The sun., 1898-02-27
BY LONG DISTANCE PHONE.
QUEER MESSAGES THAT TRATEE
OYER THE WIRES.

Work. but Sentiment Occupies n Lot OF the
Time OF the ExchnnEes-A Proposal aaa =
Message TO n Dsg-The President's Phone.
Considering the fact that millions Of miles Of
wire and half the States Of the country are in
cludcd In our telephone system, and that We
have something like 100000 subscribers, 10
isn't strange that some peculiar things happen
over the long distance lines" said the telephone
man. as he leaned back in his chair after con-.
Meeting Omaha and New York Just to show how
easy II is to talk across 1000 miles, The
other day the papers printed story
of how bank President in Minneapo-
lis presided over meeting OF diroc-
tors in Lowell Mass" ho went on. THAT
was correct enough. but 1t wasn't such an un-
usual thing as one might infer from reading the
account of it. 1t has become quite the regular
thing for railroad and bank directors who can't
get to the regular place OF meeting to DO con-
nected with the meeting place by wire; by the
use OF a largo transmitter they able to hear
everything that goes on and to take part in the
proceedings almost as we'll as though they were
on tho spot. l know, too that tho distance
phone has been used to close some Of the largest
commercial transactions that have taken place
in this country during the past hvo years.
The use OF the long. range telephone for great
business affairs seems natural enough for the
high charges trivial compared with the in.
terests involved. But any body who hasn't had
chance to learn from being in the business
would be astonshed at some OF the messages
that go over the wires and for which the send-
pay good round sums in the way OF tolls. I,
suppose the reason for this is that the telephone
is still comparatively new to most people; they
look upon It with something Of wonder and they
like to experiment with It to II It viii do all
that is claimed for 1t. ~
Here, for instance. Is q case that we had last
night, and which Is one of kind that we get six
days in every week. A Cincinnati man had
come on to New York on business. He had
evidently just left his train when he came to
the phone and called up his Ohio house. There
evidently wasn't any particular reason for 1t.
except his desire to talk with his family. One
after another the mother and f1ve children
came TO the phone and EXCHANGED a few sem
tences with the head Of the house. In such
long-distance work. where the charges are high.
it is customary for the operator to notify the
user of the wire at the end of each five min
utcs Of the time. so that there won't be any
confusion about the cost at the end. In
this case the conversation kept dragging out
and the night manager. who had the wire. noti.
fed the man every five minutes. each time
being met with the reply, IN take five minutes
more The Cincinnati man was determined
that every one of his family should hear his
voice. and he didn't care how much it cost l. L,sb
of all the baby was brought to the transmitter.
youngster who could just lisp. Hello, papa.'
and then the man settled his bill for SlOs with
out a murmur. feeling we'll repaid in having
listen ed to his baby coo across that distance.
"Of course that's an extreme case in tho size
OF the charge, but in other respects 1t isn't an
unusual thing, especially with Westerners. ID
seems to me that about one in every ten men.
whether hey come from Chicago or come little
crossroads town, rush Off to the telephone tho
first thing when they strike Now York, and call
up the wife or sweetheart whom they have lefs
behind at home. To the outsider their little
home gossip or sweet nothings don't seem to
amount to much. but dare say it makes life
nlcasaner for those who are interested. SO mo-
body else can object to it.
Il remember a case more peculiar than that
OF the Cincinnati man that happened while I
was manager in the Chicago exchange: A man
in tho city had fox Terrier OF which he was
very proud. and the dog was completely devoted
to him He had to go TO some place in Michigan
on business which kept him away for several
days As soon as he had gone the dog began to
suffer from severe attack Of loneliness. He
wife @ was AFRAID the terrier p1s Would n die be.
fore his masters return; One night the man
stopping and said that he wanted to talk to
his dog. So connection was made with his house
Instantly he recognized his masters s voice and
began to frolic about and bark Mt great rate.
repeated the performance and he didn't mind
the SlO or ST. that II cost him In the least.
There have been various fiction stories writ
ten which involved PROPOSALS by telephone. but
know of at Ies At one instance in which such a
so pleased ha, Wen Il was over yIu Se toId me ali
| about It. He had been courting a girl in an Ohio
town, the name of which it isn't necessary to
give here. had quarrcllcd with her for some
foolish reason. and had come East. intending to
sail for Europe. He had been thinking the mat
tor over on the way. decided that he had been .
fool, and when he heard that another fellow
was after the girl made up his mind to heroic
ing her 10 come TO the telephone. but not giving
his name When he came to the office to keep
low low ever saw, and iii bet that mo- no man man was vas
ever more agitated in the actual presence OF his
business somehow. and the result was SO salts
factory that the first thing he wanted to know
when he came ont OF the booth Was how soon he
could get train back to the West.
We have n good many queer orders to I'LL.
eephoSSe arc comes no opc pnners as
fall an opera singer had negotiations under way
with =, New York They dSn
hearing her voice. She was singing in Chicago
at the time and couldn't leave. The difficulty
was adjusted by telephone. Tho managers
came to my office the woman sang before a big
transmitter in Chicago and her tones We're
heard with perfect clearness here in New York.
The test was SO satisfactory that she was en-
production OF Niagara's roar at the electrical
exposition and OF the sounds of the great sound.
money parade in Chicago last year, and. as I
| say, such orders are becomine more numerous.
One class OF men with whom the lonR-dls-
thucc tclcpuOHc Is III HlBn lhNOr Is the pOlIls
clans. Perhaps it is because they prefer to
trust to spoken words rather than written ones.
even where time Is not a consideration perhaps
It is because OF the facilities which the telephone
gives for keeping In constant touch with events
that occurring at distant places but
certain it is that the politicians are among
our most liberal patrons: During the
last Presidential campaign Major Mckinley
kept constantly In touch with the Republican
headquarters both in New York and Chicago by
means OF the telephone, and he received the firsb
official notice OF his election in that way. When
important bills are under consideration in AL
bany the telephone wires conn citing that city
with certain offices in New York are kept hot
most OF the time. The big exchanges keep close
watch OF the tariff legislation and financial dis
cussions In Congress in the same way. Presi-
dent Mckinney by the way, is the first Chief
Magistrate TO make regular use OF tho tele-
phone in the White House for communicating
with his Cabinet officers and Congressional ad.
vsers. When he wants to speak to them. in
stead of sending for them, as his nredecessors
did, he steps TO the phone with Hello. Gary"
or Is that you. Gage = and thereby saves LOB
OF time.
Some little time ago some citizens Of Mont