The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-07-12
HIGH SCHOOL AND llNSlY BOYS
ARE DOING MOST OF THIS
WORK,
Received Necessary Instruction in
company's School-Bis Step
Toward Consolidation.

The actual work OF installing more
than $4,000 new telephone instruments
in order TO perfect the consolidation
Of several West Virginia telephone
companies into the Chesapeake and
Potomac. telephone system was start
ed last week by several Wheeling
Young men. They are now working
in Fairmont and Clarksburg. and from
there will go TO other points in the
state, coming TO Wheeling last. If
present plans are carried out, the
work will be completed this year.
Despite the magnitude and impor'
lance of this work, it IS oeieng done
BY unusually young men, few OF them
being out OF their teens A majority
of them are recent graduates and
students of Wheeling high school and
IittIa or no actual field experience.
they are working under experts and
are well qualified for their duties, haV'
ing been trained in the telephone com
panys school here.
1t is an interesting fact not gener'
ally known that the Bell Telephone
company has been maintaining lot
several weeks past a school OF M
struction for the young men who are
now starting the task OF changing
thousands Of telephones. The theo-
retical work is given on the tenth moor
OF the Schnulbach building and the
practical work in the operating plant
of the Bell company at Fiftee1th and
Chapline streets. w. L. Silverman Is
the instructor. The mornings are de
voted to lectures, drawings. readings
etc. while the afternoons are spent II
practical work. such as making COLI
nections, wiring supposed houses
treating wires around water pipes, etc
Personnel of the Classes
Thirteen young men, in charge OF
W. +. Edison. line order foreman, IT
the field. left Wheeling early las
week for Fairuout and Clarksours. o.
ing the first class graduated from tins
mond .Weimer. John Dudley, Victor
Dorsey. Harry Frink, A. knarr. H
Hood. H. Schatfer. W. Davies, Grle'
Thornburg, L. Simpson. William Blu
chanau, Marc Wolfe. William Archi
bald and W. Heath.
Another class which finished the
course Saturday and will start ou'
over the field early this week includes
the following young men: Wlillau
Dawson, Jay Termillion, W. Sterrett
Edward Armbrecht, Oliver Hare, H
Ringer and Stanley Hughes.
Another class started last Monday
aud will be graduated in a few days
This class includes E. NJ. Elig. Thoma::
J. Ridge, G. L. LaFlam, ". G. Stand
erwick. D. Y. Young, P: Y. Faris, II
Sloan, J. T. Pollock, D. F. Rolf and "
A Fritz
After the Clrksburg and Fairmon
districts have been, completed the
crews will be transferred to othel
points. One crew will this week gt
&c Sistersville. while Morganto%n ant
m no SnvprQ
Ohio side districts, including Marietta
and Steubenyille, were worked las
fan and winter and it will be unneces
sary to install new Instruments u
these towns when the consolidation
is finally effected. Incidentally. i
is interesting to note that the Marriott;
crew established a record by install
ing an average OF hundred teie
phones a day. completing the lnstalla
ton Of 1000 instruments IN JUS
twenty days.
The young men are paid attractiy,
wages even while attending school
and while in the field all exposes arr
paid besides. There will be plenty o
work, company officials believe, t
keep a field force of hundred mel
busy, even after the consolidation L
complete.
School for Operators.
The course OF training for the youni
men about to be placed IN the melee
is not the only school maintained b.
the telephone company. For the pas
four years the Bell company has ha'
a school for girl operators at II
Wheeling exchange. What is accom-
pHshed in this school was describe'
in an exceedingly interesting name
by Miss Matte L, Miner. district chic
operator. TO AN lntelligencer repre-
sentative yesterday. Applicants 70
positions as operators must take fou
weeks course. but are paid during
this period. The school is in charg
of an experienced operator who. be
fore taking up telephone work, laugh
school several years. She is a co!
lege graduate.
Three ;hings-speed. accuracy AM
courtesy-are emphasized CONSTANT.
in this course of study. The first few
days are devoted to books and lee
lures. Later the students are mad
acquainted with the uses Of the vari
~ tho auitChh0arI3e TIL,