The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-12-12

subscriber wished to be called at any
hour, Central would do it. One min
ute after the whistle announced a
foreign steamer approaching port near
" every receiver was removed from
the hooks and Central asked to name
the vessel. This got to be such
nuisance that the company gave notice
on certain date that after that time
within three minutes from the sound of
the whistle all subscribers might take
down their receivers and for FIVE min
utes afterward the operator would
announce the name of the steamer, no
connections being made during that
time. Nor would this information be
furnished after the time specified had
lapsed.
Shopping by Phone.
Those were "good old days. for
the public and house without
telephone was as barren as one without
baby. 1t may not be exaggerating
TO say that ladies had dresses fitted
by telephone and the idea of going to
market to buy was preposterous. I
am informed by an ex-operator that
it was frequent occurrence for people
to have him order the marketing from
the butcher and groceries from 'the
grocer. Can anyone imagine the reply
he would get from an operator of to-
day if he sent in such a request?
Amateur Central.
"We had great deal of annoyance
from the practical jokers around
town, remarked Mr.. Cassidy. We had,
sometimes, as many as seyenty-five
numbers on single calling line and
if anything went wrong with that line,
in the Office, all of the telephones on
it were out of commission and would
remain so until the office was notified
and a lineman sent out to find the
trouble If one of these jokers hap
pened to take down the receiver and
learn that the calling line was out of
| whack it was his turn to make more
trouble for the operators. One young
| man, now in business on Merchant
! Street, and who is known for his en-
! ioyment of practical joking, was a
/ eulprit on one occasion. OF course, /
! did not know this at the time but
! learned afterwards that for fifteen
minutes in one day he acted as Cen
trail in the office where he was employ
ed, intercepting messages intended for
Central. 1t went something like this:
After repeated calling one party would
call for a number, let us say 1913. The
i young fellow would take it all right
/ but the caller, not receiving a reply,
would ask again and the Joker would
very carefully repeat number entire
ly different and when he had the man
worked up to the proper state of wrath
he would coolly ask him his number.
OF course this does not seem as funny
when | tell it as it did to the two or
three young men who were in the office
when it occurred. 1t was said that the
reason for the instrument in that office
burning out at the time was the
amount of swearing that went over the
line during those fifteen Minutes
Some Drawbacks.
Another thing TO illustrate the ac-
commodating disposition of the opera
tors, If lady or gentleman intend
ing to spend the evening elsewhere than
in their own home would notify Cen
trail the fact was communicated to ANY,
one ringing up and the person inquir-
ing was told where he or she could be
found. This was great accommodation
to physicians and others, but it occa-
sionally worked to their disadvantage.
For instance: Smith or Jones would
leave home, ostensibly for his place of
business, but really to visit a friend
for quiet evening. His wife, of
course, was in ignorance of this. Ar
irving at the friend IS house he possibly
called up another friend and his voice
was recognized by the operator. Later
the wife would ring up her husband s
place of business expecting he was
there and the operator would tell her
to ring up the number of the friend IS
house where he was to be found.
The operator would recognize a voice
instantly.
Kickers. of Course.
For several years there was only one
operator and the service was all that
the average man could wish for. OF
course there were kickers lust as there
are today. A business man was talk
ing - modern telephone the other day
just after he had had little expert.
! ence. His story was to the effect that
| his wife had asked him to attend to
some business on his arrival in town
and to notify her by phone of the re-
suit. On reaching his office he called
central and asked for his house num-
Der. Central replied that the line was
busy and on calling again he was told
the telephone had been taken out. He
asked her when and the girl said about
two months previously He said this
must be mistake as it was in his
house. She said it made no difference.
the instrument had been taken otlt.
Then his patience was exhausted and
he made a peremptory demand and
got the desired connection. This gem
tleman said at the time he was relat-
ing his experience. "The best service
was in the old days for the operators
were always polite. l realize as much
! as anyone the annoyances they are put
to and the abuse they receive. but at
/ the same time / do not consider that
they pay sufficient attention to the
calls. When l get a polite answer to
request now days it Is really So re-
freshing that I cannot realize it comes
! from the telephone Office
The duties of the operators have been
/ multiplied and the number Of those
in Central increased. This NAV have
something to do with the mistakes that
are made just as the mistakes had TO
do with abandoning the system and
promoting the automatic