Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1915-01-26

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coast of Georgia, Yes, yes, certain
! ly," answered the President. While
the circuit was being arranged the
President chatted with Mr.. Kings
bury several times expressing hi:
admiration Of the achievements in
which he was participant. Mi. Val
was then announced and the President
Immediately placed the receiver to
his ear asking: 'Is this Mr. Vail y
Mr.. Wallis voice came over the wire
so plainly that the President held his
receiver lightly away from his ear
and then said: MIR Vail, it is a
great pleasure to hear your voice.
want to send you my congratulations
on the consummation Of this re-
marable work. | am very sorry also
to know that you arc unwell." a
pause ensued. the President listen
ing to Mr.. Wallis reply. The Presi-
dent then said: "Well. l envy you
your ability to get off. Good bye, Mr..
Vail.
In Boston Mayor Curley had a
word to say 20 Mayor Rolph Of San
Francisco.
But on a day when long distance
telephone records were smashing up
the country over it was the talk
between San Francisco and Jekyl Is
land that had the honor Of break
ing every worlds record for long
distance transmission. President
Theodore n. Vail Of the American
Telephone and Telegraph Company
IS spending the winter OIL Jekyl Is
land and whcn he spoke to San Fran
cisco his voice had to travel 1000
miles up the Atlantic seaboard to
New York before it started on its
transcontinental journey. When it
sounded in the receiver at San Fran
.isco It had gone 4,400 miles in all.
At the center of these telephonic
longs. where the wires Of the North
and South met those Of the distant
West. IN President Walls Office at Is
Dew Street. was Alexander Graham
Bell, who invented the telephone
'orty years ago. Mayor Mitchell and
other city officials. scientists and en-
.ineerS and telephone pioneers,and
other distinguished men gathered
gathered round Dr.. Bell as he strobe
;rto the ronTu u. TIE 1o;, fcCr ot ire
telephone company's building. On a
table at one end Of the big office was
replica Of the first telephone tran
smitter to carry the human voice. It
looked to be a crude enough affair.
Tie down a drum-head over wooden
receiver, Join the center OF the drum
head to the free end of receiver
spring, arrange a mouthpiece over
the drum head and there you have it.
But forty years ago when that crude
affair was first shown by Bell at the
Philadelphia Centennial the En-
oeror Of Brazil backed away from it
Il amaZement. crying: my God, it
.alks." And today, because ot what
The engineers have done, Dr.. Bell
was to send his voice through it
across the continent.
There was further reminder of the
telephones babyhood in a coil of wire
connected with the transmitter
This was part of the original wire
over which Dir. Bell spoke the first
words; ever uttered by telephone, in
his boarding house at . Exeter Place,
Boston. On March 10, 1875, Bell had
called to Thomas A. Watson, his as
sociate. standing at a receiver in an
other room. and Watson, GREATNESS
with excitement, heard his voice OF
the wire. That wire was preserved
under glass, and now after two score
wears, it was part of the first trans
continental line.
One of the first to greet DR.. Bell
AS he entered was John Joseph
Cartv. Chief Engineer of the Amerl-
can Telephone and Telegraph Com
panv. under whose direction the
transcontinential line was built.
Mr.. Carly escorted DR.. Bell to the
strange looking transmitter and its
inventor pressed his lips 20 the
mouthpiece.
"Ahoy! .Ahoy. Can you hear me?
asked Or. Bell, and instantly there
was a murmur in tho receiver audi
bic to every one in the room. Out in
San Francisco in the office Of the
Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Co.
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