Norwich bulletin., 1916-02-22
EASTERN CONN. BANQUET
Two Hundred and Fifty Gathered Wauregan House for An
 nual Event-Prof George Grafton Wilson One of the Principal Speakers Telephone Service Feature

centennial exposition to the days of the Ii esent time, the year 1916. He pictured briefly the official opening of taa transcoEtincntal telephone ,ipe Ie ephone and Telegraph Co.,, at I5 Day sti cot, on Monday, January 20, 1915, when Dr. Bell spoke to MT. Wat son ever the transcontinental line B. 400 miles in length. He also pictured tl;e building of the line and how expended their labors over years cf persistence with telling efforts. The speaker also showed thaat 1t was not the effort of one man or the product of any one single invention and that tue work ot actually building this filled with all kinds of cGnsrruction problems and that the history of the w1rk of making the poles and wires. set and strung by construction crews, runs back over the space of many years It brings one back to the ex- pertinent stations, test rooms and lab urrttcries. It covers innumerable ex- perimsnts and improvements. Every step forward in the develonlnenr of telephony has been over the gigantic mitter has had seventy three de- scendants and f1fty-three types of transmitters have been introduced since 1877.
 The audience enjoyed real treat when MT. Schmidt exhibited the orig Graham Bell and Thomas A. Watson, in 1876. It was a crude looking instru- ment but it was the seed from which the fourth largest industry in the rld-telephony-has been develop ed.
 The trans-continentaI telephone line was then opened with Edward J. Hunt, local manager of the s. N. B. Telephone company, presiding at the transmitter in the banquet hall and with M. c. Bates of the Pacific T. and T. company presiding at the terminal in San Francisco.
 First came the roll call of Trans Continental wire chiefs which was in charge of MT Hunt. The roll call was as follows:
 Norwich. New York, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Omaha, Denver, Salt Lake City, Winnemucca, San Francisco.
 The demonstration program was as follows: Exchange of greetings be- tween MT. Hunt and MT Bates, Nor wich to San Francisco; Joseph T. Cruttenden. president Eastern Connec- ticut Development League, to Col. John P. Irish member executive com mittee California State Chamber of Commerce; Mayor T. c. Murphy, Nor wich, Conn, to Edward Rainey, secre- leiy lO O. 1NOiPl, oA.
 Mayor Murphy's Greeting.
 Mayor Murphy's greeting was as follows:
 Hello Mayor James Rolph of San Francisco. This is Mayor Murphy of Norwich, the Rose of New England It gives me great pleasure to extend to you greetings from the Rose of New England. Assembled here with me are about 250 men representing the Eastern Connecticut Development League, who are joining me in extend ing to you their hearty greetings. The object of the league Is the improve ment and betterment of the industrial conditions of New England but par ticularly of Eastern Connecticut, and now that we are brought into closer connections with San Francisco and all the west through this telephone l see no reason why we should not tn- clude the west.
 Now that we are able to converse so easily, I hope you will feel nearer to us, and also hope to either see you or hear from you some time in the future.
 If you come to New England at any time please consider yourself a very welcome visitor in Norwich, the Rose of New England.
 While Mayor Murphy was trans mitting his greeting the court house bell rang out on the clear, cold air