The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-01-26
Telephone Circuit Across
Continent ii Notable
Achievement
PRESIDENT WILSON
AND OTHERS TALK
Dr.. Bell and MIR. Watson, Who Spoke
First Words Over Telephone 40
Years Ago, Were on Crcmt-origi,
nal Instrument Was Used.
Especial to The Reformer.)
BOSTON, Jan. ,

Especial to The Reformer)
BOSTON, Jan. %.
The United States were more close
ly united than ever yesterday, when
Boston and San Francisco for the first
time were directly connected by tele-
phone.
Major Henry l.. Ihgginson, one of
tie early directors of the American |
Telephone & Telegraph company, in
Iaugurated the service from the Boston |
end Of the liuc-and talked to Thomas |
a. Watson i'll San Francisco, 1906 |
miles away.
Mr.. Watson also is 4 Bostonian. He |
was Professor Bell 5 associate and |
helper while Bell was developing his |
! telephone invention, and it was his
eur that heard Bells first telephone
message.
Yesterday the New York end of the
| line also was formally opened, and
| Professor Bell again spoke to Mr.. Wat
lson. 1t was an interesting contrast.
from the scene in the little two-room
! laborator at ) Exeter Place. Boston,
where the first spoken word between
these two men passed over Il telephone
t4AtAN N-NtNhNbhS- OllIN lIOHL OHt IoOUi 10
another, to the scene where these two
colleagues talked to each other over
10 telephone line extending from the
+ Atlantic TO the Pacific.
Washington and Jekvll Island were
laiso brought into communication with
lSan Francisco Via this transcontinent-
Ial telephone line. President Wilson
talking from the White House and
President Vail of the American Tcle-
lphone a Telegraph company talking
from IekvlI Island. GEORGIA.
The Boston exercises were held last
levening on the seventh floor of the tel
lePhone building 1T 10 Mill street.
Boston. President Spaldiuo Of the
New England Telephone 4 TrIearaph
company WAS the presiding officer. ana
those who made formal talks from the
f'u7.oE cad of the liuc 10 Sau Fran.
lciseo ia addition to Major HIggusou.
IweEe Mayor Gurtcy If Ro~teu. ,va9
talked To Mayor Bolph of san Fran
cisco: President Bliss of the Boston
Chamber of Commerce. who talked to
the president of the San Francisco
chamber of Commerce: Chairmau
Macleod Of the Massachusetts public
service commission, who talked to Il
representative of the California pub
Nv htbtttAto ibtllLit i19ttit- lDlttN ~
Lockwood, patent attorney Of the
American Telephone y Telegraph com
panE, who talked to Thomas B. Doc
little, a distinguished engineer long in
the employ Of the American Telephone
- a Telegraph company, and who was
I the inventor Of hard-drawn coppcl
| iWiIe; and President SPauIdlng of The
| New England Telephone < Telegraph
| company, who talked TO President Nc
| tarland OF the Pacific Telephone y
| Telegraph company.
| All declared the TRANSMISSION to h'
astomshlngiy clear just like talk
Jung to someone IN the next room.
| The Scene, representing as il did til,
continuation of years of effort, marke'
| an epoch in history. Il veritablc tri
| .umph of science. 1t was Il great day
| particularly for Theodore \. Vail, tn
| lfar-secing constructive head Of TIN
| Bell system. for John J. Carly, hi
chief engineer, head of the englnecrin,
| department of the American TelcphoH
| & Telegraph company, and for til
hundreds and thousands OF those VIII
| have worked with and under them.
Mr.. Vail 5 satisfaction was height
| ened by a surprise that still fUrthc
emphasized the scientific mportanc
- Oh tue occdSioh' O"lhS ~ an INJURY 1
- his knee, resulting from Il fail Il
Old Point Comfort a few weeks ago
he was resting at JekylI Island off tn
e Florida coast. His enforced obsenc
- was great disappointment. not onl
70 him but to his subordlnatcs, VIII
determined that he should share,
ia possible, in what he had declare
= would be the browning event of hi
:, lParpcr 'TheN. therefore, took a lin
:, running south and adjusted 1t so tina
70 while the talks between Boston an
~ san Francisco and New York and Sa
S. Francisco were. going on, Mr.. Vail wa
Il. liable to hear what was said at eithe