The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-09-27
TELEPHONE IMPROVEMENTS.
Progressfveness Of the Southern Bell
Telephone and Telegraph Company
In This City.

Progressfveness Of the Southern Bell
Telephone and Telegraph Company
la This City.
The Southern Bell Telephone and
Telegraph Company are constantly in
PRODUCING up-to-date ideas in the city
by which their subscribers are greatly
benefited. In fact they are always
making modern improvements, thanks
to the able and courteous manager of
the company in this city, Mr.. F. L..
Woodruff. The latest plan is a good
one, and, while rather expensive TO the
company to be inaugurated in order
to accommodate the fast increasing
trade. 1t will consist Of erecting an
entire new line on Water street, from
Princess to Ann, but instead of the
nero separate wires that form a
be one large cable, which will contain
all these wires.
The company has already in the city
ten cables, but the n to be strung on
Water street will be twice the size of
either one of these. The cables now
in operation each contain fifty-two
wires and each are an inch and a quar-
ter in diameter and are made Of pure
lead. The new one will be made of
the same material, but it will be two
inches and a half in diameter and will
contain n hundred and four wires.
All the poles now in use on Water
street are forty-feet high. They will
all be taken down; not because they
are rotten, but simply that the large
cable will require the support of larger
poles. The new ones will be perfect
giants. They will be sixty feet high,
eight inches in diameter at the pinnacle
and two feet IN diameter at the bot
tom.
The object of making these improve
ments, as stated, is to meet the rapid
lily increasing trade, but it is also to
benefit the subscribers in the southern
part of the city. Of course, all the
wires run to this portion of the town
will be contained in this cable, and it
will put an end to the rafting of the
wires by the wind, etc, which is often
heard by persons using the lines in the
shape of a very disagreeable buZZing
sound. Work will shortly be COM
menced and it is estimated that it will
consume the time Of twenty men for
about four weeks. Quite a large guam
tity of the expensive material has al
ready been shipped, and Manager
Woodruff has received invoices for it.
Still further does the company con
TEMPLATE carrying it's improvements.
1t wv thought that a cable will be
erecuod down Second street, to bene-
fit subscribers in the vicinity of Third
and Dock streets and thereabOuts.
Other work is also On tapis and sOOn
the headoffice will send to Mr.. Wood
ruff blue print drawings of what they
propose to do in Wilmington.
A perfect novelty in the way of a
toll telephone has been gotten out by
the company, and n of the machines
has been received in this city and
placed over in Brooklyn for use. The
telephone consists of the regular ap-
paratus with the addition Of the half
of a good sized bell. This bell is very
pretty, and is painted blue with the reg
ular lettering of the name of the COM
pany it is the symbol. It is fitted in
the apparatus just about the height of
the transmitter. At the top are two
slots, one admits the passage Of a
nickle and the other a. dime.
Now the plan Upon which this ma
chine is operated is most ingenius. If
you wish to use the telephone you ring
I'D central, and when answered you
tell the number of the Office you wish
to communicate with. After the proper
connection has been made the central
will request you to drop your fare in
the box. You let your nickle fall in
the slot and it rings a bell, which you
neal and central hears, and then you
are permitted to talk. If you wish to
talk to two stations you drop a dime
in the slot, which rings two bells. Both
a nickle and a dime dropped in to-
gether permits you to communicate
with three stations.
The great advantage this present toll
machine has over the old n is that it
gives full value for money received.
You don't pay the toll until you have
the proper connection. Before you paid
first and if central failed to obtain the
station you desired you were out Of
pocket. There is no way of cheating
the machine for central hears directly
the gong ring when the necessary toll
is deposited.