Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1901-08-04
SOMETHING ABOUT
THE NATIONAL PHONE.
The system Was InauEurated In This
City Last Week-The Equipment.
A TaIk VIII Manager HandIan.

A Talk With Manager HandIan.
The National Telephone Company have
been very successful in inaugurating their
lines and service In this city and are to
be congratulated thereon. A representa-
tive of the Register called at the central
office of the company in the German
Bank building, and was very agreeabiy
surprised to find how thoroughly up-to-
date the entire equipment was
Mr.. w. c. Handlan. general manager
of the company. was in the midst of a
rush of business, but very kindly gave a
few moments Of his valuable time to an
swering the numerous queries of the re-
porter.
The company has been child of rapid
growth, as 1t was first organized in May,
1899, began construction of lines October
18th, 1900, and on August lst 1901, began
service In the city of Wheeling.
1t now has two miles of underground
cables in the city, in all alleys, streets
and cross streets in the business district
1t has thirty miles of aerial cable also
within the city limits. Everything is on
the insulated wire system The company's
plant now has a wire capacity of 2.4oo
long distance, or metallic circuit tele-
phones.
Everything used in the construction of
the National system is of the very latest
and most improved character. All the
cables were furnished by the Standard
Underground Cable Company, of Pitts
burg which is the largest and oldest Of
It's kind in the country. The underground
system was constructed by Hamilton
Brothers, of this city.
The telephones and central office appa-
ratus were furnished by the Stromberg-
Carlson Telephone Co., Of Chicago. The
plant is what is known as the full con-
troll energy system, all the power being
furnished from the central office. there
being no batteries in subscribers tele-
phones.
The switchboard has an ultimate ca
pacity of 3240 subscribers, Of which 2,16O
are now installed.
The first directory. just issued, contain
ing only the names of those whose
phones are connected up in Wheeling.
embraces lao names of subscribers. The
management claims that the Bell Co. In
the same territory had but 1,137 names on
August list, and have taken out about 400
phones since that date in the same dis
trict.
The suburban exchanges at Pleasant
Valley, Benwood and Martins Ferry will
all be connected up within the next 60
DAVIS. so that the radius of free service
will be the same as the Bells, says the
management.
within 60 days" said Manager Hand
Ian. I'VE will be Connected up with the in
Nd will he uhla
reach as far east as Boston, Mass, and
as far west as Grand Rapids. We connect
with all the independent lines down
through the State, reaching many points
not reached by the Bell lines
In the rom known as the terminal room
was a marvellous switchboard connected
with the cables from the underground
district of the city, with the main switch-
board having three times the capacity,
said the manager, of any switchboard In
Wheeling.
Next came the control energy room,
where there is a double set OF control
energy batteries. each set having suffi-
Gent capacity to run the entire exchange
for "a hours Here also was the generating
machinery, likewise in duplicate, and con-
nected with different currents. One,
10i-volt machine, run by a current from
the Wheeling Electrical CO.. plant; the
other, q 110-volt, run from the Mountain
State Electrical Company. In DIS room
also were three ringing dynamos of ITO
volts each, and one Of 40 volts. and sshat
il known as the power board, device for
testing and measuring the current
The operating room. arranged in the