The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-02-19
"REMINISCENCES BY
THE CENTRAL MANAGER

dBef at a IeiepnOne exchange mas an
easy time let him disabuse his mind OF
the manager enters the operating room
until he departs he must be constant
~ alert, WatchfuI and resOurceful. He
must possess to a degree the genius OF
diplomat; must be sympathetic, YET
firm. and generous without prOdigal-
ity. Questions are fired at him from
every direction during the day. and to
every one he must be SuaVe. gentle,
pleasing and sweet-tempered He has
been years in the business. lie is a
bundle OF nerves. all under a degree
of control that excites admiration, yet
when the days work is over he shows
that he is only human by relaxing him
self into a reminiscent mood. 1t was
While he was in this condition that he
was induced TO tell something about the
intricate inside Workings Of telephone
operating room
In order that you may know some
thing about the heart of the telephone
business, I viii go beck to the begin
ming of my own career. While IT was
true that the service was crude in those
days, the principles of the science were
the same then as they are today, and
the experience of an applicant was very
much the same as it is now. To bring
the subject UP to date, l win tell my
tale as If it just happened. and the
experience thus narrated is. to d GER
tain extent. very much the same as
that of the majority of applicants who
come here day after day seeking posi-
tiOus.
After 1 had answered the prelim-
mary questions, Il tIansmitter and a
head telephone were given me. and
the chief operator took me in hand.
After she had explained the numbers
in the multiple jacks, a card was hand
ed me, and 1 was requested to read
aloud from it, the central manager de-
string to ascertain whether my enunci-
alton was distinct or not Then he read
TO me and I had to repeat back to- him
word for word. He followed this test
by giving me d series of numbers which
I repeated to him. at the same time
locating them IN the multiple Jacks
After J had answered all sorts of ques-
tiOns. ] was requested to sign an appli-
cation blank and to nave the two
spaces for vouchers on the reverse side
filed out by the next morning when I
was to report for duty.
An Operators First Day.
L will now explain to you the sys-
tenn of training that l went through
While 7 was a student. l was taken in
charge by the teacher. He explained
to me that I must always be in the re-
firing room at least five minutes before
my time to so to the switch board at
the tap of the first bell. In the retir-
HlE room WIS 70 PUT on receiver anu
tTdngmiJter and see that they were
properly adjusted. The operators then
stepped in line so that they could go
70 the position assigned them when the
second bell tapped. At the second bell
the operators marched in and went di-
rectly 10 the positions assigned them.
when they reached the positions
each placed his or her right hand on
the back of the operators chairs and
the left hand inserted the double plug
which is connected with each opera
tCr's set. At the tap of the first bell,
in the operating room, the relieved OPP
orator stood up. and at the same time
the relieved operator drew the chair
back from the switchboard. At the
second tap of the bell the relieved OPP
orator stepped away from the right of
the chair as the relieving operator
stepped in on the left. The relieved op-
orator then replaced the chair At the
third tap of bell the relieved operators
turned and marched from the operating
room. This change OF operators occu-
pied a little more than one-half min
ute.
Now that I am at the switchboard
win take you along with me through
the, various steps Of learning. The
teacher explains TO me that the switch
board is made up of sections. These
sections are divided into positions,
three TO each section. Each position has
two panels OF multiple jacks and an
swering jacks. The keyboard consists
OF listening key and five ringing but
tons for each pair of cords. which are
used in ringing the subscribers bells.
One Of these is a red button which is
used for calling subscribers on indi-
Vidual lines or bridging lines while the
other four are used on Selective lines,
commonly known as party lines. which
in the directory have the sufiixeS x. Y.
end T. added to the number We also
have what we call supervisory signals,
and the cords which are used to answer
the calls and complete the connections.
when subscriber removes his re-
ceiver from the hook il lights a small
lamp on one position of the switch
board only. This attracts the opera =
tors attention. and to answer the sub
scFiber she inserts an answering cord
in little hole. or jack. as we term il.
directly above the iamp. Now WnStc
the operator is not actually engaged in