The Washington times., 1906-12-09
THIRD HELLO HOUSE
NEARLY COMPLETE
East Provided, Columbia
Heights and Tenley-
town Next.

To adequately meet the growing de-
mands for telephone service in the east
ern section Of the city the Chesapeake
and Potomac Telephone Company began
last summer the erection Of subsJan-
tiaI brick building at GO p street north
east. and this building is now rapidly
approaching completion II Is three
stories In height with a frontage Of
g. feet on = street, and is l36 feet In
depth. 1t Is entirely freDrO0f in con-
structiOn. and finished in the most ap-
proved manner, the front being OF brick
with limestone and terra Gotta trim
mings. while the interior is of quartered
oak finish with the Railways and corri-
dors laid in German art ceramic mo
sale.
Third New Structure.
This is the third Of the series of hand
some buildings which the company be-
gan in the fall OF 1893. when the first
new exchange building was erected at
the northwest corner Of Fourteenth and
4 streets northwest. followed shortly
after by the main exchange located at
1 722 Twelfth street northwest. in the inn
mediate center OF the business district
Like the two exchanges already IN
operation the new one in the eastern
/ section, which viii be known as the
Lincoln Exchange building, VIII be pro-
vided with all the latest facilities.
Installing Has Begun.
/ Work has already begun OF the in
stalling Of a modern common battery
/ switchboard OF the relay type. with a
/ present equipment Of forty-elght opera
| tors and an ultimate capacity of a
/ operators handling 800 lines should the
/ conditions require H.
| II is expected 70 be ready for service
/ In the summer OF 1901. and will represent
I an investment Of about one quarter OF d
million dollars.
| A feature OF the building which has
! also been introduced in the other TWO
/ exchanges is the reading or rest room
! for the use CT the operators, which
! room is provided with cOuches. COM
i fnTiable rockers and tables kept sup
l piled with current magazines. a diaing
room ana a locker room. equipped with
{ Individual l1ckers.
Exchange Hospital.
4 In the North Exchange building a
I hospital and operators training school
/ is also provided
: The great increase IN telephone facili-
{ ties may be noted IN the fact that when
! the system was Installed IN the North
/ Exchange in November. 1888, IL had an
{ equipment Of 2,oG0 lines An addition
is now being made which VIII give "a
total equipment Of 5000 lines. In the
Z Main Exchange Building IN September,
F 1868, there was installed an equipment
/ OF 4,J00 lines. since which time an addi-
! ton OF 600 lines has been made and
, q second addition Of 900 lines j. now
! being installed which is equal 10 thu
/ switchboard equipment IN any large
/ city.
Two More Exchanges.
/ The telephone company has also
/ Just competed the purchase OF a large
/ lot on Columbia road. between Four
! teenth and Fifteenth streets. Columbia
Heights. where It will shortly begin the
! erection Of an additional exchange for
/ all that section Of the city. The com
pany has also acquired ground in Ten
/ leytown, where a branch viii be
/ located
Hereafter when you call Hello" re-
/ member that in the central Office there
! are 1850 lines presided over by 10
/ operators. who are required 10 attend
! TO something like 60 lines each or II
/ you want North, 50 operators are at
/ your service with 5000 lines under their
/ charge and that as yet the infallibIhty
/ of human nature has not been
/ thoroughly established