Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1912-11-08
BELLOWS FALLS NEWS
The Telephone in Bellows Falls.

ne IeIepnOne W beHoWS TdHSs
The first magnetic telephones used
here were put in during the month of
March, 1881, for the American Bell Tele-
phone company by F. w. Childs & COM
pany of Bratteboro The first instru-
ments installed Uhey being on private
lines and with no thought of a general
exchange by switchboard) were upon
lines between the National Bank of
Bellows Falls and the residence of its
president James H. Williams, the Office
of the Fall Mountain Paper company,
connecting with the machine shop of
Osgood & Barker and the freight office
of the Cheshire railroad; and a little
later line was built connecting the Of
flee of Walker, Dewey, Blake & COM
pany's brewery, near Cold river, with
the office of L. f.. Dewey, located where
the store of George b. Allbee is on
Bridge street. During the month of
April of the same year, a stock COM
pany was formed and line constructed
between Bellows Falls and SaXtons
river under the name of the Saxtons
River Telephone company. The SaXtons
River instrument was at first in the
shoe store of NJ. j. Amsden, Main street,
and the Bellows Falls one was placed
in the dry goods store of George O.
Guild.
The device was then i'm its expert
mental stage and great wonder to
residents. Many amusing incidents are
told of the surprise and awe with which
the farmers and others nrst heard
voices at distance. The distance be-
tween these two villages was then sup
posed to be about the limit of the power
of the instruments. Few, If any, other
instruments were installed until April,
1882.
On the sixth of that month the Bos-
ton e Northern Telephone company of
Snl lob h.. lnAr
sor of the present New England Tele-
phone e Telegraph company, acting un-
der the Bell Telephone company, made
contract with l.. S. Hayes of Bellows
Falls. to develop the business in a large
surrounding territory and build ex-
changes at various points. This contract
was in force until June l. 1885, when the
Boston & Northern company purchased
1t of Mr.. Hayes the purchase including
the SaXtons River company. During
these IA months lis miles of outside
lines were erected, connecting Bellows
Falls with thirty other villages. The
first switchboard was in the small office
room in the rear part of what is now
the corner drug store and was tended
by the drug clerk. When the change of
ownership occurred June l. 1883 there
were SO subscribers to the Bellows Falls
exchange with no employees who did not
have other duties to perform.
AS stated above, the first office where
a switchboard was used in Bellows Falls
lin 1882 was in a small room in the
rear of the corner drug store on the
south side of the square, then owned by
Hayes e Holden. During that winter it
was moved upstairs into the front office,
then occupied by l.. s Hayes as an in
suranCe office. After the sale by him of
the business to the Boston q Northern
company, rooms We're fitted up for it on
the same floor further back on West
minister street where it remained until
about 1897, when the business of the
company had grown to an extent need
ing much more office ROOM and the
switchboards were moved to the third
story of the Howard block About ten
years ago they occupied the Offices
where they now are on the second floor
of the same block.
Mr.. Hayes, who built the first ex-
change here and in several villages out
side of this under his contract with the
company, has devoted his energy largely
to insurance since 1875, and is still a
resident. He occupies the position of
fire insurance adjuster for a number of
leading companies and travels through
out New England. He is also town clerk
and holds a number of minor Offices.
He was born in Midjlesex. VT, in 1850,
and has been resident of Bellows
Falls since 1S75.-[New England Tele-
phone Topics