Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-03-23
FREE TELEPHONES,
The Company's Idea in Extending the
Service.
The Great Growth Of Business Since Augusta
First Called Up Central.

|
accomplished by means of the tele
phone.
The telephone was decidedly crude
|, compared with the present modern in.
strument. At that time every line wa:
grounded so that the efficiency Of ever
the imperfect instrument of that time
was impaired.
Then the telephones which were in
troduced were put in under the free
system Very few people in town had
seen a telephone and knew less about
it than they do today of wireless teleg-
raphy 1t was felt by those who
We're trying to build up the service
that if instruments We're put in and
enough subscribers could be shown
| their usefulness, they would never con-
sent to get along without it. Accord
ingly a number of Instruments were
installed and even in the business
houses telephones We're put in that the
users might learn their value. AS the
result Of the education the people re-
ceived. Il central telephone office was
| established with 20 subscribers and but
| one operator ID tend the switchboard.
That one operator was the general
| factotcm The offices Of manager,
operator and everything Of that nature
We're all combincd in this one person,
much in the same manner as the tee-
graph operator in some of the smaller
railroad stations who often is the
station-master baggage master, ex-
press agent and police officer with oc-
caSiOnally q town office thrown in
The switchboard was a most crude
affair and in order u make the calls
he operator turned a crank to gener-
ate the power for ringing the bell on
the telephone of the person wanted.
Today. the central telephone office is
an entirely different thing. Instead of
the small switchboard handled by one
operator, there is Il large multiple
board 50 easy of operation that one
operator can handle more subscribers
than was possible under the old
method, and instead Of central turn
ing the crank Of the generator She
simply inserts a plug in the board. de
presses the button in front of her and
after a pleasant word. the subscriber
proceeds to transact business.
But instead of one operator doing the
business of the Office there are four
kept busy the greater part of the day
IiltItlllS lb tllt' NduiS Oh from lIV u
400 subscribers Their work is wholly
that Of answering the calls on the
office. In addition to these people
there is 4 manager who has charge of
the whole office, and the linemen. and
inspectors who attend to the instru-
ments of the subscribers.
During the former days the cost Of
the use of the instrument to the sub
scriber was $40 4 year. That was 4
very incomplete instrument ana dur
ing 4 rain-StOrm there was the greatest
difficulty in carrying on conversation
on account Of the buZzing caused by
induction.
At the present time the company
puts in a long distance instrument by
which it is possible to talk to New
York with as much ease as a person
formerly could talk from one part of
the city to the other. and the cost Of
the instrument is but little more than
half what it was 20 years ago.
Then every instrument was a wall
box in which the whole apparatus was
contained There was no such thing
as convenience. If Il person wanted to
take down what was said ii was neces-
sary to arrange n desk at which he
could write. If he wished to use the
instrument of another person he must
either bend down or stand on tiptoes
to adjust himself to the instrument.
The telephone now being put in has a
transmitter which can be adjusted to
suit the height Of the speaker. or If
one wishes to go to a little more eX
pense he can have small nickel stand
on his desk in which is contained the
whole apparatus and the battery Is
placed out of sight
If the person Is very busy he simply
tells who is wanted in another city.
hangs up the receiver and when the
person in the other place is ready cen
trail calls up the person who has asked
to be connected. the only time lost is
when the first call was made.
This form of the desk telephone is
proving most popular and arranged on
a different basis. 1t is put in with an
agreement that person may have 500
calls during the year without extra
expense and if at the end Of that time
the customer so wishes he may buy the
outfit
When the telephone was first intro
duccd into the city the subscribers
We're given a free service for a time.
Then the business houses We're let In
on the deal. At the present time the
company is convinced that the house
| holder does not know the value of the
| telephone and in order to introduce the
| instrument over 100 instruments are to
| be nut into different houses in the city
that the families may learn the con-
| venience,
These instruments are to be put in
| free of charge for a period of three
months The instruments are to be in
and in working order by April l. and
as a great many lines must be strung
! n slight idea may be gained of the task
which the men have before them. The
office is now one of the busiest places
| in the city, for not only are the instru-
mentS to be installed but also the men
have on hand the task Of laying a new
| cable.
This means. when the work is COM
pleted that Augustus business streets
will be cleared of open wires and In
eir place is to be run what Is called
a 50 pair cable in which the wires Will
/ he enclosed. This cable is to be run
| through several Of the streets
and especially where the great
est number of wires are strung
. The advantage will be fewer