The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1902-01-08
A CHINESE PHONE EXCHANGE.
Gorgeously Fitted Up and Supplied
with the American "Hello."

The new Chinese Telephone EX-
change is open and ready for business
after months of preparation. The ex-
change differs from all others i'll this
city or in the world in that it is gor
geous with oriental beauty and mar
vel of luxurious good taste and SPLEEN
dor. The telephone company has
made it point to make the new eX-
change one of the show places of
Chinatown. 1t has spared no expense
to obtain this result, and Chief En-
gineer Cantin, under whose direction
the work was done, feels justly
proud of the results of his labors.
The new exchange is i'll the three
story building at 743 Washington
street. The first floor is occupied by
a store, which has been refitted and
decorated by its owners to be in accord
with the remainder of the building.
The entrance to the exchange is up
long flight of narrow stairs at the
head of which is a gaily decorated
sign in Chinese letters announcing
the presence of the telephone, which,
strangely enough, is one of the most
popular of the American inventions
among the Chinese.
On entering the ante-room one is
met by smiling and bowling func-
tionary, whose sole duty it is to make
visitors welcome. Close by the door
is richly carved teak wood table,
on which are kept tobacco and Gig
arettes and nest of teabowls, while
in silk covered caddy rests a large
teapot, which is always kept filled
with tea Of good quality. Tea and to-
bacco are always served to visitors,
complement of hospitality without
which no Chinese business transac-
ton is complete.
At the extreme end of this room, on
an altar of considerable size and great
richness, a richness of gold and silver
and red lacquer, rests a joss whose
special duty is to guard and care for
the interests of those who send speech
over the wires To many of the Chi
nese, the telephone still holds, to a
certain degree, its qualities of the SUI
pernatural, and the presence of
joss is not a luxury, but a prime ne
cessity.
Before going into the telephone
room itself a brief inspection of the
rooms in the rear of the reception
room is not without interest. In the
extreme rear is kitchen, small, but
neat and complete. There is an equal
ly diminutive dining room, and like
wise a bedroom in which are four
small hunks This is where Loo Kun
Shu, the manager of the exchange,
lives, with his assistants. They are
always on duty, and the exchange is
never closed from years end to years
end
The front room III which is placed
the switchboard, is the most attrac-
tive feature of the place. 1t is gaily
decorated with dragons and serpents,
there are lanterns hanging from the
ceiling in which electric lights have
been placed, making contrast of
modernity and antiquity
The walls are hung with banners i'll
red and gold. Along one side of the
room is row of lockwood chairs
with cushions of silk, while near the
switchboard are the small black stools
which are to be seen all over the
Chinese quarter. The switchboard
itself is exactly like those in til other
exchanges of the city except that the
operatives are men and Chinese They
use the same cry of Hello" i'll an
swer to a Gala pleasant tone, cheer
full and good humored.
The work of the exchange would
drive an American operator insane.
For in addition to the 255 numbers
ON the exchange, there are at least 1875
telephones which are either i'll Chinese
lodging houses or in clubs. The oper-
atives have nearly 1,500 names to re-
member, together with their owners
places of residence. For example,
Woo Kee rings his telephone, and says
he wants to talk to Chung Hi Kin
He gives no number flor Chung lives
in some big tenement and has no
telephone number 1t is the duty of
the operative to remember all these
names, and it is claimed he does so
without effort.
The Chinese Telephone Company
has been in existence since 1887 and
has slowly made its way moving from
place to place, as its increasing basi-
ness made larger quarters necessary.
Mr. Loo Kun Shu has been the man
ager for the past eight years. He
speaks English without trace of ac
cent and is man of great intelli-
gence. He is very proud of his new
quarters, and never tires of showing
visitors about the place