The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1914-05-21
new PHONE SYSTEM
TO BEGIN SUNDAY

Mayor Mccuaig to Pull String Plac-
ing Common Battery Service in
Operation Saturday Night.
WILL CAUSE NO INCONVENIENCE
New Exchange Will Provide Be-
midi With One of Most Modern
Equipped Centrals in Northwest
When Bemidji patrons of the
Northwestern Telephone company
use their phones on next Sunday
morning it will not be necessary to
ring, for their calls will be answered
from the new 100000 exchange
which has just been completed and
which will be placed in operation
about midnight next Saturday.
All work on the new exchange has
been completed, and unless some
thing out of the ordinary occurs,
Mayor McCuaig will pull the string
which will cut the old system out
and the new system in when given
a signal Saturday night. * IT,. .
When the Cut is Made. -
While the transfer from one sys-
tenn to the other will be made at
time when but few lines will be
busy, the change will not interfere
with anyone talking. Beginning
Sunday morning the new phones will
be used in places where they have
already been installed, and in resi-
dences and business houses where
the old phones have not been re-
placed it will not be necessary to
ring.
.. ,.. No Inconvenience.
While the new system, known as
the common battery or central en-
ergy system, is very complicated, it
is expected that subscribers will not
be subject to any Inconvenience.
Should a few phones give trouble the
repairing will be made within
short time.
When the receiver is lifted from
the hook in using the new system,
a light will notify the operator that
number is wanted. She will then
plug in the party desired and an
| other light will show whether the
call has been answered. When. the
receiver is again placed on the hook,
the light on the switch board will
disappear. There is no need of Jerk
ing the hook up and down in call
ing central.
At Work Eight Months.
While the construction work On
the new exchange building was be-
gun last summer, actual work on the
equipment was not started until last
October. The installing has been
pushed as rapidly as possible and
for some time more than 100 men
were employed. About twenty-five
men have been assisting in the fin
ishing work.
C. G. Roos, inspector of the Fargo
district, has had charge Of the work
for the telephone company, while +.
G. Bull, has been the foreman super
intending the installing of the equip
ment for the Western Electric COM
pany. J. J. Sanders had charge Of
the outside construction work.
Large Toll Business.
| The Bemidji exchange has a large
toll business and several operators
are required to attend to long dis
lance calls. The switchboard of the
new exchange will accommodate g.
900 subscribers, and Bemidji has
nearly 1000. This number is con-
sidered as being above the average
for cities the size of Bemidji. The
switchboard will allow ten operators
to work, and each one is enabled to
connect with any of the 1000 lines.
| Underground Wires.
Telephone wires of the business
district are entirely underground,
and lines in a large portion Of the
residence district have been changed
from the streets to the alleys.
The new exchange provides a re-
firing room for the operators, In
which cooking utensils, davenport
and other conveniences for the girls
will be placed. 1t also provides an
office for the local manager. These
departments together with the switch
board are located on the second floor,
while the terminal takes up the first
floor. There are more than $4,000
soldered parts in the exchange.
Current enough to operate the ex-
change for two weeks is stored in
the batteries in the terminal room.
| Wolfe In Charge.
R. A. Wolfe of Grand Forks, traf-
fic superintendent, has been coach
ling operators during the mast week