Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-01-26

The United States were more close
~ united than ever Monday when Bos-
ton and San Francisco for the first
time were directly connected by tele-
phone.
Major Henry L. Higginson, one of
the early directors of the American
Telephone & Telegraph Co, inaugur-
ated the service from the Boston eni
Of the line and talked to Thomas A.
Watson in San Francisco, 3505 miles
away.
Mr.. Watson also is a Bostonian. He
was Professor Bells associate and
helper while Bell was developing his
telephone invention, and it was his ear
that heard Bells first telephone mes
sage.
Contrast Of Years
Yesterday the New York end of the
line also was formally opened, and
Professor again spoke to Mr.. Watson.
1t was an interesting contrast. from
the scene in the little two-room lab
ratory at 5 Exeter Place, Boston,
where the first spoken word between
these two men passed over telephone
line extending only from one room 10
another, to the scene where these two
a telephone line extending from the
Atlantic to the Pacific.
Washington and Jekyll Island were
also brought into communication with
San Francisco via this transcontinen-
tai telephone line, President Wilson
talking from the White House an'
President Vail of the American Tele-
phone & Telegraph Co. talking from
Jekyll Island, Georgia.
The Boston exercises were held
Monday evening, on the seventh floo'
of the telephone building at 125 Mill;
street, Boston. President Spalding o.
the New England Telephone & Telo-
graph Co, was the presiding officer
OF the occasion, and those who made
formal talks from the Boston end Of
the line to San Francisc, in addition
TO Major Higginson, were Mayor Cur
ley OF Boston, who talked to May,
Rolph Of San Francisco: President
Bliss of the Boston Chamber of Com
merce, who talked to the President %
the San Francisco Chamber of Com
merce; Chairman Macleod of the
Massachusetts Public Service COM
mission, who talked to a representa-
tive of the California Public Utilities
Commission; Thomas D. Lockwood.
patent attorney of the American Tel
ephone and Telegraph Co.. who talk
ed to Thomas b. Doolittle. a distin
gulshed engineer long in the employ
or the American Telephone &, Telo-
graph Cd. and who was the invento
OF hard-drawn copper wire: ans
president Spalding of the New Eng
land Telephone & Telegraph Co, WHO
talked to President Mcfarland of the
Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Co.
Transmission Clear
All declared the. transmission to be
astonishingly clear-"just like talking
TO some one in the next room"
Inc scene. representing as it did
the Culminationpof years of effort.
marked an epoch in history Just as
the F'orty-niner's dream of an Ell Do
rado was pocket in the California
foothills, and his slogan, Pixies Peak
or Bust" the dream of the engineers
of the Bell Telephone System has been
the direct connection of the Atlantic
coast with the Pacific For years they
have been steadily working toward
this end, and have paraphrased the old
slogan to make it read San Francisco
or Bust
Triumph for ENGINEERS
Yesterday their dream came true.
and their aspiration was realized in a
way that made the occasion a verita :
Die triumph of science. 1t was a great
day. particularly for Theodore n.
Vail, the far-seeing constructive head
of the Bell System, for John J. Carty.
his chief engineer. head of the enei-
neering department of the America
Telephone & Telegraph Co, and for
the hundreds and thousands of those
who have worked with and under
them.
Mr.. Wallis satisfaction was height
ened by surprise that still further
emphasized the scientific Importance
OF the occasion. Owing to an injury to
his knee, resulting from a fall at Old
Point Comfort q few weeks ago, he
was unable to be present at either the
New York or Boston openings, and
was resting at Jekyll island off the
Florida coast. His enforced absence
was great disappointment not only
to him but to his subordinates, who
determined that he should share, if
possible. in what he had declared
would be the browning event of his
career. They, therefore. took line
running south and adjusted it so
that, while the talks between Boston
and San Francisco and New York and
San Francisco were going on, Mr..
Vail was able to hear what was said
at either end of the line. Not only that,
but he talked to Boston and New
York and then expressed his greeting
direct to San Francisco over a line
extending from Jekyll's island to that
point. a total talking distance of
about 440O miles.
The Original Telephone
An interesting feature Of Professor
Bells talk was his use Of an exact re-
production of the original telephone
constructed for him by Mr.. Watson,
and now in the museum Of the Amer
lean Telephone & Telegraph Co.
Through this old instrument, shown
at the Centennial Exposition, he could
make himself heard only a few hun
drpd feet and even then in MANY