The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-02-22
HELLO GIRLS IN TRAINING.
TELEPHONE OPERATES FOR THE
NEW SWITCHBOARD.
The New System Being Inaugurated
Gradually so as to Avoid the Incon-
venience of Inexperience.

Superintendent John Cassidy has a
number of young women in training as
telephone operators on the new switch
| board. number of residence conneC-
lions nave been made with this switch
board so as to enable the operators to
learn the switch board and become ac-
customed to it's workings before con-
Meeting the whole system with the
switchboard For Mr.. Cassidy believes
with Lord Coke that "Nihil est stimuli
inVentum ct perfectum."
The new system when fully inugu-
rated will be a complete me,allic cir
| cult system, which will eliminate in
duction and interference with the work.
ings of the telephone by electric light
wires and trOlleys
Viewed from the front the new switch
board looks like big frame thirty feet
long and eight feet high, with a table
running along the whole length of it
| at which the operators are seated. Each
| operators answers calls from a certain
number of telephones, say those num-
bered from 1 to 1879. But she makes
connections through a system of trunk
lines operated along the switchboard
| by keys, with any telephone on the
system. Suppose telephone No. l calls
up. The act of taking the receiver off
the nook of the telephone, throws down
q metallic shutter on the switchboard
exposing the number of the telephone
making the call and at the same time
lights small electric light in front of
the operator. She Immediately aske with
what number a connection is wanted
NO matter on what part of the switch.
board the wire is with which connection
is desired it is quickly made. When
NO has finished the conversation
hanging up the receiver gives the dis
connecting signal on the switchboard.
AS long as a receiver at any telephone
is off the hook the signal on the switch
board at central" shows it and no
other connection with that telephone
will be made. But if a subscriber should
leave his receiver off the hook through
inadYertance, although central" can
not ring his bell, there Is another in
geniOus device by which he can be mott
lied of the inadvertance. This is called
the "howler". 1t is a device which the
Chlet operator attaches to the erring
telephone which will carry a noise to
the neglected telephone loud enough to
be heard in any part of the room the
telephone may happen to be. This will
call attention to the fact that the re-
ceiver is off the hook and lead to it's
being replaced so that connections can
be made with it again.
one of the advantages of the new sys-
tenn is that central knows exactly
what telephone calls up, so that any
misuse of a telephone such as impro-
per language used over it, can be trac-
ed directly to the telephone which is
being misused and the subscriber held
responsible.
In public places where others than
the subscriber uses the phone, the COM
pany has a nickel in the slot attach
ment which compels the expenditure of
nickel to get a connection, and so will
prevent to large extent the use of the
telephone for mere trivial purposes or
purposes of annoying central" or other
subscribers.
superintendent Cassidy says the new
system Will be more expensive to run.
requiring large number of operators.
But it will give a better and quicker
service, one liable to fewer errors, and
so will accommodate a great deal larger
business.
The quarantine has delayed the COM
plete Inauguration of the new svstem.
because it has involved so much chang
ing and restringing of wires incident to
the burning and destruction of so many
buildings.