Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-07-16


are not patient when they wait.
The man who kicks In this town now
because his telephone won't work Is
mighty apt to be "a pessimist. for the
Southern Bell Company have revolution
lied their system and shorn IT of all the
imperfections which heretofore existed
For instance. you no longer have to give
your number when you cOmmunlcale WIN
The main Office. nor do YOU hOWi licno'
Centralw I'm that diabolical voice Which
YOU formerly employed. You simply iahe
Your 'phone-Tecciver off the no'h' ana d
second or so later a voice asks you Wnat
number YOU wish. When you give TINS
YOU forthwith get your number ana YOU
have the wire all to yourself None cai.
hear YOU save the operator ana II you
ore ordering flowers for your slrl OF
oloorargarine for your wife, you may resi-
assured that the secret will not leak out
b, crossed wires. misconceptions, or Other
occidents which formerly threw you lhtO
a rage. And. by the way, some eNcee"
nglv interesting tales could be told aDou1
the secrets which i'm former days nave
Ioal,ed ont bv mistakes i'm the telephone
service. The new regime oDVlates al 'ii,s'
Cor the metallic circuits give you lht
exclusive use of your own wire. without
the. slightest possibility of interruptions
I'm two seconds you can now get conhcc-
tion and that. too without the use OF the
lever. To tell the truth, all YOU have To
do is TO furnish the jaw; the phone uoo'
the rest That nasty, cracking, car 70
niorcing little sound which formerly maze
Won forget your piety no longer polheIS
Won nor do YOU cut into the other fellow
who is yelling frantically for his cohh'c-
ton.
THE MYSTIC, TWINKLING SWITCH
BOARD.
All these things are very luxurious
esueciallv the secrecy, the speed, the ac-
curacy. and the simplicity OF the serN
but the Bell Telephone Company has hau
a. nav some pretty stiff figures for the
improvements. Their new switchboard
wonderful mechanism of its kinds the
secrot of the reform which has done so
much TO strengthen the patience Oh lhe
nubIic This switchboard, which abol-
ishas The Law system. works through the
medium of a common battery, ana us
operations almost convince the DehoiueI
that il is human. 1t costs way up IN ,il'
thousands and IS thing Of sclenllhc
beautv. The operatOrs-that Is. the BiIlS
v.ho are all known under that unsNhp"-
tbetic appellation, Central are sui"e"
in their work by the little red ana VIM
electric-light buttons on the s"llcHDO"i w.
which fash here and there as '""-
nection is called for or conVeisdlio ~ ~
ended when YOU take your receiver on
tl,, r,ol, a little electric light about tie
sizo of a dime) indicates to the girls az
tho main Office that your number Wlshea
connection with another number. neh
Won are through with the conVersau oi'
and hang up the receiver another luihl-
80 evc ,vinks on the switchboard, ana
tbe maid shuts you off. All day ana near
Nv an night. these burning eyes are lidSl
inc and twinkling on the swtehpoaru'
IA The mysterious automaton is never
yoorv The telephone girl, with ner heau
crowned by the steel bands when hasten
n,. oar 'phone TO her acute auditory Cr-
cans is increasingly busy Never lor
second. while at work. does she nave an
opportunity for private conversation Aii
day long. hour after hour' you ne"r ncI
saving ..Number?" Her voice Is never
lo,,d-always the same patient monotone.
and vet in the course of day she handles
hundreds of messages At least l6yOO mess
saqes 90 over the wire in every twenty
four hours. The greatest rush is IN me
morning hours from 9 10 ii, when me
vast machinery of business begins 10
move OF course, the girls-even If theY
had the curiosity TO listen 10 these many
voicos-would rot have the time 10
do SO. While at work they must neces-
sariv be a part of the great mechanism
which is now an indispensable factor IN
commercial ife.
THE UNDERGROUND SYSTEM.
Everything that skill and money can do
has been bestowed upon the service here
A new plant has just been built
and its equipment is designed 10
meet any emergency. And. by
the way. It might be well in ms
connection for Richmonders TO note the
fact that Norfolk now enjoys an under
ground system of phone wires when
greatly mnimizes the number OF poles
ana makes the service almost entirely
free from frosts. sleets or SHOWS. Where
formerly there were $50 poles, only forty
FIVE are now TO be found in Norfolk, ana
these are merely used TO istri-
bute the wires which come from
the cables in the duct. The un-
derground system is. Of course,
immeasureably superior TO the overhea d
wires. and a city is greatly improved ty
| the removal Of the superfiuous poles tut
| the new arrangement is tremendously eN'
| pensive. OF course, the streets have 10
! be corn up for the laying OF The commits
manholes. etc. and all this involves great
cost and capital. lNQulsllOh'