El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-01-26
TALK BY WIRE
ACROSS COUNTRY
Inventor of the Telephone
Talks Across Continent
With His Assistant.

New York. Jan. 26.-AleXander era
tsr, Poll the inventor of the telephone,
talked into replica of ms Original
instrument in the office Of EheOdoIe n.
Vail, president of the American L Gle-
nbone &, telegraph company, at 10 Dey
street at 4 o'clock yesterday AFTER
noon. At the other end of the wire was
Thomas A. Watson. DR.. Bells associate
at the time OF the telephones lhNeh-
ton 40 years ago. Between the Two lay
the whole United States. For Mr.. Wat
son was in san Francisco and TINS con-
versation celebrated the completion OF
the first telephone line to join the AT
lantic and Pacific.
The two men who gave the world the
+eleDhone were the first TO speak over
the worlds longest telephone hne' AT
either end of the far flung wires were
officials of the two city governments
business men and members OF the
chambers of commerce of both clles'
officials of the telephone company
scientists and engineers who had done
work on the line, and pioneers OF the
telephone industry who remembered the
time when Bells invention was con-
sidered an amusing toy.
Inventor still Energetic.
Wher Dr. Bell, alert and vigorous
as the youngest engineer present
strobe into the Dey street offices, mem
cries oS his early struggles to make
wires talk rose up at him from every
side In the place of honor on the Dig
desk in the center of the room stood an
exact facsimile of the first telephone
transmitter that he could beguile into
carving his voice. In the light OF all
that has happened to transmitters since
il was a crude enough affair.
one Of the first to greet DR.. Bell as
he entered was John Joseph carly
chief engineer of the American IeIe-
phone & Telegraph company, under
Tvtoze direction the transcOntinental
/ line was built.
AS the guests in the front row
pressed round him, Mr.. Carly sat down
in front of the curious looking instru-
ment on the table and put his lips TO
the mouthpiece. There was moment
/ pause and then the chief engineer stood
/ up pushing the chair towards DR.. Bell.
The Conversation.
! Dr. Bell took Mr. Carty's place, and
I everyone took deep breaths as he SAID.
( in a firm. clear voice:
] "Ahoyl Ahoyi Can you hear me?'
! When the telephone had grown SO
that, as Mr.. Watson says, he ana Bell
could take the baby outdoors for the
first time" on October 9, 1876, Dr.. Bel
/ had called "ahoy" across two miles OF
/ wire. which was long distance indeed
! for that time This was the call used
/ in the experiments made then, and Il
was not until some time later thal
/ hello superseded it.
The question mad nardiE IeLl Ii
! Bells lips when il was answered
7 can hear you perfectly" said Mr.
/ Watson in san Francisco, and those II
( Dey street could hear the murmur IN
/ DR.. Bells receiver.
! During the informal conversatlo
/ from New York, Mrs. Gilbert eros,
/ venor. daughter of DR.. Bell, talked
/ with Robert s. Scarburg, in San Fran
| cisco and gained the honor of being the
first woman to talk over the transcon-
| Following Mr.. Bells conversation
mayor John Purroy Mitchell took the re
| ceiver and held a conversation Will
| mayor James ROlph, jr., at san Fran
cisco. who took the place OF Mr. wat
Z sen at the Pacific coast end of the wire
President Wilson Talks.
After the two mayors had finished
talking. a line was hooked up Wit
! Washington, D @. through New YORK
and president Wilson talked TO presl
dent Moore. of the San Francisco eN
( position. This made the line lonSe
! than across the continent, yet the con
| versatIons were as clear as shose De
[ tween New York and san Francisco.
A line was then connected with FlOr
/ ida and president TheO. n VAN. OF Tn
/ American Telegraph and Telephon
company. talked over il to san Fran
cisco. making the connection stu
longer than that OF President Wilso
. ! from Washington to New York an
, San Francisco. The conversation wa
distinct and clear.
President GreatIy Pleased.
When president Wilson stepped l