The Washington times., 1904-09-17
Splendid New Quarters
For the ''HeLLO Girls"
Telephone Company Now Ready to Move
Into Its Main Exchange in Twelfth Street
Building and Apparatus Described.

Tonight the Chesapeake and Potomac
Telephone Company win cut into service
its new main exchange. The transfer
of the stations now connected with the
old main exchange 70 the new main will
mark the realization of the plans for
improving the telephone system of
Washington which were inaugurated
three years ago, and which ave been
carried into effect at an expense Of near
~ 1900. 600.
Three years ago Washington had a
telephone system both antiquated and
inadequate. For several years exten-
sions of its conduits and aerial lines had
not been permitted under the law. and
many people who had urgent need Of
telephone service could not be accommo-
dated. The apparatus was nearly all OF
the station battery" or magnetic
type. and a large proportion Of the lines
were grounded circuits-tnat is, they
consisted Of a single iron wire, using
the earth for q return. Unslghtly pole
lines, with as many as 40 wires on
each. disfigured some Of our most promi-
nent streets, and destroyed the view
from the upper stories Of the houses.
Great Improvement Made.
With the opening of this last exchange
however. the Washington telephone
plant VIII stand without superior II
the world. All the instruments and
the switchboards in the four city ex.
changes are Of the latest common bat
terry" type, The copper metallic circui
lines are nearly all underground. ant
there are abundant facilities to NEE
any possible demand for service.
The magnitude of the work necessarl
TO effect this transformation can hardll
be appreciated by the layman. The frs
step was the making of exact and min
utely accurate plans for conduit exten
sions, cables, central office buildings
| switchbOards, terminal apparatus etc
In making these plans It was essentia
not only 70 provide for present require
mentS al d those of the immediate FL
| ture, but so TO lay out the work tina
any extensions required by futur
| growth could be made tremendously a
| integral parts Of the existing system
| The best telephone engineers in IN
| country were employed In this work
and succeeded in perfecting a plan
| scheme which. in it's COMPREHENSIVE
| scope and efficiency OF operation. leave
nothing 70 be desired. After the plan
| ously on conduits, cables, exchang
buildings, and switchboards. This worl
| has been carried on as rapidly as DOS
sible IN all It's branches up to the pres
/ ent time.
Difficulty of Transfer.
To prepare for the transfer. in a fey
minutes. OF some 5000 telephones from
| one exchange TO another, IS a niue
more difficult operation than the build
ing of a new exchange of that size.
Each line must be connected with tn
new switchboard while It is still work
| ing IN the old. and be constantly teste
| In each place without interruption to tn
| service. The station apparatus mus
then be changed so that ii viii work 4
the new common battery" board whe
| the "cut-over" IS made, and in tn
| meantime give satisfactory servic
through the old magnetic switchboard
| as Il would be manifestly impossible I
change In reasonably short space O
/ time 5000 sets Of telephones.
| Every main telephone Is thus virtual
| ly connected with two exchanges Al
| that will be necessary to do tonight vii
be to sever the lines at the old ex
| change, and to begin 10 operate tn
new board Only a telephone man, how
! ever. can appreciate the innumerabl
difficulties involved in making a chang
Of this sort without rendering the exist
/ ing service intOlerable.
New Central Office.
As an example Of the company's nev
exchanges, a brief description Of thi
/ new central once may De OF interest,"
especially as a party OF WashingtoI
gentlemen who went through all tn
exchanges Of the New York Te1ephon
Company, admittedly the finest in IN
world, found the new Washington eX
changes equal in every way 70 IN
! latest and best Of those in New York.
| The exchange building in Tweift
Street Just above G. was built frof
cellar to roof especially for telephOn
purposes, and no expense was spare
which could in any way have contrib
uted 20 the successful operation of tn
company's plant, or 70 the proper CON
fort Of it's employees. While there Is
noticeable lack Of unnecessary Orna
mentatiOn in the building, its construC
ton was so thorough. and Of such
sterling sort, as 10 cause considerable
remark among local builders.
| The building is six stories high, aboJ
80 by $50 feet in dimensions, and cos
without any equipment, 1925 900. The frs
three floors are used for the company
offices. while the three upper floors al
practically given UP to exchange pul
IpOseS.
on the fourth floor is the "termin;
ROOM" where all the power plant, tes
ing and terminal apparatus IS locates
II IS here that the underground cable
come up through long, narrow shat
in the side wall Of the building. II