The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-08-28
CENTRAL MUST GO
AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE IN USE IN
GERMANY.
By Its Use Subscriber Cam Ring ANY
Number without Aid OF "hello
GirI0-COnsul De.
acEibes II.
ny ALFRED J. STOPPER

washington, aug. zt'-StSAp0caoa.l
According to information contained In
consular report received mere tne
other day the occupation of the hello
Rirl'' is in danger. Vice-Consul Will
liam Washington @unswick, of Chem
nitz, furnishes an interesting descrip-
ton OF the working of an automatic
telephone that has been introduced by
the German government
It is the first OF it's kind in Germany,
ana so far as known here, the ffrst that
has been successfully operated any
where. 1t has been installed by the
imperial German postoffice. requiring no
central to make the desired connection
each subscriber being his own ex-
change, The appearance 10 like a
clock, with indicating numbers.
The subscribers set, connected to
the automatic exchange, Is composed OF
a disk on which are to be found ten
holes numbered from the bottom up,
O to 9. These holes are Just large
enough to permit the insertion OF the
average PERSONS forefnger, the holes
being on a movable disk.
If, for instance. a person desires TO
be connected with number ISL. the sub
scriber first removes the receiver from
the hook, then places his forefnger In
the slot numbered 9, and rotates the
disk as far as 1t will go-that is. until
his finger strikes an obstruction. be
then removes his finger from the slot
and permits the disk to return to It's
normal position under the action of a
spring. whereupon the fore1nger Is In
serted In the hole marked 5, and the
disk is again rotated until the finger
meets the obstruction. the disk being
again permitted to resume its normal
position; the subscriber then again
places his forehnger in the hole mark
ed /, again rotates the disk, and lets II
return TO zero.
The manner in which the connection
ia made is as follows: When a sub
scriber rotates the disk by placing in
the hole 8, he sends the requisite i'm
pulse over the line to the central once
to move, in. the case of number 951. the
100 switch nine steps, or. in otheI
words, the switch picks out the ninth
hundred Similarly, when his finger Is
placed in the hole and the disk Ia ro-
tated, II is again rotated through q
predetermined angle and sends back tc
the central once Ave impulses, which In
turn move a final selector, which had
In the meantime become connected to
the 100 switch referred to, Ave spaces
which will correspond to the f1fties In
this particular 900; and so again with
the /, until finally the apparatus in the
central office has been connected
through to line number 961 from the
calling subscribers line. It Is not nee.
essary for the subscriber to ring, mas
much as this Is also done automatical-
ly.
The subscriber, having finished, ter
inmates the connection by hanging the
receiver on the hook. Immediately an
other person can be called UP. Should
the subscriber wish to call while 6
number IL in use he can get no con.
nection until the user has ceased con.
versation. and this, of course. does
away with the annoying feature in tel
ephones of being interrupted in the
midst Of a conversation by some one
breaking in. BY this system the sub
scriber can readily be connected at any
time, whether day or night, and It II
evident, the Vice Consul says, that Il
will ultimately do away entirely witt
the exchange girl. as II reduces the
cost of maintenance.
Mr. Brunswick reports also that the
German government Is energeticall!
pursuing experiments for the improv
ing of its present telephone system
and this automatic device seems q
have solved the problem.
II this contrivance is ever introduced
into the United States and Is generally
installed the question naturally arises
How could the average man given u
profanity get any satisfaction unless
he had some one at central" to "cuss,
instead of placing the blame on him
self for getting the wrong number sew
eral times a day7