Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-06-08
Party Of Salt Lake NewspOpermsn
Test the New Station joo5
Feet from Shore
BATHERS TALKED TO BUTTE.
They AlS Called Up Boise, ldo, Pa.
pefs aad Broke the News Gen.
tly 10 Them

AZ o'clock yesterday afternoon
three Salt Lake newspapormon tlcd MP
the entire long distance service Of the
Rocky Mountain noll Telephone com.
pany They did 1t most deliberately,
ana what Is more, seemed to take great
delight over the grief they caused and
the novel sensation Of tolcphonng to
Butte, Boise ana other points from the
new emergency station way ont In the
waters Of Great salt Lake, 5000 feet
from shore, while the dear old public
waited on their pleasure, The rNpedl.
tlou ns guests NJ the company ana
saltnir beach LEFT salt Lake ON the
o'clock train, accompanied By Joel l.,
Priest official lecturer ANA Assistant
Wire chief Pratt, Demonstration Sew.
oral cameras In the party also tended
to make things interesting Ny recording
pictures OF the event
For the first time In the history NJ
tho tiephonc has an instrument been
Installed ana successfully worked In
ana from large body Of water salt
at that
DESPERATE SITUATION
The pioneers gnyly cnyonod Ia the
suits, but by the time they reached The
stops ana gagcd on the telephone sta.
ton out IN the lake they expressed
doubts ~ 10 the temperature Of the
water, besides there was u likely sQuall
blowing that made the white caps n.y.
Then n was that a boat was chartered
and the bold mariners embarked 20 In.
dulge IN some NJ the Wcrdcs. rowing
over exhibited on the inland saline sea,
The gallant crn' rode the waves stern
lrst br0adsldc on ana sometimes ON
her Keel while strong men held their
brclths ana women on the pavilion held
their babies Nothing but the thought
that the telephone once reached help
could be summoned spurrcd the gallant
band on to their goal, Eventually the
boat missed the station by good 100
feet There was nothing for II but 10
plunge into The boiling sea ana tow the
boat behind by the painter The choice
lay between drifting over 10 Antelope
island and making night Of i or
swimming 100 feet Hands were clasp
cl, last messages given and thon the
galRnt Columbus CorloS, Admiral
Blake Of Al diycd over the sldc.-into
2 feet OF water ana walked with the
boat TO ~ destination
The nrst man up the short ladder
was Priest lie was gOlng to clear the
line when he grnsped the telephone
with wet hands The next instant the
soagulls were startled Ny q bloodcurd-
ling yell Priest had Joined the circuit
sKEpTlCS ~ BUTTE,
, The nrsl cill registered was Butte,
Mont, when The lnlcrmountain was
called mp, Alan loycy the cartoonlN,
Was brought 10 the phone, ana the boys
al Il Ia.
INK, lie was told 10 llston and he
would hear what the wild waves were
saying "Oh what are You glyng me2"
came back from Butte After awhile
l.oNoy took tumble To the situation
and then the wire could not carry all
the Intersections ana adiccllyos that
followed, william BaldcNton, editor
OF the Boise Statesman, was the next
man 10 have the news broken 10 nm,
lie Thought some of the boys down AZ
the idnnha bar were jolgmg him AM
resented the familiarity but later No
took another Wow Of the situation H.
= sheridan. business muungor OF tho
Rolao Evening Capital NcNrWas oqual-
IS skpruc1l at FIRST ana equally as
toundcd ana delighted when the truth
daWnoa ON him,
The wires worked splcndldly aud A.
times II seemed AZ though the parties
AT either end of the wire were n few
foot apart msIcnd ~ ioo miles distant
The fact that this rs the only Spot IN
the wide p'ido world where II Is possible
lu enjoy such novel sensation under
such conditions made the experience
douhly interesting,
ron EMERGENCY
But the telephone In no toy for tn
amusement ul hnlhcrs, II " placed
lhpro lor emergency and, now mat II
has h,cu Installed there win he NO
such distressing fatalities ~ attend n
the drrNNing of young Ray ", lmkb
two yoHts ago, The telephone connects
Nim the Saltair exchange on The lunch
moor NJ the hig pavilion, In al thcrr
are 10 Nallous ui Siltlr whether
people are balniug, sitting IN the now
rnfo. thcatcr ul are Oh the dancing
noor ihpy can telephone folks a, home
IN salt Lake, ur for that matter any
whore uu the system from Cheyenne ou
the pagt to spokane ON the west Butte
ON the north on A. George nn the south,
The mptallmg NJ the telephone out IN
tho water was no small feat IN the
Nrst place ryoly Joint mad 90 be perfect
ana thr mmlallOn uf such nature NR
Ia offset the action uf the brine A.
first uuhlcs wcro buried IN the sund ana
conveyed lo the bnihhouFo deck, but tho
hnlhcrR soon dug them up and domOrn-
llgcd tho instruments The Nll~ rN nov
tnrrldod through nm iron pipe and work
pcrfortly, VINO Ichiof cline ana his
assistant. Mr., Pratt, Wcro The men who
solved the problem,
After tine Test yesterday an concerned