Arizona republican., 1906-03-16
An Excellent Telephone
 SySfem.

The sto-y of the telephone exchange is like a twice tod tale. Everybody knows it by heart-the chatter of voices. in varying tones. repeating end Iessly the words number" your par ty." does not answer" they are talking now" tFe click of the plugs as they slip in and out of the spring jacks; the lights. the rows of girls with one ear covered with a receiver and before them the little black discs to
 which they are always talking; a place of orderly noise and monotonously ir- regular action. Can there be anything new to see in the local telephone ex-
 change? Only this:
 When you go into that room known as the central office. at Phoenix. away from the noise of the street it is so
 stiH that you feel like tiptoeing for
 fear of waking the baby. True. there
 are only about 1850 phones in service.
 but during the busy hours of the day. calls are being made constantly anu central is in full swing
 When the little glass eye flashes
 light. the operator puts plug in the
 silver trimmed hole just above it. and.
 in voice hardly above whisper.
 says. number" Without the necessity of repeating the number to anyone eIss
 she takes another plug and sticks il
 into the hole bearing the desired num-
 Der, as each operator has every sub scriber's name within her reach. The
 glass eye blinks dark again. but down
 on the rack from which the plugs were
 taken another light beams. remaining | lighted until the receiver of the party
 called is taken down. lighting again when conversation is finished.
 Such is the interior working of the
 great telephone system installed ia Phoenix by the Pacific States Tela- phone & Telegraph Company a num- Der of years ago. The miles of wire and thousands of poles requiring con- l stant vigilance to keep in working or
 der, does not interest the public so vitally as central" to which they go with all their calls Troubles are scarce on the local exchange. due to the fact that the system is one of the finest in the entire Southwest, and
 while no longer a part of that great Sunset system Of the Pacific coast. it
 is so closely associated with it in a business way that it retains all of the advantages to be derived from the pa rent company.
 The local company purchased the plant about one year ago and have operated 1t successfully since that date l the service given being all that could be desired, and very shortly the long distance line, now being built between Los Angeles and Fl Paso. will be in 1 operation. passing directly through the city and giving the residents of Phoe-
 nix telephonic communication that will place them in the front rank of pro- gress along these lines
 The company is also now planning to bring suburban districts within a ra-
 dius of ten miles into the Phoenix ex-
 change direct, with no long distance charge.
 The service of this local company l extends all over Arizona, and the head
 office of the company is in Tuscon. Col Epes. Randolph is the president. while C. ". Hinchcliff acts as general man age- of the entire system. The local Cfiice is in charge of MT J. E. Summer. | The building occupied by the central is owned by the company and was
 specially designed and erected for the purpose. It is conveniently equipped with all the necessary mechanical eff
 fleets desirable in a modern and well i equipped exchange.