Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-01-28
BOSTON AND SAN
FRANCISCO TALK
bY LONG DISTANCE

Boston, Jan. 25-The United States
were more %losely united than ever to-
day. when Boston and San Francisco for
the first time We're directly connected by
telephone
Major Henry L. Higginson. one of the
early directors of the American Tele-
phone & Telegraph company, inaugurated
the service from the Boston end Of the
line and talked to Thomas A. Watson in
san Francisco, 3,505 miles away.
Mr. Watson also is a Bostonan. He
was Professor Bells associate and helper
while Bell was developing his telephone
invention, and it was his ear that heard
Bells first telephone message.
To-day the New York end of the line
also was formally opened and Professor
Bell again spoke to Mr.. Watson. 1t was
an interesting contrast. from the scene
In the little two-room laboratory at
Exeter place, Boston where the first
spoken word between these two men
passed over a telephone line extending
only from one room to another, to the
scene where these two colleagues talked
to each other over a telephone line ex-
tending from the Atlantic to the Pacific
FROM GEORGIA TO FRISCO.
Washington and Jekyll island were
also brought into communication with
San Francisco via this transcontinental
telephone line. President Wilson talking
from the White House and President
Vail of the American Telephone & Tele-
graph company talking from Jekyll Is
land, Georgia
The Boston exercises We're helS In the
evening on the seventh floor of the tele
phone building at 1875 Milk street Bos-
ton. President Spalding of the New Eng
land Telephone e. Telegraph company was
the presiding officer of the occasion, and
those who made formal talks from the
Boston end of the line to San Francisco
in addition To Major TIigginson were
Mayor Curley of Boston. who talked to
Mayor Rolph of San Francisco: Presi
dent Bliss of the Boston Chamber Of
Commerce. who talked TO the president
of the San Francisco Chamber Of Com
merce: Chairman Macleod of the Massa-
chusetts public service commission, who
talked to representative of the Cali
fornia public utilities commission;
Thomas d. Lockwood. patent attorney Of
the American Telephone & Telegraph
company, who talked to Thomas B. Doo-
little, a distinguished engineer, long in
the employ of the American Telephone &
| Telegraph company. and who was the In.
ventor of lRrd drawn copper wire; and
| President Spalding OF the New England
Telephone & Telegraph company, who
talked to President Mcfarland Of the
| Pacific Telephone & Telegraph company.
ASTONISHINGLY CLEAR
All declared the transmission to be as.
tonishngly clear-"just like talking to
someone in the next room"
The scene. representing as it did the
elimination of years of effort. marked
an epoch in history Just as the forty
miners dream of an FL Dorado was a
pocket in the Californian foothills, and
his slogan. pixies Peak or Bust" the
dream of the engineers of the Bell Tele-
phone system has been the direct con-
nection of the Atlantic coast with the
Pacific. For years they have been stead
NY working toward this end. and have
paraphrased the old slogan to make IT
read San Francisco or Bust"
Yesterday their dream came true, and
their aspiration was realized in way
that made the occasion veritable
triumph Of science. 1t was a great day
particularly for Theodore N. Vail, the
far-seeng constructive head of the Bell
system, for John j. Carly. his chief en-,
rineer head of ,ho an,5roouir
ment of tho AMERICAN ro,anhoro a. ,ro,o
granh counanv ,nd Gov ~ h,d~oa.
of thousa,da Of ,hosa u,ho how. ,,,ou,. =,
with and under ,bar
An odd foo,vr, 90 -, ,
tho comnariso,, 90 n,a.ohos ~, -.
tho puests who wers invited 60 ,r,, .,;,
line IN San Erorc,soo r. sor,,a,
doxicaI to b,ya WAN in po..o .a,s
that tbo ,vords bo uttorod r,.ro 49,
in San Erapcisco throo hou,,, boforo i,
uttered them lint occord,,e 10 st,ra, =,
time such 10 tha .tn,,. fact v,,h
o'clock Roston TIM &c ara o,c,ock 60,