The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-19
PUTTING IN TELEPHONES.
New ComDany's Experts VIII Begin
Work This Week.

During the coming week the expert Chi
cago electricians who are here installing
the plant of the New Telephone Company,
Will begin placing the Instruments in Offices
and residences. Already the inside wiring
has been done for 2. 700 phones and but for
the intense cold weather early in this month
most Of the connections would have been
made TO the various lines. In the basement
Of the companys building on North Merid-
ian street, are piled up stacks and stacks
or instruments that are rapidly being wired
and tested by expert wOrkmen, while the
work on the multiple switchboard goes on
in the large exchange room on the top
floor The switch board stretches around
two sides of the room and is already tested
for 1900 connections, and an order has been
placed and the sections for LOCO more will
be placed in the building in the next few
days BY the middle of March the workmen
will be out of the exchange room and the
work Of training the operators will COM
mence. Over 200 applications have been made
by young women anxious to become "hello
girls" The company will require about
thirty at the outset and has many of ex-
perience to select from.
While the work on the local exchange is
along with equal briskness on the long-dis-
lance toll lines. About 10000 poles have been
distributed between here, Noblesville, Shell
pyville, Charlottesville, etc, and S. p
Sneerln, vice president of the company said
that by the time the local exchange is ready
to be opened the subscribers of the COM
pany Will simultaneously be placed i'm COM
munlcatiOn with subscribers on long-dis-
lance toll lines aggregating 1000 miles in
length There is rivalry among the indie
pendent companies of the State for the privi-
lege of having the first communication with
the Independent company here, and Shelby
vile has been exceedingly clamorous for
the honor and will probably be successful
Inc of1cialS or the local company are par
ticularly gratified to know that the Council
of Chicago granted an independent COM
pany franchise Wednesday night and now
all lC lacks is the mayors signature which
is confidently expected. 1t would be quite
an advantage to the New Long-dstance
Telephone Company TO get into Chicago and
1t does not now appear that there is any
doubt that wish will be obtained. A trunk
line will be constructed northward through
Indiana to Hammond and Mr.. Sheerin said
yesterday the local company would be ready
to enter Chicago by the time the company
there is prepared to do business The field the
New Company enters in this State already
extends to the Ohio line and as soon as ex-
changes are in operation in the big cities
of that State Indianapolis patrons of the
Independent company will be in touch with
them, as well as with Michigan, through the
Detroit system.
While not making definite promises as to
the time when the local exchange will be
in operation the company hopes to begin
service April I, because if ii does not rentals
will not begin until the beginning of the
next quarter. Delay now is costly to the
company. Barring unexpected accidents it
is asserted that Indianapolis will be talking
over Independent lines to most Of the In
diana towns and cities in the next six
months. A. IL. Nordyke, president Of the
company, and Mr. Sheerin both speak of
the encouragement and cooperation with
which the efforts of the company have been
received. There has been no shrinkage in
the original contracts made when the COM
pany was negotiating for a franchise that
is worth mentioning. they say, and what
they anticipated in this respect was far in
excess of the actual results. Instead of con-
tracts being Cancelled new ones are being
made,