The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-01-26
HELLO, FRISCO

MLLU, fRlSGU
suecessfui Communication op.ned
Across the Continent
The Dream OF Forty Years Realized
NEW YORK, January 25.-The com.
pletion OF the long distance teIephone
line between New York and san Fran
cisco was celebrated to-day. First. this
city had speech with her California
neishbor 1900 miles away. Then the
wires that swing southwark from New
York brought Washington and San Fran
cisco into telephone touch. On down
the coast to little Jekyll Island opposite
Georgia, they carried the Golden Gates
greeting.
Al the White House President Wilson
spoke into the mouthpiece of his tele.
phone and his voice was whirled across
thirteen States to the shores OF the
Pacific.
But on a day when long distance tele.
phone records were smashing up the
country over, 1t was the talk between
San Francisco and Jeky!l island that had
the honor of breaking every worlds rec
ord for long distance transmission, Presi-
dent Theodore N. Vail OF the American
Telephone q Telegraph Company ia
spending the winter on Jekyll Island and
when he spoke to San Francisco his
voice had to travel 1000 miles up tho
Atlantic seaboard to New York before II
started on its trans-continental Journey.
When it sounded in the receiver. at San
Francisco 1t had gone 400 miles in all.
AT the center Of these telephone do.
ings, where the wires Of the North and
southsmet those of the distant West, In
President Wallis office at 10 DEFY Street.
was Alexander Graham Bell, who in.
vented the telephone forty years ago
Mayor Mitchell and other city officials.
scientists and engineers and telephone
pioneers, and other distinguished men
gathered round DR.. Bell as he strobe
Into the room on the top floor Of the
telephone company's building. On q
table at one end of the big office was a
replica OF the first telephone transmittcr
to carry the human voice. 1t looked to
be a crude enough affair. Tie down n
drum-head over wooden receiver, Join
the center Of the drum-head to the free
end Of a receiver spring. arrange q
mouthpiece over the drum-head-and
there YOU have 1t. But forty years ago
when that crude affair was first shown
by Bell at the Philadelphia Centennial
the Emperor OF Brazil backed away from
1t In amazement. crying: my God, II
talks" And to-day, because OF what the
engineers have done. DR.. Bellwas TO send
his voice through 1t across the cont.
nent.
There was further reminder of tile
telephones babyhood In coll of wire
connected with the transmitter. This
was part of the original wire over which
DIR. Bell spoke tho first words ever ut.
tered by telephone. In his boarding house
at 0 Exeter Place. Boston, On March 10.
1875. Bell had called to Thomas A. Wat.
sson, his associate standing at re-.
ce!ver In another room. and Watson,
breathless with excitement. heard his
voice on the wire. That wire was pre-.
served under glass. and now after two.
score years. 1t was part OF the first
trans-continental line.
One of the first to greet DR.. Bell as
he entered was John Joseph Carly,
Chief Engineer. OF the American Tcie.
phone & Telegraph Company, under
whose direction the trans-continental
line was built. To-day was not Mr..
carty's first in the making of telephone
history. He has. been doing 1t ever since
DR.. Bell gave the membrane transmitter
to group OF his friends and left It to
them to make II universal household
servant. Mr., Carly IS the organizer of
what might be called the first telephone
university. and under his direction the
art of telephony was developed. There
were those In President vail's office who
could remember tho time when there
were only three telephone engineers in
! the world. To-day Mr.. Carly heads more
than 600 engineers.
Mr.. Carly escorted DR.. Bell to ths
strange looking transmitter and It's in.
ventor pressed his lips to the mouth.
piece.
"Ahoy! Alloy! Can you hear me?-
asked DR.. Bell. and instantly there was
murmur in the receiver audible to
everyone In the room. Out in San Fran.
cisco In the offices Of the Pacific Tele.
phone & telegraph Company. Thomas A.
Watson had heard the voice Of his old.
time associate signalling In the manner
they had employed in their earliest ex.
periments. and had answered.: II can
hear perfectly"
1t was four o'clock when DR.. Bell sent
his "ahoy" across the continent and
one OF the first Of the guests to speak
after him asked the time in San Fran.
cisco. Everyone looked at their watch
as the answer came back: zone O'clock"
This started a furry OF figuring. Those
who know sound waves and the rate
they travel said that 1t would take four
hours for mans voice unaided, granted
the possibility OF such titanic lungs,
to travel to San Francisco through the
air. On the wires II takes less than
one-hfteenth OF second. Electricity
was driving DR.. Bells "ahoy" at thu
rate Of $4,000 miles per second. Sound,
unabetted. limps along In comparison,
making only 1880 feet per second.
So II there was pride in the faces Of
tho engineers who clustered round DIR.
Bell as he talked to Friend Watson,
to-day there was some reason therefor.
Up to now the longest telephone line in
the world was between New York and
Denver. but Mr.. Carly and his young
men have gone their previous record
1900 miles better, and once again they
t1 81. Az ~ .