The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-01-26
Dr. Alexander Bell In New York Talks to T. w. Wat son, His Assistant, Sta tioned In San Francisco Regular Messages Start March 1.

the telephone, his invention, in 1875, leaned over to an instrument in the office of President Theodore N. Vail, on the fifteenth floor of the American Telephone and Telegraph company building, at 5 Dey street, yesterday afternoon, and said:
 MT. Watson. are you there D
 And out on the western edge of the continent, in San Francisco, 3,400 miles away, Thomas w. Watson, MT. ReIls assistant in his first experiments threw up his head wit a whoop of joy. To him had come as clearly as if he had been only across town the tones of Dr. Bells voice.
 Indeed am.'' he said.s
 '.A1I right, am glad of that" said the inventor. our en11nciation seems perfectly clear here. It sounds as if you were in the other room, or in another part of New York, in stead of 3s4O0 miles away.''
 The first official talk between the eastern and western gateways of the United States was a fact Over busy cities, rolling prajries and the snowy peaks of the Rockies had hummed the words that bridged g, 400 miles in the twttch of an eye1id. And way down south, on Jekyl Island, off the | coast of Georgia, MT. Vail listened to this transcontinental conversation 1 as easily as if he had. been in his 7
 Mayors Exchange Greetings. Later Mayor Mitchell had his Ht- tie joke with Mayor James Rolph of San Francisco, who reminded him of Horace Gree5ey's advice, "Go west, young man, go west President and the south, and later in the even l ing Mayor James Cur1ey of Boston Joined in the long distance badinage. It was just 5:45 o'clock when Pres ident Wilson picked up the receiver 1 in the w White House and bent over the Bell and to the west to President Moore Of the Panama Pacific Expo l sition~ His coming to the telephone had been heraIded by MT. Carty in the room at 15 Day street. who told l the watchers that the President was coming down the corridor, and then that he was on the line. To those who had receivers came the Presi- dents words clearly as if uttered in ! the room;
 @It appeals to the Imagination to speak across the. continent. 1t is fine omen for the exposition that the t1rs tthing it has done has been to send it's voice over from sea to sea. I congratulate you on the fine pros poets for a. successful exposition. I am confidently hoping to take part in it after the adjournment of Congress 4 F management and to all whose wurk has made it possible and made it --le great event it promises to be, and convey my personal congratulations l to you-''
 The receiver in San Francisco was then handed to MT. Watson, with whom the President exchanged greet ings, MT. Carty then introduced Dr. Bell to President Wilson
 T am very glad to have the op- portunity of talking with you, MT. President, he said lover the first transcont1nental telephone Hne''
 T am very much obliged to you" said the President. ttI want to con- graduate you very warmly on this notable consummation of your long labors and remarkable achievements. You are Justified in feeling a great pride in what has been dome I think this will be remembered as a memorable day.''
 Then the President talked for a few minutes with President Vail, con graduating him on the work of his Icompany.
 Later all those on the raised plat form where the telephone instru- ments were placed spoke to the oth- CT side of the continent. Mayor Mitchel, MT McAneny, Comptroller Prendergast and Mir Bethen each talked with some one at the San
 
 Dr.. Bell Uses First Phone.
 But of the many interesting mo ments in the afternoon one that caught the attention of the watch CTS most closely was when pr. Bell picked up a, duplicate of the orig inal instrument with which he talk ed to MT. Watson in 1875. when the distance between the two men was but few feet. So perfect had hQn h O0F1f@ r1F +J1e hitter then that yesterday he could talk over it as perfectly as over the modern instrument the main improve ments having been in the wires and other means of transmission. Dr. Bells patriarchal face broke into a. broad smile of delight as he handled the wooden apparatus built like a box and told of the days when he dreamed of talking over a dis l tance of a few miles He finally picked up and spoke into it to Wat son, who in 1875. caught the first ! words that Dr. Bell ever said over the telephone. By request he re- peated them yesterday on the second greatest day in the history of his invention.
 Watson, come here, want you,''- he said, and then Dr. Bell threw back his head and laughed with pure g1ee.
 He says it would take him a week to come now.''
 Many receivers had been connected in the directors room, and around the long table men and their wives, guests of the company, hovered for l an hour or two listening to the seem ingly magic words that came so clear ly they seemed unreal
 Describing the system over which l he and his men have labored fir years MT. Carty said that no one thing had made it possible, but 1t was due to the constant irY1DroVeTnent rf all the essentials of telephone me- chanism, the cables, the wires, 1 switchboards, other connecting ap- paratus and transmttters. They are only about ten miles of cable in the entire line, the rest being highly inn