Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-01-18
new PHONING METHOD
How Those Who Talked Through
Their Chests Fared.
STILL ANOTHER DISCOVERY.

Experience of a Man Who Called Up
His Wife-scientific Explanation.
After New York at breakfast the
other day had read of the new way Of
telephOning developed in st. Louis an
experimental era in Manhattan set in,
says the New York Times.
The two young women of st. Louis
who were the opponents of the new
method found that you could telephone
through your chest almost as we'll as if
you talked directly into the transmit
ter. In fact, almost any part of the
body would answer 1t remained, how
ever, for an elderly man in an office
downtown to disclose the fact that if
you laid the transmitter tightly against
the sole of your foot you could make
the man at the other end Of the line
hear.
This man, like many others, had
read the news on the way downtown.
Once in his office he went to his tele-
phone. Putting the transmitter against
his chest, he gave central the number
of his brokers. He was much surprised
and delighted when the connection was
made. Shifting the transmitter to his
head, he called:
"'Buy me 200 West Shore fours'
The man at the other end repeated
the order
Then the position of the transmitter
was lowered.
"Pick up not over 5000 Inter Met
common" he said
Then he held the transmitter against
the sole of his foot
"You might buy me some Knicker-
booker trust" he said.
"How much?" came back over the
wire
Then the elderly OPERATOR secure in
the joy that he had made a discovery,
Cancelled his orders, placing the trans
mitter to his lips this time that there
might be no mistake.
While he had been conducting these
experiments, however, he had left the
door of his inner office open. A clerk
had seen him and pointed out the sight
to other employees.
II knew that the old man was wOr-
ried,' said the clerk; now. you see."
This explains why a rumor of the
serious illness of 1.-The old man" got out
into the financial district.
Another of the eXperimenters called
up his wife on the telephone.
How are you? It's Jim,"' he said
through his chest.
The wife, whom he hadn't called up
IN at least three years except to say
that he wouldn't be home for dinner,
was surprised and pleased till her hus-
bands next remark spoiled the effect.
II am talking through my chest" he
said
what do you mean?"
''Now l am talking through my
head"
"Jim''-
"And now am talking through my
foot"
"Jim,'' she said, shave you been
drinking?"
Then he told her about the article in
a New York newspaper on the new
system of telephoning, but she wouldn't
listen to more.
81 shall smell your breath when you
come home tonight" she said and rang
off.
In some of the Broadway hotels the
attendants didn't understand at first
what had come over the people. In
one hotel a man came out of the bar
and entered a booth. A few moments
later a page went to the clerks desk
with the information:
you'd better call policeman.
There's a man drunk or crazy in No. 5
BOOTH
In such cases explanations, if backed
with copies of the paper containing the
article on telephoning, were accepted.
Perhaps the most skeptical persons
in town were such of the telephone
girls who hadn't seen the story.
"Hello, girlie Pm talking to you
nickel-in-the-slot machine in a drug
store.
Number, please" said the girl with
eringly. I'LL
He hesitated.
"Aw, go and talk through your chest
some mOrep' she told him and then
cut him off without his nickel.
At last the central girls became con-
WINGED that there really was something
in it. One or two of them experiment.
ed and told the others, but after time
the subject became tiresome. Every
thing grows old in New York in a very
short time so the remark Of the sub
scriber that he was talking through
his foot or head was answered with:
Jaw, that's an old one. Did you just
get on TO it,"
The telephone officials didn't see any
thing startling in the new mode.
TITS just little fad in Manhattan"
an officer of the company said. ut is
not new In fact. think some foreign
engineer invented a transmitter which
took its vibrations from the outside OF
the throat. 1t really shows what 4 SEN
sitive instrument the telephone is. The
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