South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-07-27


used here provides for change Of operators all at
once.
Each girl takes her place behind the girl to
relieve. Each her head band and receiver
connected with cord plug into the board
a bell rings. Almost with motion, the girl
duty pulls receiver plug from the board and slips
chair At the other side the relief operator
is already mounting chair. she
plugs in" and says Number" just though she
had been there all the time.
KEEP PLUGGING" AWAY.
There is another comparison between the army and
the Central Union switchboard rooms Soldiers look
straight TO the front paying may
be going on beside them do the telephone opera
tors Without so a side glance for a visitor
who may happen to be in the room they-literally-
keep plugging away their work.
The company maintains rest rooms the operators
they allowed spend their periods
At lunch time they go to the cafeteria right in the
building Main exchange, where the II. c. OF l.
permanently put 'out Of order" according
prices quoted A good sized be had for IS
cents. will supply enough food
even heartiest eater.
"Of the 500 operators employed the Main
change there isn't dissatisfied in the bunch"
says E T Bonds. OF South Bends telephone
system. They always happy"
Besides providing separate pieces oper-
ator the company maintains a small hospital immedi-
ately available for the operators and lnemen who
so unfortunate it. a sanitary department
prevent the spread of disease among the
telephone workers
AUTOMATIC EXCHANGE INTERESTING.
the Lincoln" exchange the scene is quite differ
ent There the operators - a
! day-for the operators are machines The girls who
handle calls. OF relieved the
Main Office.
upon Of queer looking machnes-resemb-
ling in a vague way a huge collection Of air cooled
system. The fanges operate to make the calls. When
a call in, the machines work with human-like
precision in seeking proper station
Today South Bends six-exchange system is in full
operation. Calls put in the automatic dial
eventually reach a manual subscriber. after going
through Central, manual subscribers connect
with automatic instruments. These inter-system calls
are handled through which connect the
! South Bend offices OF the company.
When automatic subscriber dials 80 connection
is Immediately esta blished with the central Of the Main
exchange-just ringing up PHI the dial would
secure connection with police headquarters. When
Central and is told the number wanted she
connects desired phone i had
come over the manua system
DIAL AT CENTRAL.
II a manual subscriber wants Lincoln" number
girl a number same as doe1
any automatic subscriber and thus the connection .
established.
operated. only chance occasoned these
the addition Of facilities handle calls from
Lincoln" instruments. This is accomplished the
is handled from Main subscribers.
OF course the consolidation viii make little
awkward for Lincoln" subscribers for day or two.
for here's what they Will have to memorlze-
Main" means
] County means SO
Harrison" means 81
"Mishawaka" means g. THAT'S easy-ts the same
as it WASP
Garfield" means 81
But then time viii those securely n
any ones memory and its inst like remembering %
write 1915 or July instead June.
And it practically doubled capacity for every
telephone the county. All long distance calls %
handled over either telephone Everything viii be
one system
MUST USE DIRECTORY.
one thing however. an subscribers must remember.
according officials the company. is very import
That the directory. In the consolidation.
many numbers have been changed or dropped and IL
not safe assume that former Home numbers ara
now Lincoln" numbers Most places are using more
trunks number.
For example. up TO today The News Times could "a
reached the automatic phone by daIing 1871. Sow
that number has dropped and additional trunks
have been connected for Main POO the former Bell
number. The thing OF many subscribers
E. T Bends local manager. has scrap book in
which keeps clippings OF newspaper reports con-
corning telephones. IN that book photographs and
clippings telling of the early days telephone in
south Bend. To read Of Browns first attempt
South Bend system. with subscribers is amusing %
2 Us today
But perhaps Mr. Bonds will clip this article 20 add
TO his collection does and some reporter reads
some 30 years from now when wireless telephones
are being installed he'll probably write really funny