The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1917-09-01
BIG TELEPHON
MERGERWILLTAKE
PLACE TONIGHT
IL.
Good Bye, Two Phones At
ter Ten O'clock This
Evening.
WIDE AREA AFFLICTED
Big Exchange Here Admir-
ably Equipped To Handle
New Load.

Tonight at ten o'lcock will occur
The greatest telephone merger in the
history of this state when the Bell
Telephone Company will take over
the entire system OF what is known
as the Consolidated Telephone Com.
pany. This giant merger Of the two
systems will affect all telephone sub.
scribers at Buckhannon, Clarksburg,
Fairmont, Grafton, Warrington, Nor
gantown, Sutton, Weston, Marietta
and other towns in their vicinity.
Under the new system as made pos
sible by the merger Of the two tele-
phone companies, the four party lines
have been done away with entirely and
the two party lines put in operation in
their stead. BY this new arrangement
subscribers who formerly answered to
two rings will be saved the inconveni-
ence of having the telephone ring once
when the other party on the line is
wanted.
All phones will now ring only when
the particular subscriber is wanted.
Patrons should take notice that If their
phone formerly rang twice when they
were being called, in the future it will
only ring once and that they should an
swer their phone every time it rings
instead o. 900 r'1-s are
made
t1FeHyiStil4AS .--.S S->n ktLSSG - III
readiness for the taking over Of the
service and although no special cere.
mony will mark the event, the change
will soon be noticed by the subscrib-
ers, for it is planned to offer the best
service possible in spite of the in
crease of traffic over the lines.
About thirteen hundred Concolida-
ted telephones have been taken up
by the Bell Company and their own
instruments placed in their stead. The
work of changing the instruments has
been carried on in a minimum length
of time and the officials of the com
pany are pltased with the manner in
which the plans for the merger have
worked out
The local plant OF the Bell Tele.
phone Company is entirely fitted for
scribers. The operating rooms were
placed in operation in the new build
ing on Monroe street last May and all
mden conveniences are; provided in
the new quarters.
Nearly all of the operators who
were formerly emplyed by the Con.
solidated Telephone Company have
been given employment in the new
plant. The prtsent force of opera.
tors will now number about fifty.two
girls and it is hped that with this
number, excellent service will be had
by the subscribers.
The new telephone directory Of
the Bill company which was distribute
ed during the last week contains the
names and numbers Of all the old
subscribers to the Consolidated phone
as we'll as the formtr subscribtrs to
the Bell phone. The local office now
has about thirty.three hundred names
n its roster which speaks we'll for the
service that is being given tht public
here.
F. N. Sharpnack, local commercial
manager Of the Chesapeake and Pc.
tomac Telephone Company OF West
Virginia, and who was formerally at.
filiated with the Wheeling plant OF
the same company, stated this morn,
ing that the manner III which the Con.
solidated system was taken over is
indeed wonderful, in as much as NO
difficulties were encountered that
could not be taken care of on short
notice. He stated that the time
that was required OF. complete the
work was reduced to- aSminimum and
that the officials of the company are
the work.
The merger of the two telephone
system has caused the necessity OF
changing many of the old telephone
numbers. The ew directory, how.
ever, cotains these changes as com
plete as possible and in order to
save great inconvenience 1t is re
quested ~ the company that befor
emaikng calls the directory should be
consulted.
The toll rates over the Bell system
has been slightly changed. This has
been made necessary becaust of the
given to the subscribers.
Mr.. Sharpnack said this morning,
9Th enew system viii eliminat the
inconvenience of and annoyance OF
two systems and will furnish the
public service that should be more
satisfactory than any they have pre-.
viously had. We trust that the mer.
Ger viii merit the complete approval
the public