The Topeka state journal., 1919-05-22

10000 calls are answered with ra
pidity and precision. In the course
of a single day, $4,000 to 100000 To-
cal calls are answered. In addition
there are many toll calls. Consider
ing that the operators are human,
one wonders that the service can be
as swift and accurate as it is.
The switchboards occupy four sides
of a large room. On one side the toll
calls, incoming and outgoing, are
handled by a special force of opera
tors On the other three sides nearly
fifty girls handle the local calls. The
boards are divided into sections, each
section connecting every telephone in
the city. When you take down the
receiver to call a number, there are
four girls who can connect you with
that number, and it's done in the
twinkling of an eye. There are two
rows of plugs before the operator. one
of the front row being inserted in a
hole in the lower "bank' when the
flash of a light indicates that some
one is calling a number. When the
operator hears the number. she then
inserts one of the plugs in the rear
row in the specified bank and the
phone on that line is rung. At the
same time the small lights show. a
larger one flashes lower down. If this
| light remains. it indicates to one of
the supervisors, of whom there are
! one 10 every eight positions, that the
call has not been answered. In this
| manner a double check is obtained on
every call.
Delay of Ten Seconds.
A delay of ten seconds in asking for
the desired number after the light ap-
| pears is considered an abnormal de-
| lay.
Furthermore, the operators are on
/ the job. Every vestige of their atten-
ton is directed to their switchboards
and this cannot be appreciated until
| one stands behind them and watches
their work. The system of lights the
alertpess of the operator and the con-
| stant vigilance of the supervisor make
delay almost impossible except in case
of mechanical trouble. 1t sometimes
happens that one of these tiny electric
lamps burns out, as in the case of the
larger ones used for illumination pur-
poses in the home. In this case there
would probably be a short delay until
the defective globe is discovered and
replaced by a new one.
Worry of Cable Trouble.
One of the terrors of Che telephone
| company is cable trouble. The big.
| lead-encased cables which may be
seen in the streets and alleys. of the
city sometimes carry 1900 separate
lines. A squirrel gnawing on one of
| these, a stray shot from a boys air
rifle or flash of lightning sometimes
makes hole in the lead. When it
rains, water seeps thru this hole and
makes -'solid trouble"-that is, rem
ders the separate lines one solid cable.
This trouble must be located and the
i line repaired before calls can be made
over these lines again. Special lis
tening" instruments are used in this
| work.
we want to give the public the
very best service possible" said Hick-
man today, and we are using the
very best system we know how So
far as the operators are concerned, 1
| don't see how it would be possible to
| do better! If anyone wants to see
how the business is handled, it will
] give US great pleasure to show them
thru the building and explain things
to them
Busy Hours Between and If.
The busiest hour of the day with
the operators comes between and IL
o'clock in the morning. More busi-
ness calls are made during this hour
than any other part. of the day. The
calls made average about 5000 or 10,-
000. In the evening between o'clock
and o'clock, there is another rush
tho not so great as that of the morn
ing. This is called, in telephone Ian
guage, the social hour because the
calls are not confined chiefly to bust
ness as is the case in the morning
The calls during this hour number
about $500 The noon hour is the
quietest hour of the day, the calls
falling to about 5000 in number.