The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-03-12
"HELLo GIRL DETHRoNED
An Exchange OF 1,6OO Subserfbers
Which Runs Itself-But One Attend
ans NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Automat-
ically Made.
philadelphia Record.)

philadelphia Record.)
Automatic telephone calling has
gradually and quietly come into vogue
for intercommunicating office and
building systems There ppears to be
as yet no well defined limit to which IL
can be carried-that is to say, where
it can be said the expense OF multiply
ing automatic selective apparatus is
greater than the ordinary switch
board connections, with the cost OF
manual switching added. A remark
ably complete and interesting system
of absolutely automatic telephony has
been recently installed at New Bed
ford, Conn, and has been in operation
inc November last with entire suc-l
cess The displacement Of the "Tele-
phone Girl" by automatic devices has
enabled the new company to offer I'M
limited service at a very low rate.
considerably lower than that at which
the Old central system previously
used in this town could be offered. The
new system now has a waiting list of
subscribers.
MAKE YOUR OWN CONNECTIONS.
The advantage of the system is that
each person makes his own connec-
tons. without the intermediary of a
central and telephone girl al
though there is, OF course, q central
station, where the selective apparatus
is installed. In this system 1t is impos-
sible for a third person to overhear or
interrupt a conversation, for. if an en-
gagged phone is signaled, the caller re-
ceiveS Indications of busy" by the
ringing of his own buzzer. The mere
yytvn Tn nfnnf n 1nnc rnr
interfere with a phone already con-
nected to another subscriber. Ringing
off is also entirely automatic, the plac-
ing of the receiver on the hook cutting
off all connections and leaving the
phone ready to receive or originate
further calls.
Calling is effected in the following
manner On each phone set there is
a dial containing figures from 0 to 9.
This dial may be revolved freely by
hand in clockwiSe direction. A number
is called by SUCCESSFULLY bringing ~
numerals of which it is composed into
the lowest position, beginning with the
left-hand numeral. Finger holes are
placed opposite each figure for the easy
manipulation of the dial. When the
figure is brought into the lowest posi-
ton and the dial released it flies back
to its original position of rest. when
the second figure is brought to the
lowest position, and so on. For in
stance, in getting 1921, the "4' is first
brought to the lowest position, then
the dial is released; then the 80" 80
and 90 successfully. A pressure of
the button on the telephone set closes
a local primary battery circuit and
rings the bells of both the caller and
the number called. Before making a.
call the receiver is removed from its
hook.
1t is asserted that a second is suffi-
cient time to bring any figure on the
dial to it's lowest position n allow
it's return, and one second is ample
time to produce a ring at both stations,
SO hat five seconds is sufficient to ef-
feet a connection.
ONLY ONE EXCHANGE ATTEND
ANT.
The details of the connections can
not yet be made public, owing to pend
ing patent arrangement, but the sys-
tenn is in actual. operation neverthe-
less. Each subscriber, according to a
description of the plant printed in The
Electrical World, has a complete me-
talic circuit of two wires connecting
| with the exchange. At the latter point
each par of wires from a subscribers
telephone is connected Ito a small ma
chine contained in a space less than
II by 6 by 6 inches, hat is the essen
tial clement of the system" This lit
| tie machine is made up of moving con-
facts actuated by electromagnetic, sup
piled with energy from a central sta
ton storage battery. Each movement
| of the disc at the subscribers end of
| the line produces a corresponding al
teration of the contacts in this little
| selective apparatus. In small ex-
changes of 100 telephones, or even 200,
only one machine is required for each
subscriber, the instrument selecting
automatically without any assistance
| whatever the number of the instru-
ment called. "In larger exchanges,
up to ], 900 subscribers, the connections
of machines corresponding to each tel
| ephone must be made through one of
10 trunk lines, n C of which leads
to a group of similar machines. One
Of the machines on the trunk lines
then makes an automatic connection
! with the machine correspond g to the
telephone of the desired lumber
| Where the number of subscribers is
| larger than 1000 a so-called 0 1000 sys-
tenn, such as that at New Bedford. il
used, where each trunk line first con-
nected with a calling telephone, selects
another trunk line, and this in turn the
| machine of the telephone desired"
This system requires the use of about
one n a half machines for each sub
scriber. The New Bedford system has
arrangement for 1,600 sucribers. Elk