The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1907-01-01
NEW BELL TELEPHONE
RTITLDTNG
Magnificent addition to Mount
Ho1ly's business places to be for
ma11y opened to-day. Some
Interesting Facts

The News today presents to its readers
a detailed account of what took place OF
! December II last, when the Bell Tele
phone Central Office was removed from
its old location, on the first floor of Jones
drug store, to the new building erected by
the Company, on the lot adjoining the
Friends Meeting House.
Within the past year The Delaware and
Atlantic Telegraph and Telephone Com
pany, which is subicensee of the Bell
Telephone Company, of Philadelphia, has
been preparing for the change and by ii
has given to Mount Holly the finest tele-
phone equipment of any city of the same
size in the whole territory operated by
that Company.
A SMALL FORTUNE EXPENDED AT MOUNT
HOLLY.
The present building cost $4,000, and
the underground plant 1920, 900 The
building is two story brick and sand
stone, one of Colonial design, measuring
20 4S feet. The switchboa from
which the telephones are operated, is now
equipped for 1000 lines accommodating
approximately 1000 telephones-or sta
tions" as the telephone man calls them
The ultimate capacity of the board is
5000 lines for about 5000 telephones. 1t
is composed of three sections, at each of
which two operators will work when the
full 1900 telephones, as at present ar.
ranged for, are connected.
Five operators for local business and
one fer out of town connections will then
be necessary. The switchboard is located
on the second floor. In the room below
is the storage battery which is exception
ally large for an equipment Of this size
1t is arranged to supply current for sew
eral days in case the local power should
fail. In that event the Telephone Com
pany would Immediately send from Phila-
delphia its new charging machine: pur-
chased at a cost of 49, 400.
The underground plant practically
makes network of the town and insures
an absolutely storm proof telephone ser
WIZ. AliSuJ OldludlQ anu dASOu SIIGGlS
have the heaviest cables or ''main leads"
as the Company designates them, and from
those streets "1aterals" or smaller cables
are run on practically every street In >the
town.
FIRE ALMOST AN IMPossIBmITY.
Throughout the construction of the
building concrete, steel and brick have
been used. Two kinds of fire extinguish
ers have been provided together with fire
buckets and horse-hide gloves. In the
switchboard the very latest fire proof bulk
heads and divisions between the separate
sections have been installed insuring alb
solute safety for the employees and pro-
lection to the Company's plant. The OPP
orators are instructed how to act in case
of fire and in some instances in Philadel.
phia have saved much valuable property
The insurance companies consider the
Bell Telephone buildings as among their
best risks. The building at Mount Holly
is an exact duplicate on a smaller scale of
the central office buildings in the largest
cities of the United States. 1t was erected
by John d. Lippincott, Burlington con
tractor and builder.
PUBLIC INVITED TO FORMAL OPENING.
On New Years Day. 1907, this beautiful
addition to Mount Holly's buildings will
be formally opened to the public and all
are invited. Attendants from Philadel-
nhia will ha 11raoaDt 20 oboxu oil ,,;.;+ore
through the plant and to carefully explain
the working methods used. Visitors will
not be importuned to take service
At Jenkintown, Chester and Sharon
Hill, Pa, and at Belmont, Lombard and
Chestnut Hill central offices, in Philadel-
phia, hundreds Of visitors saw for the first
time, at formal openings of these offices,
the wonderful detail of telephone work.
THE News today extends the same invi-
tation from the Telephone Company to
all who are interested
DETAILS OF THE "CUT OVER" FROM THE
OLD TO THE New.
The work of removing a telephone ex-
change from one location to another is
called "cut over" For obvious reasons
the process is an almost instantaneous one.
When the work is ready it requires only
an instant to make the change but weeks
and often many months are required to
prepare for such removal.
The new switchboard is first installed
and lines are tested direct from it through
the new cables direct to each subscribers
telephone The old board is also tested
in the same way. Linen tags are then
placed in a certain part of the signaling
apparatus and joined so that they may be
removed upon the given order. At the
same time the heat coils" in the old ex-
change are Joined so that when the order
is given they may be removed simultan-
eously with the removal of the linen tags
in the new exchange. About five en-
ployees were necessary to complete the
removal or "cut-over" of the apparatus
operating nearly fifty telephones. Not a
hitch was experienced. On Monday, De-
cember II, when the order was given, the
former exchange at Jones drug store was
cut out Of service and without an instant's
loss of time. the new one was placed in
service Thorough tests were then made
from the new switchboard, direct to each
subscribers station, to insure perfect
transfer from the old to the new.
The front room of the first floor of the
new building will be occupied by the
Contract Department. Here subscribers
may arrange for changes of service, sign
new contracts and pay their bills. In the
rear are the distributing frames, both
mai" and intermediate They are
large steel racks holding the lines as they
come from the cables in the basement and
pass through to the switch board on the
floor above. The storage battery room,
charging motor and test table are also To-
Gated in this room. The second floor is
divided into the operating room and the
operators large attractive retiring room.
Many windows. perfect provision for heat
ing and ventilation, comfortable chairs
and touches will make the operators work
as attractive and pleasant as present day
facilities permit. For their comfort while
at work, specially designed chairs and
foot rests are made. Every known pro-
lection from lightning and fire are pro
vided, making the telephone work much
more attractive than clerical or other
work.
WHAT MOUNT HOLLY GAINS
The Bell Telephone Company is rec