Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-10-14
"CEN1RAL" OFFICE.
The Chatter Of the Telephone Girl
Seems Senseless.
Yet She Is Talking With Everyone and Doing
Good Work.

| help 1T If l can't raise them.''
Did you ever visit the central office
of the telephone exchange in the busy
time of the day and hear the girls as
| they talked apparently to themselves
though always into the little receiver
that hangs in front of their mouths.
Talk about dividing attention, one of
these girls can talk with so people. one
after the other and still keep up the
trend of the talk with each 50 that
shifting from one to another though
she is, she never loses the sense of what
| they are saying to her, especially if if
is little scolding, for people will scold
you know if people don't act to suit
them, even though the ones they scold
arg not at fault.
These young ladies ought to make the
most excellent women OF society for
they learning to divide their attention
and their smiles, and every man in a
ball room would receive the same at
tention and all from one of them in
case she followed up her Central"
training.
But really it is amusing to stand by
and watch the central operator at her
work. After a few days of the work it
IS far from amusing to her as one may
imagine. TO the outsider though there
Is amusement in watching her perform.
The first line will ring Hello, You
want whom? Oh. yes and she rings on
the other line connecting the two lines
and shutting the switch that lets the
line open To her ears. Another line will
wish someone else and she will get
them. In this way perhaps there will
be on her switchboard II or IA different
lines in communication. She is this
minute talking with some city in
Massachusetts, and while waiting for
them will shut off their switch for n
minute and talk with someone over in
Bangor. the switch is shut out and she
is speaking a pleasantly to some friend
in Augusta. who has rung her up and
wishes to say word before going on
with the talk.
OF all the mixed up. tumble up con-
versations that one ever heard ii will
come from her mouth as she talks with
person after person. One hears but
one-half Of the conversation and is
kept guessing at the rest while at the
same time there are so many subjects
under consideration.
Hello. Certainly. are you waiting?"
she asks as she opens TO one line. That
is the way they have of telling when
one is through talking. When one is 50
careless as to forget to ring off as is
the case in a great many people who
use the telephone. They seldom say.
Are you waiting" 1t is in the abre-
waited form Waiting" If there is no
reply she pulls out the connection with
the two lines but in case there is
reply she shuts the switch from this
line to her ears and connects herself
with some other line.
Hello. Belle What do you say to
what 1 was speaking to you about?
Wait a minute. Yes Mr. Sanford. am
trying to get Springfield. Waiting? Oh.
yes. Belle. / think you have the cour-
age. Wait a minute. No. that line is
busy. call a little later. Hello. Water
vile. what is the right form to arrange
these checks. Make a double check
Hello. Is Mr.. Cary there? Providence
wishes to talk with him? No? Hello. |
Providence. Mr.. Cary is not there Say.
Providence you know they have not
talked so the rate is reduced. What?
Is that you? Yes. | shall be very much |
pleased. How shall you do it? why |
come up and see me any night You |
wouldn't dare to? Well admire your
spunk. Well l am too busy to bother |
Who do you want anyway? Only want |
ed to talk with me. | am too busy, |
goodby. Say Lii. Well, l am not to |
blame because he left you. | will try |
them again though. Hello
And so it goes: an inceSSant chatter, |
oh g -.
prehension of the ordinary mortal. J
She is called on to answer to the pref |
ty speeches made to her by the would |
be tlirt on the line ana perhaps the |
very next switch she opens to attend |
to some one else's case will be a call |
down for some supposed grievance. 1t |
is an odd lot of talk that these girls |
hear and have to respond to. 1t is like |
life. they get the bitter with the sweet |
all mixed in. but it comes so tetotally |
mixed up and one breath is hardly free
of pretty speech before another is
with an angry retort on the end of the
tongue that must be kept back. for they
soon learn to control their tempers and
be civil. They are philosophers, these
girls. and they don't mind after time
what people say. They try to do what !
they are there for in the best manner
possible, and instead of replying to
some angry remark made by one per
son or another, they say nothing at all
and think how little consideration that |
person on the other end of the line has
They rather pity him because he does
not know more and let it go at that
in most cases in two min
utes. though there are cases where
people have known to lose great
many favors by being smart and saucy
to the central girls.
To attempt to describe the workings
of one of the exchanges would be next
to impossible to the man who knows
nothing about electricity, and any one
who has used a telephone knows some
thing of it, anyway. Others don't care.
Suffice it to say that the central opera
tors sit up to the long telephone boards
rs they are called. The patron rings
bell and there is a drop of a signal at
the end of the line. Connection is made
with that one and when the line is
placed in communication with another
by the mere connecting of the two
wires by pegs at the end of the con-
Meeting wire.
AS long as no two patrons demand