The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-08-02

the expert become that ne can uetere{
mine with practically absolute accuracy
the percentage OF efficiency Of the line
or piece OF apparatus he Is examining.
at5 This laboratory and another one near
by, whichkis devoted to mechanical tests,
are important adjuncts OF the engineer
ing department. Of the Bell elephone
system. The profession OF the telephone
enginee has existed but thirty years
and has seen more progressive changes
than have akenSplace in any other pro-
fesson In the same length Of time. The
number OF men . whom experience has
Qualified as experts in the highest sense
is probably smaller to day In this than
| in any other profe ssion. So q t its head.
quarters here the Bell system mai tains
for the benefit OF all Its thirty ell ht$ or
CARNATIONS, big and little an enginee,si
Ing force OF go men. TO whom q re IRE e.
ferred the puzzling difficulties which res
duire for their solution a greater @expen-
diture OF time and money and wider
| resources, than any lesser org IMITATION
could afford. s{iy T he Sc are the men who
| have made the telephonethe wonderfully
eficl1ult thing 1t Is to lay and are ma x
| ing the telephone OF the future still more
wonderful. 5st 4: II AZ t;,s
hi Each subsidiary company has It's own
engineering force, which handles all or
Z
things come UP in the day work every
where which can best bo d alt35with by
! the trained investigato tor who has spe-s
| cialized for years, and these matters are
referred to the skyscraper Ia boratory It
may be some difficulty in transmission5
| FOR which no cause can be found. KITE IT
may be a demand for a new kind OF
Telephone service. requiring a mo- Utica a
| ton Of the ordinary instrun1en t. It may
Po, tut "a 70
ground system, or planning group OF
central offices In some distant city to-
provide for the growth Of years to come,
| for y In making their plans to- day the
Bell engineers look Ssstw en- ty vars q 2 cad
! Perhaps It IS a new scheme r Of opera
ton which promises ITO lop off a second
Tor two from the time 1t takes to get
| subscribers into communicate ton. ga
| One specialist studies methods OF tins
Der preseryation-a, matter Of great inl-
'portance, since the demand for poles by,
the various Industries using electrical
! current Is devouring trees Of the pro-
per size at least five times as fast las
! Nature can replace them. Another d.
votes himself to underground conduits,
weighing by laborat tory II to SITS x and by
|5actual use the merits OF different sorts
| OF materials for different surroundings.
considering such questions as where che
Il
preferable, whe Their q manhole In a given
| kind Of soil should be concreted 0r5
bricked, what kind OF construction Is
best for city and what for, country, what
difference should be made where the
| frost comes early and sinks deep ana
where frost is unknown. A third Is
| making his life work the study Of In
| sulation-most important Of all to good,
| transmission. which means good service,
l. /. ,11A 49,
| vised tremendous loss OF current would
be saved. Still others are seeking means
! OF overcoming the loss In transmission
now Inevitable by finding ways OF build-
ling up the current or maintaining it's
strength in spite OF all obstacles
An important work is done, too. In
keeping every item added to the tele-
| phone plant t"up to standard. Cable
wire instruments, switchboards. every
thing, in fact' that goes into the sys-
| tenn, must pass muster before It can be
delivered to the construction or equip
ment men, The manufacturers make
! their own tests and are expected to de-
lliyer their product In perfect condition.,
|Bof course, but 1t Is all examined by
| the telephone company's inspectors.
Each OF the 5000 Bell telephones
distributed last year was tested out
| twice--once by the maker and once by
1.-The 5englneers--peIore IL was se!1t a4o!ik
| to take Its place In q busy metropolis
or on far distant. isolated farm, Every
Inch OF wire in the Bell system-and
| there arc 100000 miles Of It already IN
use, overhead and underground, and
| thousands OF miles are added each day
passes under the hand OF an expert
who .'feels'' 1t for hicks and flaws that
might weaken its tensile strength, and
samples from every lot made are tested
FOR both strength and conductlvity, AS
much as 1000 miles OF wire are tested
lin a single day, the. work Involving six
distinct operations In the handling OF
each OF the 400 sample coils,