Arizona republican., 1903-08-29
CENTRAL GIRLS OF IRON.
The New Style Automatic Telephone
 System on Exhibition.


 A section of the new automatic ceE- tral telephone system which is to be installed by the Independent Telephone company is attracting much attention in the compay'S quarters in the Fra ternity building. Colonel C. J. Bills, as the head of the company. has had portion of the system put in operation It is manipulated and explained by an expert.
 Our little iron girls. that can't be fiirted with or scolded or taken out to supper" said Calonel Bills, pointing to an elegant cabinet with a glass front containing twenty-four little metal con- trivances. which are so arranged that they automatically select any number chosen by a patron.
 Three telephones have been fastened to the walls in the room and are con . nected with the iron central in the glass case. Business men dropped in during the day to hear explanation of the sys- tenn and to put it to practical test.
 Everyone who tried it was charmed with the plan. The workmanship on the telephones Is elegant and the wood work and metal combine to make an ornament for the wall rather than a cumbersome piece of unsightly wood and iron.
 The working of the system appears very simple. The numbers for the tele phones will begin with 1000 for the reason that the mechanism requires four figures to deal with A small dial contains the ten digits.. Opposite each number is a hole large enough to re- ceive the end of the finger. The finger Is placed in the hole opposite the first figure in the number of the telephone desired. The finger is then moved down ward till it strikes an obstruction. There it stops and the finger is in- serted opposite the second figure of tE" telephone number to be communicated with. This process is repeated until the patron has moved the four figures of the combina ton.
 The reciever having been previously taken from it's place on the hook is placed to the ear. There is no shouting of "Hello," TOT does central have to ask Mum mber." nor does the answer have to be given. After the figures have beer manipulated the receiver is placed to | the ear and the patron pushes a but | ton. This rings the bell on the tele- phone desired. Thus it is within the power of the User to ring the other fel- | lows bell till the house falls or the man he wants comes to answer his noise. That is providing the telephone ! is not busy. If it is busy a buzzing noise is heard which is the signal that the telephone desired is in use or the | subscriber had removed the receiver tC prevent being called. The patron may then hang up his receiver to wait and repeat the call when he thinks time enough has elapsed to permit the other | party to get through his conversation l The expert in attendance by opening | the glass case containing the little iron girls" shows callers how it works l It is plain to be seen how 1t operates but none but an electrician of expert ence could tell why it does.
 One of the "iron girls receives anc calls from her district for the frs. fig llrc This is the thousands girl. Sh' bobs up promptly at the call and in s, doing turns the next touch of the figur, over to the Hundreds girl" who ir turn, conveys the third signal to th' items girl The first three girls an swer promptly and do their duty whether the otker telephone is in us, or not. It is the last touch of the finge in the unit column that tells the tale At the last pressure of the finger tn items sirl' springs up to call the de sired unit. If the way is open the coll nection is made; if it is closed, all tn "girl' can do is to jump up and vainl. reach for the unit notch and fall bacl in a helpless sort of way and go t, buzzing at a lively rate. That mean the telephone is in use.
 Each iron girl'' occupies about si' by eight inches. A coil of wires in tn form of a battery is her sole makeup At the top a rod extends few inche upward. This is cut with notches O rings. If a figure five is touched by th user Of the telephone the girl rises fiv notches. This makes the proper con nection. Each of these "iron girls takes care of a certain number of tele phones, d much larger number thai one of the live flesh and blood girls il | the central office can manage. Whil the mechanism of the central office l quite complicated it is automatic am ought not to become intractable or 6
 on a strike. The working of the tele phone itself can be learned by a child l-Lincoln State Journal.