The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1914-05-02
WILL TURN OVER new
HELLO PLANT ON MAY IS
TELEPHONE EXCHANGE IN THE
MASONIC BUILDING is NEAR
COMPLETION.

The new exchange of the Michigan
State Telephone company in the Ma
sonic temple, Is nearing completion.
Engineer Johnson. in charge of the
work for the Western company. ex-
poets To turn over the plant To Man
ager Ref on May Is.
Tie new exchange takes up a large
part of two fioors OF the building and
the equipment is of so varied "A char
acter that only an expert could des-
cribe il properly. The mechanical end
of the telephone business is little un-
derstood 10y the layman and it is rath-
er difficult To understand when ii Is
explained by even an expert with in
finite patience.
The motive power Of a telephone ex-
change is electricity and as general
thing ii is provided by the commercial
electric company i'm each city, but the
telephone company must be prepared
for emergencies. The ordinary electri-
cal supply is in connected motor
generator, the motor run by the city
lighting plant and operating the gener-
ator, which charges mammoth storage
batteries from which latter the cur
rent for the telephone operations is OBJ
tanned
In the event of an accident To the
lighting plant the telephone company
has an auxiliary generator run by a
gas motor. These alternative supplies
provide the transmission current An
other generator provides current for
ringing the bells of the telephones. The
storage battery room is an interesting
feature of the exchange equipment.
general description is a series of tanks
filled with acid, in which lead plates
are immersed. Beyond that AN ordi-
nary reporter should not attempt %
with a description.
The switchboard. the heart of the
exchange. through which the telephone
calls are handled is another intricate
device 1t is sufficiently large to per-
NIT twenty girls To work at one time,
making the possible working force of
the exchange sixty girls. This board
is located in big room at the rear of
the commercial office at Sheldon and
Portage streets.
Safety and Comfort for Employees.
The telephone company makes pro-
vision for the safety and comfort of
its employees. \ rest room for the
hello" girls is to be provided com
fortably furnished room I'm which they
may rest between their hours OF duty,
eat their luncheons and generally en-
JOY themselves.
Provision for lighting fire is arrans-
ed throughout the exchange. one new
device makes provision for fighting
fire with the old reliable bucket of
water. This is tank OF chemically
treated water in which seven buckets
are immersed. All that is necessary to
do in case of a severe fire is To open
the tank and grab bucket which is
already filed. As one bucket is re-
moved another is filled and rises To the
surface.
The familiar hand fire cNtinguisherS
are scattered around the exchange and
hanging beside each of these is red
tube containing an asbestos blanket
which can he used To smother small
blaze
The big switchboard is provided with
a fire and water proof curtain whicl
can be pulled down SO as to cover the
board completely aud protect it from
fire or water.
Everything Absolutely New.
When Manager Ref and his force
move over To the new cXChan'C from
the Gazette building they will take
nothing with them but thor records.
not a single article of furniture will
be moved Absolutely everything i'm
the present exchange viii be sOrapped.
II used To lie that cut over" the
attaching of II new exchange to the
outdoor wire system, Was a sort of
spectacular affair. 1t will not ne so nv
this case. The connecting f the sys-
tenn with the new switchboard is uu-
d"rwaN now and the actual transfer
viii tax" only few seconds. Mr.
Johnson explained to a reporter how IL
Is done but eliminating the technical.
1t means hardly anything more than
pulling two strings. one will destroy
the connection II the old board, the
other will bring the new into connec-
ton with the system
Manager Ref announces that as
soon as the new exchange is i'm opera
ton public reception will be held. in
order that telephone subscribers may
have an opportunity To- inspect the
plant that makes 1t possible for them
10 communicate with each other over
all parts OF the copper country.
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