The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-10-29
MODEL OF KIND.
Bell Telephone Installs New
Switchboard.
Cost of Improvement Seventy
FIVE Thousand Dollars.
HELPS THE SERVICE.
Operators Can Answer the Calls
More Quickly.
Company Has Spent One Hun
dred Fifty Thousand Dollars.
HELPS THE SERVICE.

Service to the subscribers and users
of the phones of the Missouri & kan
sas Telephone company in this city
will not only be facilitated greatly
from now on, but viii be in fact as
near perfect as it is possible for hui
man ingenuity to make telephone
service. This has been made possible
by the establishment IN the plant Of
I the company on West. Sixth avenue of
new switchboard at a cost of some
thing in the neighborhood Of $4,000.
and which was placed in operation on
midnight, Saturday.
This switchboard is the most mod
ern Of its kind made by the Western
Electric company of New York and
Chicago. It is known as Standard No.
II of the common battery type, and is
the largest switchboard made by the
company. 1t is the same as those used
in the central and large exchange Of
fees of the Bell Telephone company in
New York city and Chicago, and other
large cities in the east and central
west. 1t has capacity for 10, 400 sep
arate lines and IS operated by nine
teen hello girls and their chief OPP
orators. Forty employees of the West
ern Electric company have been at
work for the past two months putting
the switchboard in place. and it was
cut into use on Saturday midnight
with an Interruption to the service of
but ten minutes and that at a time
when the demand on the service Is
unusually light. This was no small
feat, for the intricacies of a modern
switchboard with its multitudinous
ranifcations are rather beyond the
comprehension of the ordinary individ-
ual. and when 1t comes to switching
thousands of wires from an old board
to a new one with only a ten minutes
delay in the service something out of
the ordinary has been accom- uIished
With the new switchboard working
the operators will be able to answer |
| calls quicker by two and three seconds
in time. Under the old switchboard
system when subscriber took his tele-
phone off the hook drop fell showing
the operator the number. Then she had
to look around for this number on the
plug board. OF course the girls become
expert in this work and It did not take
them long to open up communication
Under the new switchboard system i'm
mediately when the subscriber takes
the receiver off the hook a small cleo
| tric light g1istens in front Of the op-
orator by which she knows which sub
scrlber is calling The answering Jack
| is Immediately above the lamp and all
she has to do is put in the plug and
communication is established IN less
than a seconds time
Another trouble and an annoying one
which the new switchboard will obviats
is the click or-.knoek In the ear which
subscribers have experienced while get
ting Into communication with those
they wish to talk to. The wiring Of the
circuits in the new board IS of such
a nature that this nerve racker" win
be a thing Of the past.
The new switchboard is located on the
east side of the large room on the top
floor of the company's building and be-
sides being a wonderfully seryiceable 4
cOntrivance it is rather ornate in ap-
pearance. It's dimensions are such that
the operators have plenty of room and
there are all sorts Of conveniences for
them. such as comfortable chairs and
foot rests.
On the west side of the room a set OF
cables containing wires have already
been run through and a switchboard
similar to the new one in all detail is
being built up there at cost of $25,-
| 600 It will be of the same size as the
new one and is being put in at this
time to accommodate the Increased
business which the company expects to
| enjoy To the left of the new local
/ SWITCH hoard has been put IN a new long
/ distance and toll line switchboard, of
/ the same general plan, and which has
| capacity OF two hundred wires and Is
/ worked by eight opera tors To the right
/ of the local board is the desk OF the
chief operators and the arrangement Is
such that they are in touch at all times
/ with the work of the operators on both
| the local and long distance boards.
But the new switchboard. with the
rather wonderful set of frames on the
floor below which operate It, is not the
only Improvement that Is being made
to the plant of the company. The com
pany gets its power for operating It's
/ lines now from the Edison company. It
has placed in the cellar a modern gas
/ engine and electric dynamo which is
/ capable of supplying all the power nee
essary IN case of an emergency A re-
/ arrangement of the details Of the gen
eraI offices is under way. These will
provide private offices for the district
manager and the cashier in the rear of
/ the front room on the first floor, and
| the other office forces viii be located in
the front Of this room, their desks being
/ enclosed with a brass railing. All OF
these improvements viii be completed
within three weeks, is the opinion of
Samuel T. Howe. the district manager.
Mr.. Howe said today that the COM
pany had spent $3.50 600 IN the city this
year in perfecting all parts Of its plant,
and expended about the same amount a
| year ago. Three years ago the COM