The patriot. [volume] (Indiana, Pa.) 1914-1955, 1915-01-30
OCEAN To 0CtAA
TELEPHONE SERVICE
ACHIEVED
First Message From New York ID
San Francisco
Historic Event Celebrated With
a. G. Bell at Atlantic End and
T. a. Watson ut the Pacific
End of Line


II. a. Watson at the Pacific
End of Line
NEW YORK, January 2J-This after
noon the voice OF man was made 20
cap across the continent-New York and
San Francisco were connected by tele-
phone. ImpresSively, almost solemnlyr
Alexander Graham Bell, big white
haired man whose full white beard gives
him a typical. patriarchal look, spoke the
Trst words over the span OF S400 miles
4; San Francisco there sat. listening to
this first trans-continental message, the
man who almost forty years ago heard
DR.. Bell speak the first words that ever
travelled over n wire. This man was
Thomas A. Watson, DR.. Bells assistant
when he invented the telephone in 1875.
Small wonder that few of those who
witnessed this formal opening Of the new
continent-spanning line could restrain
their emotions. Here was history in the
making as well as confirmation of that
oft-spoken phrase that history repeats
itself Here were these two men who. in
their youth. had conceived and created
the epoch-making telephone-an achieve
ment the greatness OF which is reserved
for the few-here were they, testing the
crowning achievement of the telephone
engineers who. following in the footsteps
of the inventor and his assistant. took
the first little telephone and created for
IL lines and switchboards and innumer-
able pieces Of apparatus until speech
can now be speeded across the entire ma
tion from ocean TO ocean. This indeed
was a wonderful fulfllment to be-
crowded into the short space OF a mans
lifetime.
Such were the thoughts of those who
witnessed this impressive inaugural Of
the trans-continental telephone service
in the office of the President of tho
American Telephone and Telegraph Com
pany at 10 Dey Street. Among those
who witnessed the formal opening by DR..
Bell. and who afterward talked 70 'Fr!sct
were Mayor Mitchell. other city officials,
members of the various civic bodies ana
ether prominent persons TO the number
of about one hundred. There were be-
sides a number of telephone officials
including J. ]. Carty, Chief Engineer of
the Bell System, under whose direction
the new line was constructed; b.
Gherardi, another prominent telephone
engineer, and Thomas B. Doolittle, who
developed hard drawn copper wire.
In San Francisco. beside Mr.. Watson.
there were the Mayor, the President of
the Panama-Pacifc Exposition and n
small group of other much-interested
persons.
At 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 tho
Pacific.
Theodore N. Vail, the President of the
American Telephone and Telegraph Com
pany, was unable to be present but spe-
cial arrangements were made which per-
mitted him to be connected with the
trans-continectsl line from his stopping
Bravery and Cowardice.
Cowardice is often ignorance. Are
any men brave. more ready tn take
their lives in their hands, to reckon
death as one OF the daily encounters.
than the deep sea fishermen? Yet n
group of these men brought TO London
by one Of their missionaries have been
seen too terrified to cross the street.
The police had TO stop the traffic to al
low them to cross. The quick, quarrel
some. fearless cockneyS who laughed
at them-how would they feel in -
spider may terrify the most courageous
of women and n veteran shrink from u
cat. Every hero has his weakness.
and we may believe every coward has
a point where he turns and will fighr
the world.-London Outlook.
Bullet Wounds.
The entrance wound caused by the
modern small arm bullet is not
grewsome spectacle. 1t is small, and
its appearance has been compared to
that produced by the bite of certai1
parasite insect Often there is but
little external bleeding, but this is not
to be taken as danger signal, az
might be popularity supposed.-LondOn
Telegraph
Quite Enough.
Penman-Did you wade through that
last book Of mine?
Wright-Yes. did.
Were you much stuck on it?"
only dollar twenty ve"-Yonkers
Statesman.