New Britain herald., 1916-01-08
UTAH CITY HEARS
 GERTH ISA MORMON
Former New Britain Man WOrSted
 in TranSCOntinental Kidding

Ralph E. Gerth, formerly manager of the Southern New England Tele- phone company S exchange in this city and now manager of the Waterbury exchange, led the way at a banquet of the Brass City Chamber of Commerce at the Hotel Elton Thursday night in telephone conversation with such suburban points as Chicago, Omaha, Denver, S2lt La ke City and San Fran cisco. The whole thing proved as sim pie as talking to Naugatuck, Bristol or New Britain, but when Manager Gerth tried to kid the gentleman in charge at Salt Lake City on the Nor mon question the latter came back strong and the joke was on the former New Britain man.
 The Waterbury American tells the story as follows:
 Of course, everyone who attended the telephone dinner at The Elton last night knew that it was going to be no historic event to hold telephonic conversation across the American continent, but when the clear dis tinct voice came over the wires last night to the watch case receiV- CTS at each diners ear San Francis oo Gerth," the listeners looked around with a feeling somewhat similar to that experienced by the man, who, seeing the camel in the side show for the first time, said there ain't no such animal.'
 In that gathering of more than 200 of the members of Waterbury's Chamber of Commerce, the telephone men present were probably the only ones who had ever heard the human voice over more than 3,400 miles of copper wire. That transcOntinental demonstration was unique and inter eSting and it was wonderful, too. A lot of Waterbury people talked with people who were on the Pacific coast and records were played on a Vlc- trola in the offices of the Pacific | Telephone company in San Francisco and the words and music sounded just l as clear and musical as if a person were sitting in his own home listen- ing to his own victrola.
 It was not so much the fact of talking with the Pacific coast that made the event impressive as it was the fact that each person as he lis l tened traced in his mind the route 1 over which the voices were travelling
  derfulness of it was impressed vividly | upon his mind.
 After the dinner had been served Charles A. Colley (NIr. Colley is pres 1 ident of the Chamber of Commerce) l made an address introducing w. F. Schmidt, special agent of the teIe- ! phone company MT Colley traced l the history of the telephone and his l were greeted with applause, 1! some of it starting before he had 1 quite finished. Then MT. Schmidt. i aided by motion pictures, described | he telephone route from Waterbury l 70 San Francisco, showing the diff lculties encountered in building the 1 inc over the American desert and 1 over the Rocky Mountains. When he SWitchbOardS in the Denver eX- change were flashed on the screen, with the many pretty girls, ever busy With the connection cords, one of the ultra-soclal members present, evident " thinking he recognized one of the girls, said "Hello'' and Mir. Schmidt quickly answered, "Gentlemen, they look neither to the right, nor to the left"
 Ralph E. Gerth, exchange managec m Waterbury, took the receive. from 1 ms pnOnC ana sad Hello Water- ] bury" at just 9:25 IA. Back came the 1 words, This is Waterbury, MT Trues- | dale talking MT. Gerth." Then fol- lowed:
 Give me New York please MT. 
 "This is New York talking, hello MT. Gerth"
 Hello Mr. White give me Pitts burgh. please
 This is Pittsburgh, MT. Gerth"
 Hello, MT, Meehan, give me Chi cago, please"
 Chicago talking, MT. Gerth.'
 Hello Chicago, what is the time there please?"
 Tt is just, S:27, MT. Gerth." (Wa- terbury time was 9:27)
 Thank you, Chicago, give me Omaha, please |
 "Onaha talking, MT Gerth."
 Hello, MT. Cutter, give me Denver, please
 "Denver on the wire, Mr. Gerth."
 Hello. Mr. Leschebell, will you tell us the time in Denver, please?" r.i
 ',It is now 7:30 o'clock, MT. Gerth.'