The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-04-19
HELLO CENTRAL?
But the Answer Did Not
Come for Hours.
Marshal Brown Stopped Sunday
Work. Likewise the
Telephones.

Shall the Telephone lines be con
structed on Sunday? Marshal Brown
said not. and arrested men yesterday,
while at work.
For months past the Superintendent
of the Mutual Telephone Company has
! been engaged in constructing new lines
/ on the principal streets in the city. In
order that much of the induction, now
so noticeable. might be avoided, Mr..
/ Gillespie decided to string the wires
| through cable. This is a lead pipe.
and measures nearly two inches in di-
ameter and contains about 100 wires.
This cable breaks at intervals of
about $50 or 200 feet, and at these
It is rather a difficult job, and must be
done when the lines are not busy, and
by men who thoroughly understand
their business. For the past three Sun
days men have been at work on King
street connecting these lines, and have
not been interfered with, but yesterday
at noon Charlie Reeves and Charlie
Johnson. who were at work on the
corner of Nuuanu and King street
were told to stop work or be arrested.
As leaving the work unfinished meant
a loss to the company of about $3.50.
the men kept on working for a little
while. and were then taken to the sta
ton house and locked up for violating
Connecticut Blue Law 43. which pro
hibits a man from kissing his wife or
afrfn h
bath.
superintendent Gillespie was mott
fed and after a consultation with Will
liam G.. Irwin. president of the COM
pany. bailed them out and set them at
work again. The men were arrested
second time. then he took the Operat-
Ors. Spencer and Jackson. who were at
work on the board in the telephone Of
fee, and assigned them TO the duty of
connecting the wires. In the meantime
the other two men were released on
bail. When Spencer and Jackson We're
taken from the operating room, all the
telephone service ceased throughout
the city. and from 1 to p. m. more
Hello. Centrals." and cuss words
passed over the wires than is recorded
in the history of the company.
After allowing the wires to remain
idle for two hours the men were per-
mitted to return to work after being
bailed out. In the event of a fire break
ing out or the urgent necessity for a
physician during that time. communi-
cation was not to be had. In speaking
10 Mr.. Gillespie about the matter last
night, that gentleman said:
Complaints regarding the telephone
service come in every day. and in try
ing TO put the lines in shape, so tina;
the number of complaints may be re-
duced. my men are locked up. / do not
work them on Sunday because I want
to. but because of necessity. There are
very few men who understand connect
ing cable lines and in order that the
work may be done as quickly as pos
sibIe I have it done on Sunday, when
the men are not on the lines. If we
were in San Francisco. where one adj
veTtisement would bring a carload Of
competent men. there would be no eX
cuse for this Sunday work but here the
conditions are different.
when the work of connecting a sec
ton of cable begins it cannot be stop
ped until all the wires are finished: for
that reason I bailed the men out and
put them to work. They were arrested
again. and I assigned the Telephone
Exchange boys to the task, and they
were arrested. After TWO hours or 81
lence the Marshal gave his consent TO
have the work go on. He says the law
forbids any new work being done, but
that repairs may be made without in
fringing on it. This work we are do
ing is not to be classed with new work
for we are simply replacing the old
wires. In the matter of labor. though
7 do not see where the distinction is.
The telephone is a necessity here, and
to stop the service for two hours is
equal to stoppoing the mails in the
United States