Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1915-02-03
DR.. ALEXANDER c. BELL
Inventor Of the Telephone

moves long way ahead in the span OF
one mans life On Monday afternoon,
January 25th, this same Alexander Gra
ham Bell, sitting in the offices OF the
American Telephone 4 Telegraph Com.
pany, at New York, talked to this same
Thomas A. Watson in San Francisco,
over a wire stretching 3,4O0 lies across
the continent and part of a System that
includes 9,00d&0O telephones, connected
by Sl.0O0,000 miles of wires.
In that same memorable year OF 1879,
Dom Pedro de Alcantara, Emperor oil
Brazil, visiting the first telephone exhi.
bition at our first great national show
the Philadelphia Centennial, picked up
the receiver. listened as Professor Bell
talked at the other end Of the room, and
amazed at the wonder of the thing, cried
out: "My God-it speaks" Had Dom
Pedro lived to see the Pan \ mercan
Exposition he could have heard Professor
Bell talking to MIN, not merely from the
other end of room, but from the other
side OF u continent.
The Pan-American Exposition itself.
planned 10 celebrate the completion OF
the Panama Canal and the joining of the
Atlantic and Pacific oceans. will mark a
still closer welding of the East and West
When it's gates are thrown open on Feb.
ruary Goth, San Francisco will not only
be nearer to New York through n short
ening OF its water ways, but will be in
constant and instantaneous touch with il
through the a1ium of speech It Is 3
curious fact, too, that this second great
feat OF engineering, this other canal. Lhi,
even more intimate connection between
the two seaboards, has been completed In
fha O11io%Ixy ln,A.k
but steadily and bravely, while the gi.
gantic steam shovels were cutting their
way through tho earth in the South. the
engineers Of sound and electricity were
weaving their magic webs through tn,
air and pushing on toward the Colder
Gate. Their work has been less spec
taculor, II has excited little attention
but these men have met obstacles rs hard
20 overcome as tho Culebra slide, and
they have conquered them The long
dresmed-of Tranpontinental Line IL ne
longer a dream. New York can talk "a
San Francisco.
The Transatlantic Line Open
Monday, January 25. 1918. has taker
It's place among the momentous dates in
the annals Of science and human prog
rsss. On that day, in the presence OF
groups Of prominent men on either coast
the Transcontinental telephone wire,
were given their first public test. and the
completion Of tho line was formally cele
brated. Distinguished men In the oficai
o. the Pacific Telephone & Telegraph
Company in San Francisco convcrsec
freely with distinguished men on the At
lantic 'eaboard and one more greaf
chapter In the history Of telephony wai
MrfaI.H Il.f -,
the American Telephone & TcIeyrapi
COMPANY iu New York. talked 20 Watson
ACROSS a continent
There was no hitch i'm the proer. NINE
OF amy doubt az To- the immediate success.
and practicability Of the new line
Those who talked over the telephone die
not raise their voices above the usua
conversations pitch and the repliei
came back from across the continent
clear and instantaneous. There was nc
more eITOrt. delay or indistinctness thar
In talking across n table. Professor Bel
says that he thought out the telephone IL
Salem. a fitting place for rs convention
-thcrc is witchcraft boo it. and tine most
bla-c of business men iu tho Offices of Tn,
American Telephone & TELEGRAPH Com
pauv ON Monday felt something akin 20
uncannincss at The thought That his vote,
bad gone across thirteen States sho,
over prairics and through forcsts turtle.
through cities. climbed the Hoc.ie-
SKINNED across The desert and reached
the Pacific coast and the answer ha,
come bock 10 him in an eve-wiuk
4 Dramatic Moment
There have been few more dramati,
moments iu the history of science thar
when tho venerable Professor Boil lifted
the receiver from Its hook and called T.
Watson, Che friend and fellow workman
Of his youth in FAR away San Francisco
There was d wonderful story in that irs