Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-04-30

With calm and dignined face the clock holds its
steady habit and frowns. almost believe, at
the flashing fingers and flying hands of the scores OF
operators.
Tick, tock' says the clock, counting numbers
they into eternity without the slightest hurry
"Number, number" repeat the operators rapidly
and continually. with hardly any noise at all. For
be It understood at the center from whence the con-
versation matinees are conducted all day long-and
all night toothere is conversation worth talking
about long line of we'll trained girls with admira
bly, modulated voices talk by the yard and by
the hour-millions of words-but none of them has
any time to indulge in the article they purvey.
Telephone Operator Busy Person.
Perhaps, and very probably the ordinary person
thinks the telephone operator has nothing much to
do, since she only acts intermediary. But for
hours stretch she is about the busiest person
you find. peg count" kept at the local Ne
braska Telephone exchange shows that these girls
handle 100000 calls day Little wonder, then, they
feel the need of a short ntermisson at the end of
two hours In front of every girl is group OF
small, round holes in big board" and at the end
of each one of bunch OF wires is metal peg. AS
numbers called for these pegs rapidly stuck
into the holes and rapidly pulled out and allowed
to drop to place when receivers are hung up. 1t is
peg, pull and drop every instant of every minute;
and behind the chairs of the operators the super
visors steadily marching back and forth, to note
that each operator is getting action according to the
rules in such case made and provided. Every super
visor oversees the work of from six to eight girls
Figuring down to actual averages, every business
phone in Omaha originates twelve calls day; that
is asks for that number of connections from it's
rooms. OF course some concerns originate several
hundred calls day, possibly and are called often
from the outside Residence phones originate about
half many calls as the instruments in business.
houses, but some conversation-makers in the resi-
dences indulge in speeches long congressman
get print And here 1t should be stated the
faIa will 10 ahO he
talks unless absolute need arises. Neither will
the telephone operator tell you who lives at any
tain number any street where phone may be
located. AS far It will in this direction is to
tell you who called you up, If you happen to find
call lying on your desk after being out. This con-
cesson is made that II don't to waste time
on the party you don't have to.
Long distance calls originating in Omaha number
about 900 a day, and take in cities far away as
Boston and New York, and west to the coast Some
firms have standing calls to all the principal cities
reached by the telephone lines. Two circuits to
Chicago, for instance kept continually busy, and
the demand ia growing to that extent that copper
cables being installed all the time TO keep up with
it-not only to Chicago but in every direction.
Information" the Real Buffer.
Information, please" you say without thought
OF adding to anyones worries; but the telephone ex
perts will tell that this branch of the service
asked TO do altogether too much work that people
using the Instruments shirk themselves. Women are
set down the greatest offenders in this particular
II they happen to be in a hurry Instead OF keeping
In mind the motto, Look In the book and see they
let Information" do the work. Men are guilty Of
the same unchivalrous conduct II the book doesnt
happen to be handy when they want a number Sta
stcs kept by the company indicate that rs per cent
OF all calls for information absolutely unnecessary
II people would use the telephone directory. Some
persons have been known to ask information" for
recipes to make fudge crochet work. or Easter egg
dyes, or the best penoiling for the eyebrows And
the girl in the telephone exchange is too busy to even
remember that she has eyebrows All she knows TO