The Washington herald., 1912-04-08
CUMBERLAND TELEPHONE
AND TELEGRAPH CO., INC.

Sary 10 develop some at home so In lyOi
the plans were made for the big shops
in North Nashville. Two blocks of prop
erty were purchased and covered with
substantial brick buildings two stories
high. A good part of these buildings is
required to handle the supplies Of the
company. which consists OF thousands of
itenls and go out each week to more
than 500 local managers and construction
crews. all over the South. Having charge
of lines entering a good portion Of In
diana and Illinois. completely covering
Kentucky, Tennessee. Mississippi. and
Louisiana, besides the many joint lines
where II connects with other big sys-
TENS, a vast amount OF material is neces-
sary. Wire in hundreds Of classes. sizes,
and kinds is bought from the manufac-
tories and brought to Nashville in bulk
and In the shops there Is prepared for
use.
In this department Of the shops many
curious things are seen. Men are at
work there unwinding all this mass Of
wires, measuring II, weighing il. insulat-
ing II, sDooling II, again counting IL out
properly for the check Of the stOrekeep-
ers and disbursers. Here is where the
principles Of telephony are taught to the
hI ndreds Of employees tIat cone in from
on the system to get their course Of
training before taking their posts some
where out on the thousands OF mills
of the system. In the Woodworking de-
psrtment of the big shops are a force of
men manufacturing booths, wooden
boxes. crossarms, and many other lseded
things. Expert men in this department
turn out some of the prettiest wood
work done in the country. In the
switchboard rooms is another interesting
sight All the small and large switch
boards used over the great system are
manufactured here, each marked accord
ing to the service II can render and sent
out to the station needing such n board.
Being crowded out of the general Of
flee building uptown. the stationery de-
partment had to seek quarters in the
shops, and in one corner Of the big
building will be found several carloads
OF stationery, blank forms. pads, reports.
directories, SC. Each Office throughout
the country is supplied on requisition
from this room through the branch de-
positOries in Louisville, Knoxville, Mem
phis. and New Orleans. Not a sheet of
paper goes out Of this room Unaccounted
for, for the company wants 10 know
what use is made OF the paper, for
which it pays something like 4 quarter
OF a million dollars per year. In the
basement Of the big shops Is perhaps
the most complete automobile garage IN
the South. The company has fourteen
big automobiles here for the use OF the
officers, heads OF departments, fOremcn.
and repair crews, and they are kept
pretty well on the go. The place is
built of re-enforced concrete, and expert
machinists are in charge. Several of
these automobiles were built out-and-Out
in the company shops. with the eNCep-
ton Of the engines. ana they are as
neat and serviCeable as the best cars
brought from the East. But the auto
mobiles alone will not serve all the pur-
poses Of the Company's employees, so
large stable Is maintained adjoining the
shops. where about nifty teams and as
many vehicles Of various kinds are kept.
To the laymen perhaps tho most inter-
esting feature OF the Cumberland Com
pInys big shops is the system in use
there and the educational courses taught.
one OF the objects OF the shops is to
train men in the cOmpany's service and
make telephone men OF amateurs. This
idea originated with Leland Hume gen
eTaI manager OF the company. some
years ago. and ne has at last perfected
his plan and realized his hopes. When
a man enters the employ of the COM
pany down in Louisiana, up in Indiana.
in Memphis or any where else. he Is
first used a while at the local exchange.
1t he shows a willingness - learn the
business and applies for a better posi-
ton, he is sent to Nashville. put In the
shops. and on the companys pay rolls,
and drilled for months. or until he has
learned the fundamental principles of
the business. For the position Of man.
ager Of a local exchange one can qualify
in a few months by entering the shops
school, where It would require years out
side. He is put through each depart
ment under an Instructor. who sees to
a. -. 10 wNaHnI
moving on to the next department.
Instead OF charging tuiticn. the Cum
Derland puts its students on the pay
oil at a reasonable figure while they
ire in the Shops. The pay is often very
mall but always enough 10 pay board
md other expenses. with a snug surplus
or other purposes. \ thing in the gen.
,ral shops that will attract the visitor
: the perfect system in saving every
,article of material. All the old teIc
DhOnes that get out of order through
he country. or are burned in buildings.
Ill the old material OF every kind and
haracter, is sent to the Nashville shops.
egardless Of its apparent value. Here
I is cleaned up. each screw. nail, bit Of
wire, and even the battered and broken
its are taken out. cleaned. and put in
'Oxes for inspection. All that can be
Ised again is counted out, Classed or
measured. and placed where the supply
nan can get IL for use again. Absolute
y nothing is lost but the noise, and there
S not much of that.
A system OF departments under one GEN. !
raj management is the story of the ]
perating department of a great teIe- !
hone system. and none of them per !
APPS have surpassed the record for de- |
elopment established by the Cumbcr- !
and. In the past few years the man
cement has been giving its attention to |
he development of farm lines, and in |
he past three years hundreds. even |
thousands, OF lines have been run out /
he country roads to farm houses In |
his department the Cumberland Com
any has its experts, both IN soliciting /
nd construction, and the requirements /
re met. 1t appears, everywhere. In this
inc, perhaps, lies the greatest opportu-
Iity for development before the managers |
{ telephone companies. The cities have
rown so used to the telephone that the
ecessity does the work. and all the
have to do is to give the
roper service and keep their plants up
the requirements. Entirely new fields
re constantly springing up. however.
nd the farm or rural business Is one
the most. important
Of little less Importance than the farm
apartment is the railroad end Of the
usiness. Until a few year ago the rail
Dads gave little thought to using tele-
homes along their lines, but IL is quite
Ommon now for railroads to use the
llephone for transmitting many classes
messages, and some OF the roads are
sing the telephone extensively to dis
atch trains. Only two weeks ago the
linois Central Railroad Company con-