The Daily Texarkanian., 1898-09-20
OUR TELEPHONE SYSTEM.
1t is to be Reconstructed
and Placed in Tip
Top Shape.
SUPERINTENDENT FARNSWORTH
Says When the Work Is Completed
the Company Will Give
A Big Banquet.

A reporter met Mr.. Farnsworth
yesterday afternoon and had quite
a lengthy compensation with him.
Mr.. Farnsworth, the general SUI
perintendent of the system of tele-
phones in Texas and Arkansas,
with headquarters at Dallas, Texas,
is here on an inspection tour and
whenlwe asked him about the CON
struction of his long distance line,
he grew enthusiastic and we
CLEANED the following from his con
versation;
Our poles are all set to Mineola,
where our present line extends in
going to Tyler and Palestine from
Dallas, and three gangs of men are
stringing wire between that point
and Texarkana. Before the first
OF the month Texarkana people can
talk to about four hundred towns
in Texas. Shreveport will be con-
nected also via Marshall, We shall
celebrate the opening of the Long
Distance system to TeXarkana by
giving a public entertainment to
which 0ur subscribers will be in
vited. This will take place IN the
dining room of one of the hotels
About fifty receivers will be con-
nected onto the lines and visitors
will be able to listen to conversa-
tions carried on with people in far
away towns like Galveston, Hous-
ton, San Antonio, Austin, Little
Rock and Fort Smith, We shall
also have music and singing at
some of these place and the affair
will be found quite entertaining if
we are to Judge from our expert.
ence in the past, We always give
one of these telephone parties" as
we call them when our wires hrst
reach a town of Importance. They
serve to show what the Long Dist
ance Telephone offers better than
by any other means,
After the talking etc, is over
banquet will be in order and some-
thing will be said relating to the
extent of the system by one OF our
officials We are only waiting for
material to arrive to connect Tex
arkana direct with Clarksville thus
giving another outlet INTO Texas.
Again fines will be built up the
Iron Mountain to Malvern where
another outlet will be had to Arkan.
sas points. Wires will also be
strung between Pine Bluff and
Memphis before the first of the
|
year and connection will then be
had with St. Louis Chicago and
all the northern cities,
AS soon as the wire is strung be-
| tween Texarkana and Mineola,
which as before said will be by the
first, a construction gang will be
Immediately brought into Texar-
kama and the exchange entirely re-
built. Our central office is now in
very fine shape and with the out
side plant rebuilt we will have here
as fine a telephone property as can
be found anywhere.
The Long Distance system is
greatly appreciated by the public
where the lines are in operation,
and we feel the same will be true
in TeXarkana. The rates are low
to points inside Of fifty miles for II
is to be remembered that a man
talking gets his reply at the same
time. TO far away points Of course
we do not expect to handle .busi
ness unless it Is of some Importance
or demands quickness.
How rapidly business is handled
over the telephone can be readily
seen when it is understood that q
business man Of TeXarkana desir
ing to talk to talk to correspon-
dent at Galveston having a tele
phone should haye his transaction
over with In ten minutes, 1t Il
nothing uncommon for US to have
cotton firms at Dallas put In thirty
or forty calls and every one to 4
different town and have all these
conversations handled inside o
from fifty to sixty minutes,
With an invitation to be sure t
! be present at the telephone
lparty," Superintendent Farnswortl
| brought the interview to close,
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