Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-05-18
Useless to Give Prolonged
Rings Of the Bell.
A Talk on How a Telephone Call Is
Received and Answered.
Prospect of Automatic Switchboard
Being Used in Augusta.

quire the services OF Sherlock Holmes
to ascertain that he was becom-
ing a trif1e angry. One. whose precep-
tive and deductive faculties were but
slight, had only to glance at his face
to understand that he was fast APP
preaching the cursing, or profanity.
stage. The stern set expression Of the
mouth and the snappy look in the grey
eyes told, as sure as words, that the
explosion wasn't a great ways off
that he was fast reaching the steaming
period. having already past the boiling
point.
After a wait Of, say, two minutes
he let go the brakes and gave free
rein to his feelings. For the space of
another pair Of minutes the atmosphere
took on a blush tinge and began to
smell Of sulphur. Then he got a new
grip on that telephone crank and
Br-r-r-r-r-r-rr. B-r-r-r-r-r went the
bell, as he vigorously rang the bell
for period about three times
as long as is usually done. AS he con-
cluded this effort he took down the
receiver. remarking, as he did SO:
That noise ought to wake 'em up
down there"
Poor. misguided man. He didn't know
that all his effort had been for naught.
Like a great many other people he
was unaware Of the fact that that no
more noise was made in the central
telephone Office by prolonged turning
Of the crank on the talkbox than by a
short turn. Such is the fact of the case
however, and the one who attempts
to bring central "out of it," by a
lengthy ring has only their trouble for
their pains. 1t makes no odds how long
or how hard you turn the crank on
your telephone the only noise produced
at central is faint click. made by a
little brass drop. or shutter. falling and
after that there Is silence. After the
first whirl of the crank. which sends
an electric flash over the wires. re-
leasing this little shutter, all further
whirls are noiseless, at least SO far
as the central Office is concerned.
Perhaps. in order to make this clear
er, a little rough description of a tele-
phone switchboard and how it works
will do no harm. To start with a
switchboard may be any length from
three feet up to- we'll as long as the
TOOIIl III Which, IL 10 ioNdtCd, anu may
require the services of from one to as
many as fifty or more girls, according
to its size. 1t Is divided into sec
tions. The upper half of each section
is covered with brass shields. painted
black. the point being upmost. At the
top these shields are held in position
by a small catch. also Of brass. These
shields are the drops or shutters. The
lower half of the sections is full of
round holes about half an inch in
diameter. Below this hanging in a sort
of rack are a lot Of what look like
brass pins. and that is what they are,
though the telephone people call them
plugs Each pair of these plugs form
the end of a cord containing two cop
per wires.
Now this is what takes place when
you turn the crank on your telephone:
Instead Of a bell ringing in the CEN
trail Office. the electric current. which
the turning Of your crank sets going
passes through one of a hundred or
more small magnets at the back Of the
switch board. causing the little catch
at the top Of the drop. which represents
your line. to rise and allows the drop
10 fall. When the drop falls the face
OF 1t, which is exposed to view. shows
the number Of your line, so that Gen.
trail knows on what circuit your tele-
phone is located. When you give the
number Of the subscriber with which
YOU wish to talk she takes up two
Of the plugs, before mentioned. both
being on the same cord, one plug she
inserts in the hole marked with the
number Of the circuit you are on, the
other into the hole bearing the num-
Der Of the circuit on which the one
YOU wish to reach Is located. That is
to say, IL YOU are on circuit 122 and
the one you wish to call is on circuit
~ one of the plugs is placed in the
hole numbered 122 and the other in
the hole numbered AZ and the connec-
ton is made. Next she sends a suih-
cient number Of flashes Of electricity
over circuit AZ to cause the bells there
on to ring the number Of times OF the
call Of the one you wish to talk with.
The operation is very much quicker,
as can be we'll understood, than it takes
to tell about It.
Now, as to some Of the reasons why
central doesn't always answer. 1t is
not infrequent that these drops Suck
and do not fall when you send in your
call. Again it often occurs that there
are a great number Of drops down
ahead Of you and. hustle as she may.
the girl in the central Office has to keep
you waiting.
Your wrong. This isn't a defence OF
the ''hello girl" It Is just a fair and
honest statement, by one who has done
aR much kicking at her as any of you,
probably will continue to do as much.
for he has frequent occasion to use the
phone. There are a great many faults
which she. or rather some Of her, have
which can't be explained in this way.
but It Is a wise man who remembers
that she, Is but human and can't help
being out Of sorts some days. growing
careless occasionally and that her head
will ache some days and make her
little trifie cross-grained no matter how
much she may try not to be. We all
have these days. so let's be some gen.
erous and have q feeling Of regret at
our harsh words after we've had a tin
with the girl who says: Number, Au-
GUSTAV"
But to get back to what we were