Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-14

y
any subscriber. the system presenting a
grand interchange possibility and illus
trating the marvels of modern telephony
Next is the intermediate distributing
frame. its object being to distribute the
business evenly among the operators. and
thus prevent an overcrowding of traffic
Making the Change.
1t was in the terminal room that the
"cut-over" was effected at exactly
o clock yesterday afternoon, and the sub
scribers in the new Columbia area were
disconnected from the north exchange ST.
mutt aneously. This was accomplished by
quickly removing a large number of tags
from between the contact springs of the
relays at Columbia, which at once connect
ed the subscribers with that exchange,
while by pulling stout cord at the north
exchange a number of hair-like wires
were broken, transferring the former
north subscribers to Columbia. The same
process was followed in making the trans
fer of subscribers to the Cleveland ex-
change.
The wire chiefs desk where that Off
cial makes. all tests is also in the termi-
nal room. BY the use of the vOltmeter
trouble on any of the many radiating
lines can be located almost instantly. Near
the wire chief is the card file in which
are arranged the names, telephone num-
bers and telephone history of each sub
scriber in the Columbia exchange.
The main power board is in the terminal
room, as is the main motor generator into
which comes on one side the JOO-volt cur
rent from the wires of the Potomac
Electric Power Company. being here re.
dueced to - volts through the agency OF
the generator.
This machine<is used for charging the
big storage battery in an immense tank
This arrangement furnishes all the cur
rent for talking and calling purposes in
the. entire Columbia district. In storage
also is sufficient latent electricity to sup
ply the exchange for three days should
the generating plants of the supply COM
pany or the equipment Of the exchange.
The Hello" Girls.
The second floor presents a most invit.
ing picture with its operating room hav'
ing capacitw for fifty hello girls or op
orators Following out the colonial idea
the ceilings are high, the windows wide
and tall and the entire operating room
cool and cheerful 1t is furnished in
solid mahogany, with concrete floors, to
which linoleum coverings have been ce-
mented.
At the operators desks the contrivances
employed are of the very latest design
and Improvement In all the arrange
ment the comfort of the employees is not
lost sight of in any degree. This can
he seen in every direction. and was a
matter of favorable comment by visitors
last evening at the opening.
The ''B" operators occupy part of
the main operating room on the second
floor. 1t is their duty to connect calling
subscribers with exchanges other than
their own. They are not required to re-
ply to any calls from patrons of the COM
pany.
Every morning at ) o'clock when most
of the subscribers are enjoying their last
nap before arising, every line in the sys-
tenn is submitted to a test Should there
be any trouble on any circuit it is in
dictated on the mystic voltmeter, which
also approximately locates the difficulty.
Steps are taken to have the troubled rem
edied as soon as it can be done without
disturbing the subscribers.
Information" Operators.
The "information'' operators are located
in tie operating room. These officials
are supposed to be sort of walking en-
cyclopedias, dictionaries and city direc-
tories to furnish veriety of information
do SO. 1t is said a good information
fairly good mind reader.
On the third floor of the new Columbia
exchange are the retiring rooms for the
employees. where they spend their fifteen
minutes of rest in the morning and the
same amount of time in the afternoon.
They can also rest in the retiring room
at the lunch hour if they SO desire
The entire structure is equipped with
the whole being as fireproof as possible.
There is an open ventilated wire locker
for every two operators in the locker
room Each operator also has her own
transmitter and receiver, a lightweight
affair. made of aluminium. being so pro-
vided to avoid danger from germs or
other disease producing agencies.
commodious dining hall for the en-
pfOyes is also on the third floor and the
telephone company furnishes gratis to its
operators tea, coffee, milk. sugar. the
stove, in which the employees can heat
the lunches they bring from their homes
There are ample fire-escape facilities
and unusual facilities are provided for
quickly extinguishing any blaze that may
occur There are two kinds of fire ex-
tinguishers. lengths of hose and asbestos
blankets to smother out fires should such
occur among the masses of insulated
wires. On the thlrd moor is a sick bay
where the girls can retire when they are
ndisposed. the apartment being supplied
with couches and medicine chest.
A Vest-Pocket Edition.
The new Cleveland exchange out west
ward. has been described as a vest
pocket edition of the Columbia 1t is
located at 426S Wisconsin avenue, and is
surrounded by a large plot of ground
that is owned by the telephone company.
1t was also opened to telephone traffic
last evening. 1t is calculated that the
Cleveland exchange will be sufficient for
the business out on the extreme north
west suburbs for some years. Then a
larger structure can be erected, as the
ground space is ample. Like the larger
with gas engine and everything is in
duplicate, though smaller in detail The
building is all of reinforced concrete and
is absolutely fireproof.
The operating room has capacity for
an even dozen operators, and the switch
board is of polished mahogany. and is
circular in form. The underground wire
system prevails in the greater portion of
Cleveland'S area. the only overhead wires
being the long distance and toll lines.
All the improvements just completed by
the Chesapeake and Potomac Company are
regarded as of the most substantial char
acter, and will greatly enhance both the
beauty of the localities in which they are
situated and the property values. The
company has received many cordial and
hearty congratulations upon its push and
progress