Omaha daily bee., 1915-02-28
PHONE SYSTEM COMPLETE
Latest Devices Known to the Tele-
phone World Installed for the
Use of the Guests.
TELEPHONES ON ELEVATORS

date Telephone system In Omaha, ~ All
odds. Is that which has been placed in
the new Fontenelle.
An interesting and instructive study in
modern commercial and social develop
ment Is this wonderful system.
| a guest in any room can ait at his
phone and talk to n person in san Fran
cisco or New York or any other place in
tho United States.
Two operators will be required to oper-
etc the private telephone switchboard,
which consists OF what tho telephone
people call two positions"
| A position" in the technical language
OF the telephone people consists OF 30
lines. This makes a total OF GAO possible
telephones 10 be served by the telephones
cut OF the Fontenelle
This II considered about equal 70 the
switchboard I'm a town Of 1900 people
Tho installation was made by the Ne
brsska Telephone company and is, OF
course. the largest in the state. IL IL Of
the very latest Western Electric company
construction.
seven Trunk Lines.
Seven trunk lines run from the switch
boards In the hotel to tho offices of the
Nebraska Telephone company, and about
$50 lines run 60 the various phones in the
rooms and offices Of the hotel
There are approximately sixteen miles
Of wires inside the hotel itself. besides
forty miles Of telephone wires
inside cables that run through the hotel.
total OF sixty-three miles OF telephone
wire to provide the perfect comTnunica-
ton In this up-to-date system II laid
out in one continuous line this wire would
reach from Omaha TO Lincoln and eight
miles beyond.
A city of 1900 people, with only the local
subscribers OF such a community would.
It Is estimated. originate only about 1900
calls a day. But with the opportunity to
speak from any room in the hotel or from
one OF the eight long distance booths In
the hotel lobby 10 all the people in a city
! like this, and with local service also to
many OF the suburbs, the Hotel Fonte-
nellie will have more calls in a day than
town OF 1900 people.
The modern idea OF efficiency Is the
conservation OF time materials, energy
What could more perfectly embody this
idea than such a system as the telephone
system In the new hotel.
New Telephone Devices.
/
TO the rooms and the offices and the
various departments but there are many
special and striklngly new Innovations In
the way OF telephone adaptation. For ex-
ample, there Is n telephone on the freight
elevator. And no longer will there be
need 10 shout up or down the elevator
shaft to attract the attention of the
porter who Is In charge of that elevator
1 O0aa wHrll a. Al a
talk while he goes UP in the world or
down in the same.
Needless to say. there IL also teie-
phone In the chefs private office, In the
store room. In the kitchen. In the barber
shop and in each and every separate de-
partment OF this marvelousiy condensed
and convenient community.
Communication from the rooms 20 every
department within the building will be
instantaneous. What a difference between
this and the old days, when one had to
ring bell and then wait In suspense
and perhaps without response until boy
slowly and deliberately climbed the stairs
III he came at all. perhaps reading Ola
mond Dick. the Boy Detective" az he
came, IL We are 70 believe the comic
papers.
Increduious hearers listened In amaze
ment TO Prof. Bell when. nearly forty
years ago. he predicted that some day
hotels would be thus equipped.
"A dreamer" they said but some OF
them have lived 60 see his dream come
true and even in greater measure than
even he ever dreamed.
Special Trunk Lines.
In ADDITION to the switchboard men
TONED above with lite possible go stations
ana tts two operators In constant attend
ance. there are fifteen special trunk lins.