The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1907-10-25

EXCHANGE
OF The Bell Company Has Been
Replaced BY q Complete New
Equipment.
RdPROVRfENTs OF $1,000
Modern Time and Labor Saving Ap-
paratus, Greatly Superior to
the Old Is Installed.


operating department of the local
system of the Bell Telephone com
pany has undergone a complete ana
marvellous transformation. The
work of installing an entirely new
and modern equipment has just
been finished and now the local
system is not only amply adequate
to meet the greatly enlarged de-
mands, but has so considerably i'm
prove its utility and reduced the
time and labor of operation as to be
the cause of no little qualification
on the part of all the patrons.
From a comparatively small. old
style. Magneta switch board system
with capacity of 400 lines, the
equipment has been changed to
new common battery switching ap-
paratus of nine boards with ca
pacity of 1900 lines.
A Big Contrast.
circuit and ask If the takers had
presents a big contrast over the old
With the old system subscriber
had to ring a bell by a handle to
call central. This loosed a drop
tag on one of the boards. If thet
board operator had to connect with
another board some distance away
she would have to ring a bell han
die. call the other operator. give
her the number and the second OPP
orator would have to connect wires
and ring up the subscriber wanted.
Then if there were a number of
calls, the operator would in many
instances have to break in on the
circuit and ask If the tlkers had
finished. This was the result of
persons forgetting to ring off when
through talking, and also because
the ring off would not be noticed
because of the numerous other rings
sounding on the board.
Much Time and Labor Saved.
With the new system about all
of this ringing and talking has been
done away with. The subscriber
merely lifts the receiver of his tel
turns down on the switch board
and at the same time a tiny cleo
trio lamps at the bottom of board
is illuminated. The subscriber
gives the number of the phone want
ed. the operator connects the line
without moving from her chair and
MS soon as the answerais received
from the other phone, another fig
ured mate ball is turned on the
board.
When the subscribers have fin
ished talking. the small balls dis
appear from view on the board and
the little electric lights go out. The
operator simply has to press small
button to ring the phone desired
and all of the old time ringing and
the questioning as to whether the
subscriber is through talking is OBJ
waited. This saves a whole lot of,
time and greatly enhances the rapid
ity of the service.
Other Costly Apparatus.
The chief operator has a central
board in the same room with the
switchboards which operates entire
ly independent of the other boards
but she can at any time, by simply
inserting a plug in a socket, obtain
connection with any of the phones
connected with the switchboards.
Several intricate and costly cleo
tricaI machines are necessary adj
juncts to an elaborate switchboard
system such as this one. There
is mercury arc rectifer which
changes the alternating electrical
current to direct current and pro-
vdies for generation of the storage
batteries at any desired reduced vol
tage. This apparatus has a glass
bulb partly filled with mercury
through which the electric current
pases. causing vivid illumination
and throwing the mercury in a fine
spray to the sides of the glass bulb.
The one installed in the local ex-
change was the third one put in use
by the Bell company.
The electrical current used in OPP
Grating the bells of the telephones
is independently generated from
storage batteries by Warner pole
changers two OF which are INSTALL
ed in the machine room. These
machines do the work of motor
>
(continued on page four.)