Omaha daily bee., 1903-01-26
TELEPHONE GIRLS MUST GO
Substituting Mechanical Devices for
the Sweet Singers mt
Central.

The automatic teluphone-without hello"
girls, without slot machines and without
party lines-is about to be Installed in
Chicago, according to the announcement
of the Illinois Telephone and Telegraph
company. Gangs OF the company's en-
ployes are at work wiring down town
buildings for the phones and It is ex-
pected that the work will be completed
shortly. President A. G.. Wheeler says
that 10000 automatic secret service" in
struments will be in operation by May 1.
While the company has been rapidly ex-
tending it's tunnel for the reception OF the
telephone trunk lines, reports the Chicago
Tribune, 1t has been transforming the
building at ISL Fifth avenue into an ex-
change. Here are tier after tier Of curious
wired contrivances crowded together like
book racks in a library. 1t is the domain
from which the central girl has been dis
lodged. In a few days each Of the FIVE
floors Of the building will be turned into
one vast automatic switchboard and then
the service will be ready for operation.
For several months the company has
been successfully operating a private serv-
ice Of several dozen telephones connecting
the main Office at "A La Sale street with
the west side factory OF the Automatic
Telephone company and with the different
sections of the subway. The principle Of
the device. is more mechanical thar cleo
trical and is said by its owners to be so
simple that no electricians or even skilled
mechanics have been employed to install
1t and keep It in order.
According to the company's schedule OF
charges for Its automatic service the cost
OF telephoning in Chicago will be reduced
one-half. Five cents will be the standard
price a call for all instruments, but the
contracts will provide that the maximum
charge for ONCE telephones will be ss5 q
year and $50 for a residence instrument.
The meter system will control the service
and the subscriber will pay only for the
calls he makes. For example, a subscriber
will be charged 5 cents a call on his office
instrument till the bill amounts to $S5
and then all additional calls during the
year will be free. The subscriber can have
any number of telephones in his house OF
ONCE, but will not be required to pay a
cent for them II he does not use them.
He can go away to the country in the sum
mer or to Europe for a year and the tele-
phone will await his return without run
ming up a bill.
This is the way the device works: You
find the number you wish to call-say, 572-
and you take down the receiver and turn a
ratchet to the three numerals SUCCESSFULLY.
Their you press a button, and presently you
will get phone $40. AS the ratchet deslg-
mates the numbers an automatic arrange
ment in the central switchboard turns on
the number required just as the cogs work
in opening a safe. II phone 572 Is busy g
buzzing like the ordinary busy signal IL
heard, and the meter of the calling phone
does not register.
The automatic telephones will be in.
stalled as rapidly as possible in all drue
stores and other public places where the
slot payment instruments now hold sway
But there will be no slot machines, AMI
3 cents a call for all messages in the city
Will be the charge. Each person making
a call will pay the druggist and he will
make a profit Of all receipts beyond the
$S5 a year he pays for the phone.
To prove that the automatic telephone IL
an unqualified success, the officers OF the
company say that a score of cities of more
than $4,000. population in this country are
now using the device. At the factory al
Van Buren, and Morgan streets 1t was
stated that work was being rushed night
and day on switchboards contracted for by
a dozen cities in the Mississippi valley and
that only'a few days ago an order was re.
ceived from Germany for additional equip.
ment. The company claims to have In
stalled the service in the kaiser's imperial
postal department throughout the empire
There will be no party lines in the auto.
matte service. Every instrument, though
paying but $50 a year. will be a main line
phone like that for which the subscriber
today pays about twice as much.