The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-07-13
SOUTHERN BELL TO
ERECT BUILDING
Four Story Structure on Pres
emf Site
WILL COST ABOUT $4,000
Vice President Gentry Announces That
New 1o,ooo-Wire Switchboard viii
Be InstaIIed-lmprovements
In Telephone System.
WILL COST ABOUT $4,000

The Southern Bell Telephone company
is planning to erect a handsome four
story building on the site of its present
building at No. 1914 Second avenue. 1t
will cost about $4,000. At the same time
that this Improvement is made the COM
pany will make other extensive improve
ments, including the installation of a
10000 wire switch board which will have
twice the capacity of the present board.
This announcement was made yesterday
by w. T. Gentry. vice president and gen.
eral manager of the Southern Bell Tele-
phone company, with headquarters in At
lanta Mr.. Gentry and #. L. Woodruff,
division superintendent, with headquar-
tiers in Montgomery, spent yesterday in
the city.
In making the announcement yesterday
Mr.. Gentry said:
"our people have the greatest conf
dence in Birmingham and its rapid growth
and we are going to keep pace with the
march of progress.
"Plans are now being drawn by the
architects for a handsome gray pressed
brick four-story building, which will
be in keeping with all other improve
ments in buildings which are going up
in the city We never like to tell what
our buildings cost, but 1t will be some
thing over $4,000 or $4,000.
Big Switchboard.
1--WE will put in a new 10000 wire switch
board, which will be double the capacity
of the present board, and which will take
care of the increase in business for a
number of years to come. 1t will also
insure a better service in Birmingham
I'm regard to the present serv &c, l
know that there have been hummer OF
complaints and we have been unfortu-
nate 1t seems that everything has gone
wrong at one time. But this is rapidly
being remeded and Mr. Woodruff will
remain in the city until the troubles are
all settled, and the service is again in
good condition.
I'VE have had a great deal of trouble
in keeping our operators. In hot weather
the position of operator in telephone
exchange is about the hardest that one
will find On the first of this month about
fifteen operators quit or resigned in one
day, and it left us short of girls.
Several of the girls handed in their
designations and gave us warning that
they were going to quit. Others re-
ceived their salaries and then quit with
out warning Still others were married
and l should say that half a dozen were
led TO the altar in short while.
Brought Operators Here.
"These conditions left us in bad nix
and we had to send operators from Allan
ia. Macon and Montgomery to teach the
beginners. We used all the substitutes
we had, but we did not have enough to
fill all the vacancies caused by the resig-
nations and marriages.
I'm few days the girls we imported
from these other cities will be able to
leave for their homes. We now have a
complete force organized in the city ana
as many substitutes as we need
"Three of our 400 wire cables were
struck by lightning in as many days. IL
requires several days to repair one Oh
these cables and there were many phones
out of order.
Before we could get the first cable re-
haired the second and third ones had
been struck and we had all our force at
work repairIng the cables"