The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-03-04

fewer motions, and. consequently, her efficiency
Is increased Her comfort, TOO. is increased, for
the lIsut signal is much less Try ing u her nerves
than the constant buzz q the bells In her ear,
Above each board il alargcI lamp called the pilot
lamp, which lights henever a smaller signal
burns. II, by any chance, tho operator should
nc sea the small sigra., the big one will call her
attention TO the board Moreover, IL will attract
the attention Of the s. y-rvisur 4 the section. and,
If ne operator ~neglects the signal, tie supervise
VII 'Wu4p down upon her IN righteous wralh.
Any Old fashioned person who clings 10 tbs
iG'a hat telephone gins chatter and gossip, neg
lrct th,lr calls, ana DO not pay attenti On TO their
MNrh, has never s." = a city telephone exchange.
ID" girls are grouped IN sec IONS. five or SIX
o.arIs 10 @ group BtAlHl each section pac'i
a kreneycd supervisor, upon whom No move
Of III" operators is lost. She can tell IN an in
staIt II a gIrl is noglocting a signal Or working
cun-lessly, or cuniahDlng with her neA rest neigh
5ors. Moreover, she has a cord ana plug which
81 can connect with envy line without the glrl )
knowledge, and S. listen 10 that cih's converse
hlsp are able froIa their central desks TO cut IN
upon any connection, and listen 10 any gin who
Is under suspicion. 50 H. JOYOUS slangy h.lo
gin Of tradition Is al unposslOIlty IN the ol,y
exrhRuga.
Tie visual system Of making calls has another
adv Autrge IN addition 10 hose already named.
1t sim rl.iirS the machinery at the subscribers
enl al the me, dong away with the magnetic
generator required by the old bell system, and
WIN ii' consequent necessity Of frequent visits
by inspectors, Under the new system the power
ami mechanism are centralized at the exchange
All under ,ha constant Inspection Of skilled m
giurers. This common battery idea Is the most
IN. pOrIaUt recent step IN tel phone ,~ulutiOn.
AM tests show that it eff CTS Az aStui.. hing I'M
prHNemcrt III eff cheney ami speed. Dix II tlt
sixteen New York exchanges have been gluipped
with the new boards, and the rest vii b. similarly
fitted out within two years. The change is 81
necessity rather slow, because the telephone ser
VIZ q thn exchange must BE- continued while
III" new system is h"iEs put in, and thai fact
cowvlicates the difficulties q. the work
The message rates introduced five years ago
were another innovation IN the '~riephon" system,
ard rdd greatly 10 lln work If the ope ratOrs. IL
va, iJun, that some ouhacrorr, u>'d rr.ir tsl,-
phones constantly, others srliom. ard an ar
raugem,nt was made by which subscribers could
lhy' a pryat" phone, hut pay separately for
each call. The result WAS an Increase in the
subscription list ana the accommodation Of the
public, but the girls ara Obliged 70 register each
message call on a check, giving III, phone num-
hrr, the late and hour Of call, These checks
ar. collected each hour The girls wAo handla
the oul-ut town calls, requiring Toll charges, are
also obliged t. make ugt checks giving numbaT
date an! length If time the wire IL held. All
thls Is, Of course, a iron 'ndous nuisance, and
el'rtrici9ns have, rackrd their brains for SINE
de, ,Cc that would 10 this registering work auto
ma'iCallv. The CalculagraphIc cuc,, low bc.us
trl.l, promises well, and, II satisfactory, will
be- introduced in all the exchanges. When a
Cq0 COME, the operator slips a check into the
cuck slot, When conversation begins she presses
q lever. when conv' rsation ends she presses
III" lover aCaln and tho check slips out duly
sta ped ano Irrriutahlr.
ne N.luIlht &C I'NV tkIhl Is hnOtner I'M
porlant feature Of tie upl" cate boards IN
operator gets a call f. N n subscriber, VINO wants
. r.rlai1 number. Now, any u'her ono u the
~oittNtuTs uaS connection with that deird mum.
Der. and may be at that instant using The wire
tn" Operator does no talking 20 find out that fact.
Shn rh"S her cord plug and starts 70 put it into
the proper lrck. The instant the plug touches
tr .gCh Their" is n click IN lie operHtor 5 ear, and
she knows tie wire l. busy. In other words, tha
instant a wire IL IN u.s. by any one Of the boards
that wire Is automatically projected on every other
IVT raj | il m T1ruIU L. This h1AN AlCnnl tI.t
nine tcnths OF the trouble with subscribers occurs.
Wien u man waits a telephone number he wants
cahaeciiin AID hears he busy &c H Size ,a ,us
the subscriber, VINO waits about tlrty seconds,
hud calls again. The line is still busy, and the
ouurhl.r is absolutely hplulegs in The mptt,r
Su" Cah I give Inn IT, connection, no matter how
ruud her Intentions may le. 1t would be- infinitely
lrs, trouble for h"r 10 slip the plug into the 'pcl
than To- bother With the busy .i.uaI; but the aver
Hsn subscriber do">n grasp thct fact lie in =
lurry, and he insists upon believing that the delay
4, entirely dr." a. matter ton md laAg"ss on the
ra-i ul De operator. lie loses hL, temper md
SAYS things Then he calls up the mararrr And
c, rlalns, AM tie manager bling n man II VII
dOil and e'% pcriorc"l lposn trApcct has rate patron
t. "a p the proposition that, given a SINGLE wire
only one man can talk uyul II at one and t..e same
tina Mathematics and logic hle wasted upon
La ,Culiun wrath.
Il an operator cannot get a connection she 70
ports to q monitor supervisor. who inyrstigs,s..
IL'. II she also fails, tho ma ter i, minded an f.,
the wirr chici There's a man whose Gaze would
mgte a slmyathruc s.y! e. tears From morn
Ing unuI night h" stand in a telephone H., aud
J 9ndleS tIoun," nothing out trouble. Each t,,r.
phone gtrl has. her own receiver. iur vi eli She IL
hold r'spou,iblrj and IN the news exchanges AZ
ir''li.uM chest ,ITan,miuor Is being mod. In
p " The oli swinging transmtttrr l. rs
'sNi 'ni'd, across the operator ; chest, r"I So al.
I1''d that u m.utLpi. &c 1, AT he. lr. r.,
th'"ry ilNL II VII not ou-,u-o any ~ 81 ihr
h.-t as N" swinging 'rarsmlttpr I'D er. hat.
can u.s. II, white bending and r,C chin e,,ut her
board art 50 SAY" an infnitcsimal ',ar'.n Of
tmH Nuoth'r argument in favor 81 H.. "a l.
TINT IN thesn germ ridden dsys ,he iru,lIuNl r
t~rHpsmitter 4, a safeguard for The L.g'tI .. The
g!ri and e'erything TINT works for he vc'er"
o. n" opera'or works for the improvement Of the
telephone system.
There is a popular impression tb,, nth the
Increase 0. automatic telephone devices. 10 e.s-