The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-07-26
Has a Monumental Task in
Moving to Headquarters.
CONFUSION OVERCOME
Service Will Be Better Than 1t
Has Ever Been Before.
Seven Hundred New Phones
Have Been Ordered.

its new quarters on Jackson street, the
Independent Telephone company mas
settled down to the even tenor of It's
way and another week will see all the
trouble incident to the removal to the
new quarters disappear. The undertake
ing was large one and but few COM
panies have ever undertaken a task of
such magnitude.
Occasionally 4 change is made from
one system to another or from one
board to another but the change made
by the Independent company involved
all the troubles incident to these moves
as well as a change of location. AT
that 80 per cent of the patrons OF the
exchange did not know that the change
had been made until they read of it in
the papers the next day.
There was bound to be some con-
fusion on account of the magnitude of
the move. but this was reduced to the
minimum and by next week the affairs
of the company will be running as
smoothly as though nothing had hap
pened. Some idea of the magnitude of
the affair may be gained from the
statement that there are between six
and seven thousand telephones in the
exchange and that two wires are neces-
sary for each telephone.
1t was necessary to test between II
and Is thousand wires in the course of
adjusting the boards and telephones
and this in a measure amounts for the
slight confusion which existed last week
and this. The new key boards or multi
pie jacks which have been installed are
of the latest design and calculated to
facilitate the service but for 4 time the
opposite effect will result.
This was explained by ore of the girls
who has evidently been stenographer,
when she said, Changing from the old
boards to the new is just like chang
ing from one typewriter to another,
when the key boards are different.
PATTON calls for certain number and
the girl plugs in u0COnSciOuSlV manV
times a day where the old number was
and that accounts for the wrong num-
bers' some times given to a patron.
This of course will be done away with
as soon as the girls familiarize them
selves with the new boards"
Eleven new boards have been added |
to the equipment of the exchange and |
% more girls are employed in answering |
calls than at the old building which will |
naturally better the service. Two gangs |
of twenty men are at work at the pres
ent time in the city removing all of the |
cable in the business district which was
rendered useless when the underground |
service was cut in, and the cables taken
down will be used in the resident portion
of the city.
As soon as the work can be completed
and two more gangs of 20 men each will
start to work Monday every aerial wire
I'm the city will be taken down and the
exchange will be a cable affair every
where within the limits of the city. Ev-
cry resident portion of the city will be
reached by cables and the only aerial
wire used Will be from the alleys where
the poles are set to the telephone in the
house.
This will do away largely with the
trouble caused by sleets and SHOWS in
the winter time as well as high winds
which frequently demoraltZe the service.
The company now has over 700 orders
for new telephones booked and as soon
as possible these will be installed. For
the past year in certain sections of the
city it has been impossible to place
phones on account of the cramped con-
dition This condition has been relieved
by the new boards which have been in
stalled.
One of the new and important depart
ments established, from the standpoint
of the public is the information bureau
where two employees will be on duty at
all hours of the day or night ready to
answer any question subscriber may
care to ask. They will be supplied with
all appliances for furnishing information
of every description. When a subscriber
has permitted the clock to run down
and wants to know the time of day all
that will be necessary is to call the in
formation bureau. A drop will fall and
the operators give the time of the day
without another word as this drop can
not fall on any other occasion than
asking the time of day.
An anxious mother desiring to
know when her offspring should cut I
its first tooth can get this Information s
q approximately at this department. 6
The baseball scores Of all the associa- i
ton games will be at hand and a {
query will bring the desired infor- l
nation. The location of fires may be
obtained by calling this department
as well as the time of arrival of trains q
on all roads and the number of min 5
utes or hours that they are late. This 7
department will be maintained for
the benefit of the patrons and at I
tempt made to answer all questions
asked. a
1--WE are about through with the
confusion incident to the removal E
into our new quarters said Secre-
tary w. P. Hemphill. land within g
the next few days everything will be
running without a hitch. Our patrons I
have been but few complaints while | V
the moving has been going on. We {
appreciate the fact that there has :
been more or less confusion but this
was unavoidable and is about over | 5
Every line. in the city has been or will | c
be tested and placed in the best pos
sible condition for service. il
1.-The undertaking has been a big
one and but few appreciate the mag
1itude, but 1t was made absolutely y
necessary on account of the growth | A
1f the exchange We are in shape n
how to take care of all of our natronSI
md the phones for which we have or V
1ers will be installed as fast as nos \
;ible. In the meantime we would he
ylad to see every one of our natroDS v
It our new building and show theno "
he most up to date telephone svster1o Y
n the west
Costa Rica to Issue Bonds