The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-16
TELEPHONES IN SAVANNAH.
The First Exchange Started in the
Sorrel Building.

SorreI Building.
In 1879, just two decades ago, the first
telephone system in Savannah was start
ed. II was inaugurated by the Bell Tee
phone Company, with Offices and operat-
ing rooms on the third floor of the Sorrel
building, and there were just forty-five
subscribers. Neither in equipment nor er-
fectiveness did it compare with the sys-
TEN that is in operation to-day.
The telephone exchange closed at mid
night ordinarily, and al O'Clock on Sun
day nights With the exception of three
circuits that were kept always In opera
ton, no messages could be sent after the
hour Of closing. and no one seemed to miss
the conveniences the telephone system Of
fered. 1t was a novelty that no one was
sufficiently accustomed TO lack when 1t
was not TO be used or out of working or
der.
Among the first subscribers were the
Morning News. Richardson & Barnard
and Fretwell & Nichols. Previous to the
time that the system was started Rich
ardson & Barnard had a line from Sa-
vannah 10 Tybee, which was originally
telegraph line, ana had been converted
into a telephone line. They were, of
course, subscribers TO the new exchange
and the Morning News was one of those
who came next on the list, and 10 which
q receiver and transmitter were soonest
furnished. Subscribers We're few, and for
long the exchange languished
At the inception of The system in Savan-
nah there were three lines that were kept
all night in connection with their stations
al the opposite end, those connecting The
office of the Morning News and the
weather bureau, then the signal office
Richardson & Barnard and Tybee Island.
St Joseph's InfHmary and the office
OF the house physician, Dr. George H.
stone. The operators and others engaged
in working the system went calmly home
and to bed, and the subscribers got along
as well as they could until the next morn
ing.
In those early days boys instead of girls
We're the operators, and there were count
less clashes on account of their imDu-
dence TO impatient subscribers The sub
scriber got worried because he could not
get the number he wanted and there was
an animated exchange of incivilities be-
tween himself and the operator This
dad not tend 10 increase the list of patrons
OF the system or 10 extend its business in
the city
This was one of the reasons that i'm
PEELED the company 10 substitute girls ror
boys in the operation OF its Keyboard
change, by the way, that has dirninishe5
the friction 80 per cent and decreased The
number of kicks by more than one.half
A beillgerent subscriber on the other end
of the wire is not willing TO make a row
when he understands that he is taking
10 woman, and in consequence holds his
tongue and keeps the peace Were Ne
talking to a boy or man, on the other
hand, there would be quite a different
state of affairs and no lack of profanity
when the delnquencies of the teiephone
system were under consideration betwean
the operator and the customer of the line
When the machine came first into onera
ton 1t was a plaything. rather than some
thing of real business value, and the boys
were accustomed 10 experiment and see
just how much fun they could GET
out of il. They would order from some one
interested In the business half a ton of
coal or five cords OF wood and watch IL
sent up the succeeding day to some ono
whom they were sure would be least in
need of it. They would issue imaginer,,
calls for prominent physician and oh
serve him scurrying out TO attend a pa
tent who was well and strong and whose
disability existed only in their own innae-
nations. They would hold excited arei,-
ments with belligerent subscribers ana
teH them that IL was not the fault of tbo
telephone, but Of their own ears. that they
could not hear what was said to them Nv
MN on the othef end OF the line.
From this chaos gradually evolved ner-
feet order and the system that is working
to-day From forty-hVe subscribers tbara
has now come TO be twelve hundred ana
the crude instruments of the old davs
have been replaced by others of more mo-.
ern manufacture and more perfectlv
adapted TO the work that has TO be donc
Instead of a system extending through q
emadl part of Savannah, IL extends throueb
all of the city and TO many of the snr-
rounding towns. and offers instantaneous
and easy communication with vast Nun
Der Of persons, who otherwise could onJv
be reached by mail, within several DAYS
and by telegraph, within several Bonrs
The growth of the telephone system affords
a wonderful example Of The progress mar
has been made in the march OF modern
civilization.
From small beginnings 10 great endipgs.
from little to much, from Inconvenience 10
a system operated with the greatest ease
from lack Of appreciation to fun reall-
cation OF its nccessity-such is the history
of The telephone in Savannah and through
out the country. Then, no one knew what
TO do with IL; now, no one is willing to do