Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-06-12
Windy Days Make
Many Patients

Physicians know that certain diseases
are peculiar to certain climates. Gil
matte diseases they call them. Most
! any one knows that certain kinds OF
| weather have depressing effect on the
well, to say nothing of the sick. And
altho humans are quick to feel weather
changes, they are not affected nearly
as much by them as are the sensitive
telephone wires.
If the walls of the hospital Of the
Marshall Telephone Company's ex-
change were so thick that no sound
could penetrate them; II there were no
windows in them, and the trouble man.
who sits before the hospital board
where all sickness of wires are reported
never looked or went out, he could
tell you by the trouble the wires are
in what the weather was like outside.
For most Of the interference that inter-
rupts your phone service Is caused by
the elements.
High winds are one Of the very COM
mon causes Of crosses" short circuits,
and grounded wires, all Of which break
the service.
1t was June day. Outside a slashins
southwest wind was blowing. Wires
were swaying. Tree tops were TOSSING
and whipping about. The whole over
head system Of wires was vibrating.
Wires were getting crossed. Boughs of
trees were short circuitinS them. The
man at the hospital board was busy.
Busy also were the hospital attendants.
the trouble mon who were out on the
IT. he hooake nnPY0Sa1n q
the crosses. and getting going again the
services that had halted.
The hospital attendant at head
quarters sat facing a switch board. The
board is miniature Of the big switch
board in the room above. AS tho they
were night lamps in a sick room. tiny
lights burned in the board before the
mans eyes, and showed him the ten or
oozen wires that were sick and In the
hospital for treatment.
Some of the lights burned steadily.
Others cleaned, went out, CLEANED
again, and again went dark. as the cir
cult was open, then broken, then opened
again by whatever cause was interior
ing with the service. Each light indl-
Gated one service or party line. me
user had complained to central. The
operator had connected the wire into
the hospital, and there the complaint OF
my bell is ringing all the time. i
can't get central" mo one can hear
me" or whatever it was. was reported.
A memorandum Of the complainant's
name. phone and house number, ana
the nature of the complaint was tahesi
down.
The trouble men were out, for this
thing had been going on all day. 1t goes
on every day to greater or lesser eS
tent. Soon however he will be notiheh
of the arrival Of the latest patient TO
the hospital.
One OF the several little lights that
have been cleaning and going out IN
rapid succession burns steadily now.
From the top Of some pole. or up In
some tree a mile or more away.
trouble man has cut in on that wire
with the instrument he carries. You
hear only the hospital attendants END
Of the conversation.
'All right. Ed"
Just q minute
AS he says it he presses over two
little levers to his right. Under his left
hand he has already opened a third
lever. Now he joggles this one back
and forth while he watches dial. IN
front Of which a slender needle points
inward to figures arranged in seq.
ment of a circle The needle STANDS
still.
Zine and dandy. Ed" he calls over
the wire. then cuts off the connection.
Take No. out of the hospital you
hear him say He's talking to the
operator upstairs. The little light goes
ont. The wire has been taken out OF
the hospital and reinstated in its place
In the switch board upstairs. well and
ready for service again, and another
berth is empty In the telephone hospital
ward for a new patient.
Perhaps when the attendant looked
at the dial as he manipulated the little
lever the needle went vibrating and
ouiverine back and forth. 1t showed
that the service was not yet cleared.
was still interrupted. II so the trouble
man was told and he continued his
search alone the wires until the seat OF
the trouble was found.
And when the service was restored
and the wire was transferred back TO
the switch board from the hospital, the
time was noted on the trouble nemor-
andum, The slip. with others, was
filed away. Sixteen OF these SIPS.
chosen at random from the bunch OF