The sun., 1919-02-02
Wizard Trouble Testers Who Keep Telephone Line Cea

around him. The whole thing was
made Of the contents of the cables
leaden sheath.
BY no means always Is trouble spot
ting simple, routine work Sometimes
the Central Bureaus ingenuity Is
tested even as the lines. They tell
you Of one mystery case which turned
up during cold weather in a produce
market. The telephone was in service
by days. and went out of business at
night. No one had use for II then.
but the fact of a dead line reported
Itself automatically.
Observation instruments were baf-
fled. The owners of the premises
knew of no explanation. Finally it
was discovered that the telephone
wire was broken. inside it's insulation,
under a staple which held 1t near the
floor.
Not far away was n stove, In which
roaring hot fire was started every
morning when the market opened.
The heat, expanding the wire. brought
the ends at the break together At
night when the place cooled of they
pulled apart.
Another case, detected as
grounded circuit came down to a
baby playing on the floor alone in
the room where the telephone was.
Baby had found the insulated wire
and was chewing II. The moisture
had done the business.
Doctor Thought It Magic.
"l,a Al rI
about happened to be in the apart
ment Of n doctor, who had his Of
flee there lie reported intermittent
trouble. Now his phone worked, now
II didn't. seemingly without rhyme or
reason. He was much annoyed. At
length special instruments were put
on the circuit, but still without solv-
ing the problem.
AS water, grounding circuits, is a
common cause of trouble the tele-
phone testers decided to eliminate that
possibility. and repair man was sent
to look over the premises. The man
tried the back, or service stairway Of
the apartment building, and speedily
discovered ceiling leak and the
plaster down in the apartment over
the doctors. When he reported the Cen-
trail bureau suggested that the doctor
have hunt for water running amuck.
The doctor secuted the notion, hut
hunted and found that a flooded bath
tub was doing damage. He is now
convinced that the telephone COM
pony employs a corps of magicians
The bathtub, though, AS 1t happened,
wasn't the culprit. a wire break, hid
a. ilat at las
Gated on the outside of the building.
where the opening of shutter put
strain on the wire and forced the ends
apart. When the shutter was closed.
they met. aud the doctor could hear
his patients ask him what to take for
dull, burning pain in the spondular
region.
Not only the twenty southern cen
tral office districts, but the Jersey toll
board also. are handled by the South
ern Central Testing Bureau. Really
serious telephone trouble on a large
scale, the telephone company off,
GERS say-and knock on wood as they
say it's very rare. Nothing short of
'confiagration" can worry them
Confiagration' Is quoted here because
in telephone circles the word has n
meaning OF It's own, and applies TO &C
cidents. usually fires. which put whole
cable systems out of business
This happened once AT LonEaCrc
square during the subway diggings.
A blithesome spirit with a crowbar
got through the pavement, struck
something hard, smashed into cables
carrying a tremendous load of electric
. 4 -.