The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1899-11-24
oUraRowN IT'S SWITCHBOARD.

OUTGROWN ITS SWiTCHBOA nd.
The Owosso Telephone Co. Secures an
Improved Model of Greater Capacity.
Mr.. G. w. Gale, president of the Owosso
Telephone Company, closed contract In
this city Monday with Mr.. w. r. Richard
son, of the Detroit Telephone q Switch,
board Construction Company, whereby the
Owosso company will become the owner of
a new "a, 900 switch board of the latest and
most approved type and of much larger
capacity than the one now In use, tho 1t was
the best model available at the time 1t was
put in and seemed of sufficient size to serve
the company for long time.
The new board will be four hundred
line multiple board with pacity of five
hundred lines. The present board is a
three hundred line board, but there are
enough lines with two telephones, an Office
and residence for instance, on the same
line so that the three hundred lines are now
connected up with about three hundred
twenty. five telephones. The opportunity
for putting in other phones for those who
are continually taking contracts for the COM
pany's phones is almost at the limit and not
until the old board Is superseded by the
new which will be wired to accommodate
four hundred lines besides fifth section
which will be used entirely for the state line
work but which could also be wired up for
local phones If more than the four hundred
lines provided for by the other four sections
should be required. Thus this arrangement
provides both for better state line service,
since II Is confined to section of the board
by itself, and provides for growth to list
of some four hundred to four hundred fifty
telephones without using the state line sec.
tion for any, and provides For an expansion
to over five hundred fifty phones by using a
part of the state line section for local lines
as at present.
Another valuable feature which will be
appreciated by subscribers is the multiple
system with which 1t is wired by which the
same operator who answers subscriber can
call any other subscriber from her own sec.
ton of the board, no matter If the sub
scriber she calls would call up on the fourth
board from hers, yet she need not interrupt
a subscriber she wishes to call, for If his
his line. All this avoids the waiting for
one operator, who is already busy, to call a
subscriber for another operator who ca mot
reach to call the one desired. The result. II
will be easily seen. will be much prOmpter
service than is possible at present. I'M
proved ringing devices are also provided,
while the board will be fitted with direct
ring. offs, which will put an end to what has
occasionally given annoyance to both sub
scribers and operators with the indirect
ring-off device on the present board.
The new board is promised the company
inside of sixty days and will be set up In
the room adjoining the present Office room
on the west, In the Keller block. The new
board will be about thirteen feet long. 1t
will provide room for two more, and will
require one more operator than can be used
now owing to the lack of room at the
present boards which give room for only
three operators.
The operating room will be entirely
apart from the Office which will be
in the room now used as office and OPP
Grating room combined. In the latter room
will also be two booths for the public pay
station. The manager, r. w. Crawford,
will have his Office in this room as will also
the bookkeeper so that there will be no oc-
casion for interrupting the operators except
to call them from telephone for whatever
number is desired. AS the dividing board
connecting the switch boards and the cables
from the pole outside will be in the outside
Office the operators will also be free from
the annoyance of having linemen working
about the board.