The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-01-30
HERALD TELEPHONE WAR.
4 SERIES or MISTAKES ABOUT A
NEW DEPICE
The Latest I%nstruments Have No He'll Cranka
mud Lhn Mnrnld IInn anIrnd The nnnnr.

tunity to Make Itself Ridiculous-The
New system Better Than the Old Ono.
An improved adjustment Of tine telephone
system new to this city which has been In
troduced In the upper part OF the town fur
nlshed an opportunity for the Netc York Herald
to make itself once more ridiculous, and was
promptly seized. subscribers instruments
equipped In the new way have no bell crank.
The bell rings only when Central" wants the
subscribers attention. When the subscriber
desires TO call Central " he merely takes down
the receiver. places It at his ear and pres
emily tho voice OF the operator announces
his success. Human frailty and q new
style OF telephone service have produced much
unhappiness In Harlem and along the west
side" was the Heraid's comment. In fact,
the new scheme Of the telephone company
doesn't work. Formerly subscribers could
ring a bell. and that at least made 1t uncom-
Portable for the girl at Central to such an ex-
tent that she was likely TO make the desired
connection rather than be further disturbed"
A moments reflection would tell a being OF
ordinary intelligence that pandemonium would
be ethereal silence compared to the bedlam
into which O telephone exchange would be
turned II subscribers rang bells there every
time they called Central" The only bell the
subscriber rings Is that at his W elbow. To
be sure. 1t Ia sometimes amusing to see how
otherwise sedate persons will entertain them
selves by grinding away at that bell crank like
mad. Just as though each turn screwed the
garrote further into the tortured operator sup
posed to be at the other end Of the line. Butt
fact remains that all that misapplied industry
serves the purpose only Of working of the i'm
patient mans superfluous energy; II doesn't
bother or disturb the girl at Central " at
all. The first movement Of the crank causes q
small shutter to drop before the operator at
the exchange, disclosing the subscribers
number: that's oil. The only condition under
which further turning OF the crank may be
effective Is In the event Of the operators
thouGhtlessly replacing the drop-shutter with
out answering the call.
But the Herald declares the clamorous bell
did formerly lead the young woman to ask
what number was wanted" Describing the
new style OF instrument and It's operation. the
paper says: The moment one lifted the re-
ceiver from the hook, II was asserted. an cleo
trio light would flash before the eyes OF the girl
at Central and she would leap to the plug
board" The girl at Central" doesn't leap.
She keeps us steadily In one place. in the busy
exchanges of New York, as though she were
fixed there. All the operations she is called
upon to perform may be accomplished
without tho necessity of leaving her
chair. Everything is at her hand. In the
Cortlandt street exchange. for instance,
the whole 5000 subscribers whose wires
are connected with that office are within
reach Of the arm Of every one Of the scores OF
operators who are seated close together all
around the big room. The connections Of all
are repeated in that section OF the switchboard
which IL Is the particular duty Of each girl to
attend to. But it docs not work" the Herald
rrpeats of the new scheme. and goes on to say
more than an electric light is necessary 10
spur Central to her duty. The trouble seems
c to De tGaf human 'he new fT.i system and d2 %So not t% Mor sS-
gives the subscriber no opportunity to arouse
the Central girl after she has returned to her
A telephone girl in New York has about as
much time to read o book while she Is on duty
operations in mesquite time. Not only are the
demands on her too great and too e~xactinR to
permit of reading when on duty, but neither, a
book nor anything else Is allowed on the switch
board. The girls are not even permitted to lay
a pOcketbook or a hairpin there. The girls sit
in the. large exchanges, and behind them
are other. girls. the supervisors-one su-
p IliNg tnot to every ry,s twelve tso operators m,t Be
who are seated at central desks with receivers
constantly at their ears and cut in on any and
turbinG the operators. and by listening to what
is passing over the wires ascertain whether
mess r"e o ,SndS he ct ne.'t tRere IS f treoubie W Si hsr a i line.
or whether complaints are being made. Above
the monitors there are the manager and his
VII at Central Is at least reduced to a
AS a matter Of fact, the new arrangement Of
the telephone that is In use in some parts Of
the city and that led to the Herdld's exhibition
of itself is decidedly an Improvement on tho
Western cities. In time it viii. IN all probq--
has replaced the old system In Harlem and the
E;;s"-sidS exchange aEt Il % ,Seing put in
replaced. The new Exchange which is to take
the place Of the old Seventy-ninth street ex-
change is being equipped according to the
new system. and another on the west side will
Under the old system the subscribcr's num-
b%er-shptter drops in Q trough that is let into
right part OF the board to answer his call;
taking the receiver from, the hook lights a
small electric lamp directly at his, number in
""I pin ESt'iI n." R learn e, lis W Santai and dn 9a Ipssn tSs
desired connection If it can be obtained. The
EII%ufiEEiansn d in e1ti1Gp nnlt Of the ,ba light hn,r RI D own
connection Is represented by two OF the small
i cSnbsct Th'Gis i m hSEevS %Ibs are si 9SsE OF yh fSs s1 the
lamps glows., When they both glow the oper.
ing a and HddH she d disc nn,t the lines. ."I Il only zone one
of the lamps Is alight she presumes that the
subscriber whose number 1t represents has
E'iAN VA 'cA'A' bAiFh Va hAAAF vi ~ W AoFn
up something. or left the phone for any
is holding the wire for his return. Conse-
quently she doesn't Interfere with i. The old
annoying Interruption Of conversation by the
operutor''s question to know whether one is
through" Is done ava with. The dread OF
the man who is holding the wire. when a sim
liar question, comes to him, lest q too active
Central girl" cut him off. and his haste to as
sure her that he isn't through, under the new
system cense to be. Patrons gain peace OF
mind and a more satisfactory service. and the
t"lcphonc company's employees gain time and
are relieved Of much useless trouble.
Above the vertical switchboards of the opera
tors under the new system are large electric
lamps. called pilot lamps, which are set aglow
whenever one OF the small lamps helow. either
IN the vertical board when n subscriber calls
or in the horizontal board when a receiver is
hung up after connection, is lit. These pilot
lamps dan be seen from the. managers desk.
aud SO he is able to see without leaving his
work there whether things are being attended
to properly by the OPERATORS. II n pilot lamp
remains lit for an unusual length OF time he
kn0ws that something is wrong. either that a
girl has not answered somc call or that she has
not taken down some connection.
About 27.OOO sots OF wires are operated by
strnmcnts are, now equipped under the new