Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1913-01-31
Telephone Co.
Modernizes Plant
Progressive Policy Of Golden VAL
key Telephone Co. Places Cor
poration In Operation Of Mod
.ern Exchange.

poradon In Operation OF Mod
.esn Exchange.
Patrons of the Golden Valley
Telephone Company. with head
quarters in this city, are soon to
be Accommodated with the facil-
tiles of one Of the most modern
exchanges in the state when the
present plans of the company.
now under way, are completed.
The improvements are extern
sive and call for a general mod
ernization of inside and outer
plants. and the company is spar
i1tx no expense to accomplish their
object. "A. C. Babmer. of Bis
marck. expert cable splicer with
the North Dakota Independent
Telephone Co.. has charge of all
splicing, which is an operation the
difficulty of which can only be
appreciated after seeing the work
in progress.
The main cable. or the one
which directly leads from the ex-
change. in turn acting as feeder to
cables of lesser size as the wires
::radiate to farm and toll lines and
different parts of the city. con-
tains SOC single wires. or 253
pairs. Of the other three cables.
one contains 404 wires and two
contain 202 wires, each. The op-
>:ration Of splicing the ends of
these wires projecting from the
.leaden jacket, would strike the
average man as an impossible job.
Indeed, it might be called hunt
ing for a needle in hay stack.
But with the skill of the electri-
clan the work is attended by small
dificulty-rather with certainty
that obviates the possibility of
mistakes which might otherwise
prove disconcerting to the pat
~rons of the exchange. Each of
these single wires is carefully
wrapped for, insulating purposes
and afterward twisted together.
Each wire is numbered. the wire
with the red insulation being
given odd numbers. while the ev.
en- numbers are indicated by the
white insulation. Obviously, ii
takes pair of these wires to form
and complete a circuit.
Az each splice is made. a small.
hard. white tube of prepared pap
.er is slipped over the juncture. i'm
pregnated with solution which ID
ampermeable to moisture and acts
as an insulation. When the splic.
ing has been completed, the dia-
meter at the point Of concurrence
Of the wires is about three times
the diameter of the balance Of the
cable. necessitating the use of a
leaden sleeve. or housing. to pro-
tect it from the weather as is the
balance of the cable. After the
sleeve has been placed. it is wrap
ped in muslin and afterward boil
edr-in parafine. eradicating all
moisture. The cable is now ready
for it's first terminal, from where
1t severally branches off to the
-other terminals. the cables grad
'ually becoming smaller, or con-
tanning a less number of wires as
the field is covered.
In blocks where there is no
open wire to come into the ter
4mnal an unprotected terminal is
$ sused, SO called because, already
being protected. there is no dan
ger of the entering wires being
burned out by electrical disturb
sances. These terminals are small
.er than the protected terminals,
which are long. cylindrical affairs
with cone roof or top for water
shedding purposes. and which, az
Its name implies. offers all pro-
.teciion against the occurance Of
huzn-outs from electrical storms
The ground wire from each term
and = connected to ground cone,
much resembling a aand point,
which i seated in a hole whish
HAS been drilled to water. at the
bottom Of each pole where the
sprotected terminals occu.. Zach
.eone; isthlled with charcoal, which
being an excellent absorbent,
1Sfers an e&ectual ground connec-
ktion.
"A new operating board will be
installed which will greatly facili-
tate the handling Of all calls Of
the local Exchange. The new
board is especially adapted for
Sanding calls from farm and toll
lines. while the <dld board will be
used exclusively for city calls.
The new'board is.of the latest and
most up-to-date model and offers
Distinct advantages in handling
work at,times when ordinarily the
board would be congested. The
. distributing rack, so called from
the fact that on it is distributed
the wires. each pair in its proper
place. willsaccomodate 800 pairs.
and can be added to as the needs