Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1908-12-03
SHOWING EUROPE HOW
Americans Restoring Paris
Phones i'm 60 DAYS.

The Paris main telephone exchange,
destroyed by fire Sept. p, is now being
reconstructed by American cleo
tricians and soon will be in operation
again. The work is being done by
the Western electric company, which
got the contract after not only the
French manufacturers of telephone
equipment but also those of England.
Germany and Austria had been
sounded with regard to their ability
to turn out the work within the re-
quired time-60 days from the filing Of
the specifications. The time de-
manded by the European manufac
turers ranged from six to eight
months.
The destruction of the exchange,
which was in the rue Gutenberg. was
a calamity to the Paris commercial
interests, as it was this exchange
which served the house. the city hall,
the postoffice and practically the en-
tire district of commercial and govern
n1CHOdl dOU1h1tNs hCSSCllSClo hClC
the only resource left to the occu-
pants of this district. and the unac-
customed delay has impeded the
transaction of business.
The government Immediately began
canvassing the Paris electrical manu-
facturers, as the French telephone
apd to1orra nj, ljpoc oro rovarppoopt
properties, and there is an unwritten
although well-defned law in France
that all government work shall be
done by Frenchmen.
The manufacturers, however, con-
fessed themselves entirely unequal to
the task of doing such big job in the
short time given by the government,
and the latter prompted by the real
plight of the city, was forced to look
elsewhere. The Western electric
people have branch plant in Paris.
but the American firm was not con-
suited until the European field had
been exhausted.
When the application was made to
the firm the New York headquarters
cabled its French branch that the
work could be done within 80 days,
and the offer was accepted by the
French government Oct. 2 The
government inserted a clause in the
contract providing for the payment of
a forfeit of 5000 francs by the COM
pany for each days delay over the so
days.
Oct 10 the specifications were
turned over to the electric company,
and for II days and nights the Haw-
thOrne plant of the company, near
Chicago, was rushed to get together
! the 10000 trunk sWitchb0ards and
connections which the board required.
Then the equipment was loaded on a
special train of eight cars, hurried to
New York and transferred to La Pro-
yence, which sailed ten days ago.
Gables received by the firm yester-
day from the officers Of the Paris
branch say that the whole job will be
finished II or Is days before the expir-
alton of the time limit.
There are almost4O 1000 miles of single
wire in the Paris switchboard which
is about 200 feet long and requires
more than 100 operators to handle it.
The shipment included also % miles
of telephone cable. The total cost of
the work is about $50O,OO0 Boston
| Globe.
-Preventics, the new Candy Cold
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have four special specific advantages
over all other remedies for a cold
First-They contain no Quinine,
nothing harsh or sickening. Second
They give almost instant relief.
Third-pleasant to the taste like candy
Fourth-A large box-48 Preventics-
at % cents. Also fine for feverish
children. Sold by Wood County Drug