Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-09-17
HOW CENTRAL DOES IT.
Story of the Inside Working of the
 Telephone Office.

Year by year the telephone is be- coming more valuable to the business
 man and the housekeeper. While
 many imagine that they fully .appre-
 ciate the value of telephone service,
 no one fully realizes its true worth
 until he has been in a place where
 it is impossible for him to reach a
 telephone. Telephony is rapidly be- coming the most useful invention of
 the age and with the constantly in- creasing appreciation of its value, it
 is but matter of time when prac-
 tically every house will be equipped
 with telephone.
 In spite of this tremendous use of service, however, the average sub scriber has little idea of the manner
 in which his call is handled. There is central, that is all he knows about. the matter. For this reason
 a description of how call is hand led may interest the telephone us- ing public.
 The point to which all the sub scribers' lines converge is the switch board. It is through this that the connections are set up. The board is divided into sections. Each sec tion into three positions, an operator
 handling the calls that come in on each of these. Each one of these is, therefore known as an operators position. Directly in front of the operator are number of little holes known as subscribers jacks. Into these little holes come the lines from the subscribers telephones. Over each is a small electric light.
 Above these holes are what are known as the multiple jacks The number of these holes depends on the number of lines in the city. Each girl has in front of her hole or jack representing every line in the city. This arrangement is dup Heated in front of every position. It is therefore possible for her to plug into any wire in the exchange that subscriber may desire. There are no lights connected with tn ase jacks.
 The operator wears a head piece to which is attached the receiver, which fits close to one ear. On her breast is an aluminium holde: into which is set the transmitter through which she speaks. Both of these are connected by means of cords to a plug which she inserts into a jack or hole in the board, thus connect ing her receiver and transmitter With the position she is to operate
 Having gained some idea of the operators tools, so to speak, we will with fhn ro,nthnl in xrrh; call is actually handled. We will begin with the calling subscriber who takes the receiver off the hook. This act completes a battery circuit. battery circuit, in which there is a calling in or signal lamp, is put in to operation and the light, mention ed above as being situated over the hole or jack into which the sub scriber's lines comes, is lighted. In front of the operator are number of pairs of cords with metal tips or plugs at the ends. The operator takes one of these from the back row and inserts the plug in the jack directly under the signal lamp.
 Having plugged into the jack or hole the operator throws back al switch which connects her transmit ter and receiver with the liue of the calling subscriber, and says, "what number" The subscriber now has central and should give his number taking care to See that the operator repeats it correctly. When the sub scriber stops to consider that the average length of time taken for this. is less than five seconds from the instant he 'akes his receiver off the look he will realize how swiftly the girl has 10 work. Having received :he number the girl takes the cord known as the calling cord and con- nected with the one with which she has answered :he call, and secures the party desired.
 For illustration, let it be assumed that the number called for is 1920, ring 2. On the board, dividing each position into divisions are numbers running, for example, from one to fifty. Opposite each Ole of these numbers are ten strips of holes or jacks. ten holes on each strip. num- bered from zero to ninety-nine TO get the line desired, in this case i5s0, 1 she looks on her strips for tfe num- Der 49 and then opposite thls for the hole numbered 20. She then inserts ! her plug into this jack and is con- | nected with line number 1920.
 The telephone desired by the call l ing subscriber on this line is two. | The operator by means of another [ switch puts the ringing current on | the line of the subscriber to be call ed and rings his bell twice. When he has answered she throws back the | switch. by means of which she first | cuts in on the calling subscribers l line. and leaves the two to talk.
 Before the common battery board, 1! those who had telephones will re- member that central from time to I time came in on the wire and said i "are you through?" What are known l as supervisory signals or lights l have done away with the need of this.
 Tn front of the cords which the l operator used to establish the con- nection are two lights similar to 1 that over the jacks into which the I subscribers line comes. As long ss the two subscribers are talking both | of the lights are out. As soon as one 1, party hangs up his receiver. one lamp lights. and when both are lighted the operator knows that the l two subscribers are through talking I She then takes down the cords cut l ting of both of the lines and leaving | them open for another call