The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-03-13
SOME SWITCHBOARD HEROlNES

New York Sun: When Tessie Nc
Namara stuck to her switchboard II
the big munitions plant OF the Canad
ian Car and Foundry company on
the Jersey meadows, near Kingsland
and tingled the telephone bells In the
various sheds to give warning OF
impending disaster she probably snv
ed the lives of hundreds of workers by
her GOODNESS and heroic action. But
telephone girls have q way OF doing
Just that sort of thing.
Although Miss McNamara's coura &c
in remaining at the switchboard In
the munitions plant and doing what
she considered her duty in the face
of what seemed certain death was
especially conspicuous, there are many
other cases on record in which teie-
phone girsl have stuck to their posts
in spite of danger. They have done
so while fire was licking at the very
doors of the rooms in which they
were working; while floods have
threatened the destruction of the build
ing from which they we're sending out
the alarm
But in the case OF another girl the
danger that threatened came slowly.
She had ample time to give full consid-
Grafton to the peril she would encoun-
ter il she remained at the board. Tn
doubtedly she could have reached
safety il she preferred to do SO; but
she didn't. Her decision to remain
at her board and spread the alarm was
the means OF warning hundreds OF
persons, who were thus enabled to
get outside the danger zone in time.
This was the case of Miss Airline
Rarnell, an operator in the exchange
at ZanzesyiIl, Ohio, during the great
flood in March, 1913. In spite of the
fact that the water rushed through
the street in which the telephone ex-
change was situated, at one time rts-
ing as high as the second story OF
buildings in close proximity to the
in spite of the fact that fire
caused by the flood at one time
the exchange, Miss Bar
nell remained at her post and spread
the alarm up to the very moment that
the local telephone system gave out
When the local system gave out
there still remained open wire to
New, York and over this Miss Bar
nell sent an appeal to the world at
large to send relief in the form OF
food to the starving and pent-up in
nabitants of GAINESVILLE. Because OF
he fact that the rushing waters had
eveled all telegraph wires leading
,ut of the city it was impossible to get
% New York the true conditions that
existed in the Ohio city until Miss
5arneIl sent the facts over the one re-
naming telephone wire.
Miss BarnelPs own version OF the
conditions that existed in tie flood
devastated city was picturesque. To
he person at the New York end OF
he wire she said:
From hte front windows we can
Zee bodies floating in the water and
the scene Is awful The
own Is in darkness, as the electric
liant his been swept away and our
,nly light is from the one gas main
hat hasn't broken
"You cannot even family imagine
low horrible it is here The only
telephone line left is long distance,
,ver which am talking to you In New
FORK. ALI the way up Main street
O Second street the water is very.
cry deep. 1t Is at least forty feet
.bove high water mark. 1t is deep
light up to Sixth street, where this
uilding is located. We can see the
buildings burning down from our win
lows. Tell the people everywhere to
end us food.
I'm pretty tired tonight, but
must keep on working. There are
our girls here and we haven't rested
ince day before yesterday. But we