
Manager.


phone company is now ready for work.
pheir Office, on THE corner of Main
and AitlalItlc streets, in ,tlle rooms for
llDerly occupied by Burruss, Son & Co.,
nave been very handsomely fitted up.
There are three sound-proof boJoths,
arranged so THAT three persons can talk
to as many different points ait one
uifne. THESE booths, as in THE case Of
the rest of 1.-THE furniture, are of hard
oak. In each of them Is q desk upon
which ds Il receiver and trans mlbter.
When a person wants to talk over the
Inc, say ito Cincinnati, he walks into
the Office, ataltes what point and per-
son he wants and takes his seat In a
Few minutes THE operators get the
either end and THE Norfolk man enters
uhe bo1lh, closes the door, takes his
seat before the tlansmittcr and holds
his conversation, whatever it may be-
IN u manner Ibouh convenient and strict
ly private.
In hhe back room, attached to a
switchboard. is u registering clock
which Indicates, by, an automatic ar
Management, exactly how long thc CON-
velsaiiion is The operator has moth
ing ITO do with calculating the time.
The clock does 1t and stamps 1t upon a
GARD, which acts as Il sort of bill upon
uhe presentation iof which payment is
iiituS Ioi ,IHe use or THE phone,
!he Vowcst charge made ifs for a five
minute conversation. After that the
Change is for so much a minute. or
course. the distance of 1.-THE point com
municated with rules 1.-THE prices FOR
instance, lt will cost less to talk to
New York than ITO Omaha.
lf n man goes into the Norfolk office
and asks for Paul Brown. of Brown,
Smith & Co., New York, and the conf
pany does mot succeed in getting Mir.
Brown. no charge is made But should
NE ask for the firm, and the man he
wants TO speak ito does not happen to
be in, then There as a charge accord
inEly.
nhe cost OF holding a conversation Is.
Of course, largely relative A ten word
telegram would cost less, but in a five
mlnutcS conversation over the phone q
man can talk more words for the
money than he could send by telegra nh
and at THE same time have the salts
faction of getting his reply Instantly
and from the lips of the party address
ed. -
This latter fact will doubtless popu-
larize the Long Distance phone Win,
anxious swcethearts, who may NOT be
able to receive the touch of vanished
'hand through it, but will have q chance
TO hear the sound OF n voice that is
still. as Tennyson would say.
y CONVENIENT ARRANGEMENT
If you want to cuss o,gt a friend IN
Chicago, stop an elopcment In Wash
lngIton, fire your agent in New York,
change your orders in Cincinnatf-go to
the Long Distance people.
N1r. Hunt Chipley, district super:n-
tendenit of this division, Is in the CITY
supervising preliminaries, and Mr.. c.
IL. Hunter, Jr., Gormcry manager of
the Nashville office, lis located here as
local manager He lis q genial, pleas
ant, bus!ncss-like gentleman, with
whom ut will be n pleasure to transact
business, and who will look after his
patrons at this end of the line with an
eye single TO their convenience.
Ihc Alexandria office has been OMEN
ed for some time. but as that ts In
reality part of the Washington sys-
tenn. the Norfolk office is considered tho
first ITO be opened in the State. The
Petersburg and Manchester offices will
be opened soon. a pay station will
be established Immediately at the At
lansic Hotel, and others will be put In
later.
THE OPENING TOMORROW.
There will be a formal opening Of the
line AT the business Mems association
Tomorrow afternoon between 4 and 10
O'Clock. Invitations have been issued
TO some half q hundred prominent bust
ness men, who Will talk over the line
fl.- ,<lL