The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-03
,IFE OF THE TELEPHONE GIRL.
ms MORE INTEREST AND EXCITE
WENT THAN ONE INIAGINEs.

81 ant Reasons why Girls Are AL
avs Employed Instead OF Men.
met PAY the Closest Attention to
rotv-NIanager Polk VIII Not Per-
.,tt ANY of His Operators to BE
.bused-The Busy Part of the Day
when Most, of the Calls Come In.
qne record of "a Day in the Savan-
nah Telephone Exchange.
TIE life and work of the telephone girl
arc little known to the average reader, and
rat il is a life of interest, sometimes al
most one of excitement, and one which
has much to dos with the. extensive bust
ness Of a busy city
The telephone girl is one of the most
~ ,rnortaut personages in daily business
life for without her this modern inven
non This time saving device could never
he what it is to-day. Few people APP
,rec,ate this fact, and it is seldom, per
81 hans. that the average subscriber gives
n her thought unless he has some trou-
a HE in getting a connection, and pro
a goods TO give vent to his temper so that
8 she may get the benefit Of it.
4 The Savannah Telephone Exchange,
which supplies 915 city subscribers
in addition to the long distance
n lines. has fourteen operators, all
q women. They are Mrs. B. Long,
chief operator; Misses NJ. Flatley
G. Roche R. Banner, c. Hirt E. Lee,
2 Alexander, C. Harris. I. Hutson, G.
a nanot J. Crowley, relief operator; L.
Lodge, relief operator. Mrs. ], E. Powers
night operator; and Mrs.a l.. J. Nudge
night chief operator.
The question has often been asked why
women are always employed as telephone
n OPERATORS to the exclusion of men, and it
Is well known fact that it is univer-
II sauv done 1t is because the woman are
more patient. They have not the t!e-
p1ant of fight in them which characterizes
n many men, and when they hear gruH
voice say Gimme 81, and be in hurry
II about it," they do not assume pugils-
a tic attitude and talk back, but respond
promptly to the cali, or IL it is not caught
81 saw Number pleaSe?" with the most in
teresting rising infection that is calou-
lated to tone down the toughest OF tenn
pers.
Every man Is a crank when he gets on
a phone The personal equation stands
" for naught. He is looking into the blank
q wooden Countenance of the receiver, and
81 doesn't inspire him with respectful po,
likeness. He is in a hurry; if ne were not
he would not be using the phone. SO
he is mad if he is not instantly answered;
# mad if ''busy, please call again" comes
10 him, and most consummately mad if he
thinks he is in any way suffering neglect.
Then he talks back: Hi, there central!
Are you asleep? I've been ringing, for an
hour and a half! For heavens sake, wake
up" To which ieremiad the patient opera
tor calls back sweetly, Number, please?
with the pleasantest of infections
DO you think man operator would do
this2 Not often. So you see why women
are best"
Nevertheless, the telephone girl in not
abused. Not in Savannah She is taught
to answer impatience with patience, in
amiabiity with kindness and considera-
ton. but woe betide the hasty subscriber
who forgets that the phone is feminine,
and delivers himself of a "big, big D.
Manager r. H. Polk is somewhat of a
strict discipunarian when it comes 10
business, and he insists on the operators
paying the closest attention to business.
But he win not permit them to be abused
BY any one. Only a few days ago
Savannah subscriber, one of whose en-
pioyes had used some pretty harsh Ian
# euage over the wire, was notified that If
1t happened again his telephone would be
taken out. There is an Ohio Supreme Court
decision which says that a telephone COM
# pany can remove its instrument from any
subscribers office if it has been used for
81 swearing or abusing either telephone
III operator, or for that matter, anyone else
E Manager Polk will not permit any of that
hind of business, and most of the sub
serbers who are so inclined have found It
hi out.
The telephone girl has to pay the closest
etJenuon to business while she is on duty
out II as an interesting work, and though
sue slIs In front of switchboard full Of
hi AtJle holes with numbers over them, ana
WIN a line of plugs and little levers in
mont OF her, she is more in contact with
ue world than any one would imagine
On urst thought. OF course, she does not
nSten to this OF that conversation, for she
seuom has time, nor is it permitted; but
a. lhe handling of her circuit she catches
word or a sentence here and there, and
no doubt learns all sorts of things from
,-e oauy state of the turpentne market
70 me color and trimmings of Mrs. So
71'-So's new ball dress.
ia the Savannah telephone exchange the
u""'ner OF operators on duty varies with
,He time OF the day. There are more calls
1e'"een and 10 O'Clock in the morning
nan at any other time, and ordinarily
&c are more operators then at work.
soNe TWO or three times a month a full
atof' OF the days business is made out
o-' submitted to Manager Polk OF
Dise there are daily reports, but these
S,."i reports go into every detail, and
o" Just what has been done for that
' "lar day. One of these reports, re-
-uE submitted, gives some interesting
+ nS. win regard to the work Of the tele-
1 business day may be said to begin
o1.' ,l'I'lsht. At that hour there are TWO
6,r '"'ors only on duty, as IS the ease
ooIo5 al the night hours. From to
on IN the morning there are three
ana 'oIs on duty, and between O'Clock
tbl me force is Increased to seven. with
Pm I operator, which makes eight
he and 10 o'clock in tile rnorn.ne
two. i seven with the chief, and be-
tbs, '0 and II o'clock eight. Between
tbr "oui and 3 o'clock in the afternoon
er,,or Is usually decreased to six op4
an. ..a,t out between and o'clock there
viii 5At as before, besides the chief
aeo makes nine. Eight Operators arq
tha1 Wy, 'oty between . and s o'clock. and
r,i. 'le force decreases until Q o,cloclr a.