Omaha daily bee., 1916-04-30
TELEPHONE ASMADE
ALADDIN LIKE LEAPS
Dinner to Be Given at Commercial
Club Recalls 0maha's First
Phone Service.
YosT IN REMINISCENT MOOD

The telephone dinner TO be given
al the Commercial club rooms Tues
day noon. May 2, recalls TO the minds
Of some elderly Omaha men and
women the advent Of the first tele-
phone in this city. which event oc-
Cured during July, 1879. At this
telephone dinner the attendants will
listen to conversations between par
ties in New York and San Fran
cisco. covering an expanse Of $500
miles. II was only thirty-seyen years
ago that the first conversation was
carried on over q telephone wire ~
this city. The exact date was July
~, 1879, when the exchange In the
Union block. Fifteenth and Farnam
streets, was formally opened.
Casper II Yost president Of the Me-
brsska Telephone company. was enjoying
his MONDAY pipe when Guy Pratt, conn
rncrclal superintendent Of the company.
dropped IN with o visitor. The CONVEX
satlon adyerted % the growth Of the
telephone, from a crude affair thirty.
seven years ago IN this city, 10 tho pres
cBt.day tfsnsoontincntni service Mr..
Y0at pointed 20 framed card hanging
oil a wall ia his office, Mr.. Pratt held
the card toward the HIGHT and made the
observation that e Was tho first toie-
phone directory of Omaha, There are
names OF is5 Subscribers IN the list. Max
Meyer. music dealer on Fsrnain street.
Is said TO have been the first subscriber,
Edward Rosewatcr's residence telephone
Was indicated at 1870 Farnam street, and
The Bee AZ 9ls Fsrnam street W. A..
Paxton had telephone IN his office ut
Eighteenth and Farnam strccts.
Organized In 1879,
The Omaha Electric company was the
name of the concern organized IN May
1870. 70 transact o telephone business IN
Omaha. The officers we're g. w. Mead.
president J J DickeY. vice president
H. II. Korty. secretary treasurer. The
stockholders wefo 8, II, H. Clark, W. A..
Paxton. r. CLARK. j. w. Gannett
The opening ~ the exchange IN the
Union block was an suspicious event
There were twenty-seven circuits or
lines. on each Of which there were from
three 10 seven telephones There were
no individual lines IN those days,
newspaper man wrote the following
explanation u how connection WIS
made The manager al The White Lead
works wishes 10 communicate with tho
Smelling works He SIGNALS central Of
flee with two rings The operator re-
spends By sounding two bells. which is
tho signal for the Lead Works man 10
take hts phone on the hook, and then
state that he desires connection with
The Smelling works Operator says, "Al
right Lead works man then replsccs
his phone on the hook Operator signals
Smelling works BY the number Of bells
belonging 10 that station, As soon ~ the
smelling works responds operator not.
flies him that the Lend works wishes 10
communicate with him Operator maker
the connection with Lead works circuit
and rings the bell FOR Lead works man
n take his phone orr the hook and "eo
ahead" The central telephone IL 40 ar
ranged that Il can be placed IN the cir
cult without interrupting the parties ur-
ing the circuit Thus the operator can
find out when they are through talking,
when she diseonnects them and The cir
cult is ready for another connection
The telephones Of each circuit were In
connection with each other independent
of central offices When calling a party
on the same circuit the subscriber would