Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-07-16
SUBMARINE CABLE
Will BE ERECTED
BY BELL COMP ANY
Central Union to Expend $685.
600 to Better Telephone
Service to Davenport.
REMOVE WIRES ON BRIDGE
Thirty-Five Experts From Western
Electric Are Rushing Work on
the New Switchboard.

The board of receivers of the Cen
trail Union Telephone company in ses-
sion at Chicago have appropriated
meet the trunk line between Rock Is
land and Davenport The work of lay
ing this 600 pair cable from Eigh-
teenth street on this side, to Brady
street in Davenport, will be completed
before fall. This new improvement
means the removing of all phone wires
on the government bridge. Better SER
vice will result with more safety for
the linemen, as the bridge has always
been a dangerous place for them to
work.
Practically all of the material for
the new underground cable between
Moline and Rock Island has arrived
and the actual work of laying it will
commence within 10 days. The new
200 pair cable from this city to Mo-
line will mean the removal of the
unsightly poles on the Seventh ave-
nue. boulevard. For the past five years
the trunk lines have been so arranged
that either Davenport, Rock Island.
Moline or East Moline can be called
be installed accordingly.
Nearly Automatic.
The first connecting link, a cable,
was installed on the new switchboard
in the new building on Eighteenth
street this morning. The work is pro-
crossing rapidly with 80 experts from
the Western Electric company on the
job. The total cost of the new board
is S169,40O and it viii be completed by
Nov. Is. a. ]. Beverlin. manager of
this district, stated today that the new
switchboard was as close as they could
possibly get to the automatic phone,
without being absolutely automatic.
He said that the officials of the COM
pany had found from experience that
the majority of the public wanted a
central to ring their numbers for them
instead of calling themselves. Under
the new automatic ringing device, the
central is only a go-between for the
two parties talking and she cannot
hear the conversation unless one of
the parties is disconnected. On the
10th of every month will be peg day"
On this day the number of calls for
each operator is tabulated and the
NOTh CdH ne
force at the new board will be as fol
lows: One chief operator, three in
formation operators. eight long dis
lance operators, four RELIEF operators
and SO regular operators.
Foreigners Gain Ideas.
F. Villacorta and V. NJ. EscoDar. two
of the San Salvador
of South America, have
been working with the employees of
the Western Electric company here, |
installing the new board. These two |
men are getting line on the style of
of the telephone manufac-
turers in this country, to determine |
which shall be used by the San Saliva !
dor government. They have already |
decided on the Western Electric |
While here they will also |
select the style of wireless, telegraph /!
ic and power house equipment TO be /
used. The San Salvador government |
owns all of the telephone, telegraph, !
railroad and street car systems OF |
that country and is continually look |
ing for new ideas along these lines. |
Both of the representatives are bright |
men, willing workers and quick to /
learn. They think the United States |
a wonderful country.
The distribution of the new phone 1
books will commence tomorrow. The |
new books have orange colored COW
ers so as the subscribers can easily |
tell them from the old.