The Washington times., 1904-09-17

, hard TO believe that each of these Lead
covered cables contains 500 paper-insu-
lated copper wires until one is seen
Tanned out on the main distributing
frame" as II is called.
Here each wire is protected against
any excess or foreign current. and car
ried in a small Cotton-covered cable to
| its proper section In the switchboard
above. In other words, the arrange
mCnt Of the wires, which was geORra phi
cal as they came from the underground
cables, is changed to correspond to the
numbers thew are assigned in the
switchboard. There Is a second dis
intermediate" which permits the fire.
IQuent distribution Of lines, for answer
ling purposes, among the various opera
/ tors positions of the switchboard, in
lsuch a way as TO maintain a proper load
at each.
Big Storage Battery.
! The great storage battery, Weighing
ten tons, supplies current not only for
the operation Of all switchboard lamps
land signals. but also for energizing the
Itransmitters at the subscribers sta
tions, and for signaling the exchange
when the subscriber removes the tele-
phone from the hook, thus doing away
with thousands of small local batteries.
as well as the necessity for labOriously
grinding a crank TO call Central
This storage battery is charged by a
! big motor generator in the same
room. and being under constant super
vision of an expert, the power used by
each telephone Is kept exactly uniform,
instead Of varying greatly. as It used to,
/ depending on the length Of time the
| battery had been in service
The ringing machines which fur
nish the current for ringing the bells
at the subscribers stations, together
quite a formidable power plant, while
the power switchboard Is as extensive
as that Of j. small electric light plant.
All such apparatus is in duplicate, so
as to guard against possible Interrupt
ton through a breakdown
One Of the most interesting features
of the terminal room to an outsider Is
the wire chiefs desk, with its sensitive
equipment for locating troubles and de-
termining their nature. A skilled man,
by merely manipulating the various
ditiOn OF the line he is testing. The
message registers" located In this
room are one OF the new features
These little meters which record the
number Of completed calls made by
each message-rate subscriber The call
is counted only at the end of the con-
versation, 50 there IS no possibility Of
being charged for a call without OBJ
tanning. the connection
On the floor above are located the
ample quarters for the switchboard
operators A large, welI-ventiIated
room is provided with individual lock-
ers Of open metal work, In which each
ings. and where she leaves her indi-
vidual telephone set and transmitter
when going OF duty. Adjoining this
room IS q large and inviting lOunging
easy chairs. The tables are furnished
. with the latest magazines, and the
operators. on relief. have full oppor-
tunity to refresh themselves In mind
and body. There Is also comfortable
dining room. completely equipped with
table service, and with attractive buffet
and milk are served without charge.
The officials of the company appreciate
the trying nature Of an operators work.
and realizing the necessity for a con-
tented, loyal body of employees, are
leaving nothing undOne which can Tea-
sonably contribute to the desired end.
In the Top Story.
Occupying the whole of the top floor
is the exchange proper. and with its
huge dimensions and abundant light #
would be difficult TO imagine place bet
ter adapted TO the purpose for which II
was designed. The switchboard. which
IS built for an ultimate Of 1880 lines. is
now equipped for $500. 1t is Of the latest
type Of relay" or common battery
board, and strikes one as being almost
human IN its workings.
Near the center of one side Of the
| room. where the cables come up from
the terminal room, the board starts
[ around the room IN two directions, the
"A" board. or subscribers sections. pro-
ceeding to the right. and the 'B" board
2 or trunking sections, for handling calls
/ from other exchanges for a main sub
] scriber, going to the left.
! The switchboard must be SO arranged
2 that each operator can reach any lint
! which may be called for in her eX
change. This requires that every lint
2 shall appear IN its appropriate Jack.
or switch. once in every section, or with
1 in the reach of every operator, there be
ing three operators TO each section. Thu
, limit of the size OF a switchboard Is
: therefore fixed by the number OF line
which an operator can reach Even tn
snail Jacks" now In use must be place,
with incredible compactness, when on
| considers that at least three wires mus
{ be soldered to springs in the rear o
3 each 10 permit the operator to reach 10,
- 600 Of them.
The process Of operating. identica
/ with that in al Washington exchanges
. is briefly as follows:
. When the telephone IS lifted from III
S hook at the subscribers station a tin,
t | lamp is lighted just above the answer
5 ing jack with which IL is associated