Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-04-19

VI Tie loiOWlnS FEBRUARY, WV =" -
liam E. Russell of Massachusetts,, sur
rounded by group of men, prominent
in the affairs of the Bay state, opened
the line from Boston to Chicago, ana
during the Colombian exposition hela
in the western city later in the year. !
there were many occurrences Whlch
brought home to the minds OF the peo-
pie the fact that what had been ex-
hibited as toy at the Centennial ex-
position had become a factor OF vast
Importance in the world of affairs.
Possibilities of the phone.
In what unexpected ways the long
distance telephone fits into the occur
ences of every day life was early IL
Illustrated by an incident in the visit OF
a distinguished educator to the fair
1t Was one. of the first and most notable
instances in which the telephone has
been used to locate a man visiting
city far from his home. An important
matter at Harvard university required
the action of President Eliot. then IN
Chicago. The residence at which he
was a guest was called by telephone,
only to learn that President Eliot had
left for the fair few minutes before
the message was received, and was
! not expected to return until late in the
evening. 1t was explained to the presi-
dents host that the question was one
of emergency, and the Chicago man
called upon the president of the tele-
phone company for assistance. The
police department of the fair was at
once communicated with by telephone,
and by means of the same instrument
description of President Eliot was
given to the guards at the entrance
gates, with instructions that when he
entered the grounds he was to be re-
quested to go to the Office of the chief
! of police.
j Consequently, much to the surprise
of the head of the university. as he
passed the turnstile an officer ap-
preached him, and after asking his
name told him that he was wanted at
| headquarters. President Eliot was es-
corted to the presence OF the chief, and
then learned that he was desired at
the telephone exhibit. On reaching
that point the full nature of the errand
was explained to him, and he was
soon placed in telephone communication
with Harvard university. What was
done that day, probably for the f1rst
! time, has now become of common &C.
curence, and it frequently happens that
telephone messages are sent broadcast
to locate some man who is travelling
from place to place.
A Prophecy That Failed.
The early operation of the line to
/ Chicago afforded marked Illustration
of the happening of that which mas
/ previously been demonstrated to be an
impossiblity A distinguished English
electrician was among the visitors to
the exposition and was given the cour'
1 tesy of the line to Boston, in order that
he might experience the unprecedent'
ed opportunity of speaking over such
great distance By one of the re
venges of the time, when this occur
!, renee took place. the subject OF the
conversation was the sale OF BOOB
on electricity of WHICH the visitor was
the author and, In which he had con
clusively proved that it would never
be possible to speak a distance OF ov
er 600 miles by the telephone.
Such pessimistic prophecy is moi
without numerous precedents, as one
/. selGClTlCldu OIL SIGdl ciUlllIy AShe eAA>
= weight of his authority to the state
ment that electricity for incandescen
. lighting could never be distributed
from a central station over an area O
more than a quarter Of a square mile
!, An earlier instance is that of grea
English physicist who prophesied dur
: ing the building of the first trans-Atlan
: tic steamboat that it would be impos
J sible for steamer to carry sufficien
= coal to cross the. Atlantic and as ;
matter of fact, this man himself cam
from England to America as one of tn
4 passengers on the first trip of tn
steamer
: Growth of Long Distance Lines.
: However, conjectural has been tn
. feeling as to the possible patronage Q
the long distance lines when they wer
: first projected, it was dispelled at ono
:. by the rapidity with which the pub
q lie availed itself of the opportunity Q
II making a query and receiving an in
/ mediate reply over hundreds of mile
l. of wire. The long distance lines hav
$ grown apace, until, in this period c
: twenty-five years, the total amount {
q such wire in the Bell telephone syste1
/, mas reached TO ABOUT lto,ooo ullle'
/" which in turn connects to local line
of about 100000 miles, all arrange
in such manner that through the VI
= rious switchboards the circuit can b
branched from point to point to reac
n the desired destination, the longest eli
cult ever made being that from Bosto
10 to Little Rock, about 1850 miles. Th5
was an emergency case, as a ma
l. wished to ask for information and
receive reply at once relative to som
r. fluctuations in the cotton market.
In the quarter century while this e
pansion has been taking place thel
T. have been numerous changes and in
provements in the apparatus TT
n first purpose and conception OF tel
y phone exchange was merely to affol
communication between individuals
e one village or town through sing
switchboard, and it was colncldent
n that the magnet switchboard in gener
" use was easily adopted to provide CO
nections to switchboards in 9TH
C towns. In certain portions Of the cou
try, where the Law switchboard WI
n used, when the systems were eXtendt