The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1910-08-28

are ten "shelves' running parallel
around the surface. These ten rows are
subdivided into ten parts. making the
ring really series Of little points pro-
truding from the inner surface.
While all the switches look alike to
the eve, they are divided in three
classes which perform different func-
tions. the one just described being call
ed the "1000' switches or the first
solicitors. These are the real centrals,
one of them being attached to the line
of every subscriber,
To retrogate in the description it
might be said that the switches are ar
ranged in the decimal system, in accord
ance with the numbers of subscribers.
One section of the operating boards will
contain all the switches operating the
phones murderer from 1000 to 1899.
Another section will contain the
switches operating the phones numbered
up to 2999. In this office there is sec
ton to handle the "3000' phones, but
it is merely a providence against future
Increase in the cOmpany's system, as
there are not that many subscribers at
present.
These sections are divided again into
boards (the glass cases mentiOned) con-
tanning switches operating a hundred
phones, making. consequently ten
boards to the section.
In each Of these cases there are 12O
switches, leo of which represent the
number of telephones operated from
this particular board. Ten more are
known as second solicitors and the other
ten as connecting switches, being de-
scribed below.
To return to the first switch, known
as the first solicitors. These. as stated,
are the first with which a subscriber con
meets upon taking down his phone to
| call a number The first number which
the subscriber will call, VIII of course
be the thousand. in this city either the
figure one or two as there is no number
! over three thousand.
What Happens.
Upon running the dial around to one
of these figures and releasing 1t. the
vertical bar mentioned makes a little
lump and lands the horizontal bar on
the shelf corresponding to the number
just registered.
This action completed, still mo
complicated one commences taking q
thousandth part of the time necessary
to describe it, The ten little points
| making up the shelf each represent a
"'trunk' line running to the section
represented by that shelf. If It is shelf
number two the trunks will lead to the
section contained the switches operating
| the phones numbered from 1000 to 1899
! There IS of course. a possibility that a
| number of people viii be calling from
| the board on which the subscriber mas
| lust rung IN to the section which he Is
calling. It is therefore necessary that
there be more than one trunk line lead
| ing to it. Ten is considered sufficient
rs it is doubtful if ten people out OF one
| hundred ever call the same group OF
| numbers at the same time.
| After allowing for this it became
necessary to perfect a device by whlc n
| the first selector' switch could plcB
| out a vacant "trunk" line and thus
| convey the subscriber to the section be
wishes. Upon jumping to the shelf rep,
/ resenting this section, the horlzonta
/ bar lands on the first point in II. II the
, trunk line running off from this point Il
being used bv somebody else on the
same board, the bar fits to the right tc