The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1920-12-15
ROMANCE Of
THE TELEPHONE
MARK MELLoR, DISTRICT MANA
GER, CHESAPEAKE AND POTO-
MAC COMPANY Speaks AT
ROTARY CLUB LUNCH
EOW,
Details That neal with AL Phases OF
Useful Invention From Construc-
tiOn to Operators.

=
TIE tra;ur. u; Ia" weekly luncheon
q OF IA" i;"itry cub n tn" MCLur" Hotel
y'.S''r'!,,! n noon wn$ am address de-
l!N'rrd =, Mark NJ Ii"r. district man
aS"r "f 'h' -, srrcnh' md rH'" T"L"-
nhn'." r"ur2-.y ca "'rH, Euwanrr Of
-" TcI"uhun".
. MIR. M"anr has h.rn 'runurrt'd with
the i","ph"ur industry tor years and
has I'll" business III at. Il IT. phase. a.
his fingers ends. II" Is isrSt-rlaSs'
speaker and h.S address h",d IN" at
tcntinu OF the many i:ntrriaus jua'
attended the lunch. from start /" finish.
. Tho following is Mr.. M"ilor's ad
dress in part:
, rh"rr = more ruu..,rvc IN IA" :"l".
phone than there is in It PAR Ui lovers.
. seated beneath Il CHERRY tree. ouly the
i@"ts have not yet learned 10 write
about II.
Some one has estimated tia: each
telephone cal saves II least - minutes
of a prrS"n'S t:mr. II tina; g.. true then
tn" r"Vp!r "t Watering saw NA,' days
each day. SlnC" nv" average number OF
Calls each day IN Wheeling - about
. Nj.nOu
. The telephone was invented Icy pr.
Alexander Graham Eel ~ l>.I 1Ud WAS
totally unlike TIA" t".rphuU" of ~" pres
"ut day. There was uu tranSm!il"r and
Receiver rs "" know them to-day, AMI
. A"u hId 10 talk aud listen At IA" sam,
, place. changing from iH"ulh - ar ana
, ear 10 mouth. ard II You weren't care
iUl YOU were GLbi" 10 brush off an eIa>
brow or a nose. The first operators en-
p!uycd w"r" boys.
In place Of the noisy. uncom'roi!a b"
boy operators CAME thu gentle SOFT
voried Girl. Ii ever tn" rush OF girls
into business was a h"SS!uE t was
when they took poSSv SSion Of thu i'!"-
phone offices. They came not h"cauSe
they were cheaper than boys hut be-
cause they were better than boys. The
girl and ;hr tclrphoN" are natural
friends. They make such good team
that Il telephone call means today po-
! likeness and twenty seconds: instead OF
shall I say Sh"rmanS description "h
4 war--and 300 seconds. IN" irSt fc-
male operator that | can find any rec
ord OF was Miss Ursula k!nS"y. now
Mrs John Wick who IS Stin living.
-" w;tI employed at East Liverpool.
during the year lN\l.
The first telephone wires were strung
on the tops nt houses and on tail poles.
but soon The number OF wiTrI h,t
grown to hundreds and thousands. la
! some of thr large cities tho streets
N.v.. literally black with wires. Poles
! 80 feet high wer" erected. then ~. 40
! aud 80. Finally, along Yves; street N
NV York city. ARCS" IA" ia.!"St pole
| line IN the world. every poi u towering
! Norway pine with It's toy a. feet ah"N"
| the sidewalk, carrying 50 croSSaTms
and roo wires.
| Naturally. this condition Of affairs
'
limit. you know. 10 ~" height or
telephone poles And tn" '"lrph"!," thus
| mess kept growing. 80 Ia" l"t"rhnn"
men had to seek other means iur dis
| posing their wires. Finally tN"V d"'id"n
| 10 put them underground. And that -
| why YOU can walk around NJ 4 iArIc
! CITY all day and not = telephone
! ire But every tim" yUu cross one OF
! the prin"!pl" streets. you ar" Walking
| ON top rf telephone CuuYrrSatinNS.
| The TrlnScontcntai I'm" WAS cons
| plr."d in lHl5. from the natur" Of III"
! country through which Il irav,r$rS. Il
requires n large force Of men Tor IT'S
ma ,HtcnanCe.
Ii you wanted to talk with SON" one
! IN San Francisco from her" You would
| file your call with the long 'd'Sianr"
operator at Wheeling nna sh" gets tho
| Pittsburgh operator Pittsburgh gets
| Chicago. Chicago gets Omaha. OMAHA
gcts Denver. Denver gets Salt l.nk"
city. and salt Lake CITY gets San Fran
cisco. And then you talk. and YOU fInd
! that ynu can hear as we'll AS though
YOU wer" talking 70 Charleston, WASH
:ngtnn. rittShUr% or tOlu'nnuS
Mr. Mcl,or then gay" a description "l
tho work of the trlrph"n" E'r.S. or IN"
switch h,;r-dS and IN" entire Workings
Of "A big exchange. and also of me
ln,,n"u an army II whom are required
10 keep the wires III working order
lie also told Of underground and Un-
! drrwat.r cables FOR carry ing IN" WHO'S
! OF the hcrioSm Of girl operators .
! and flood and gave Il CON- 4iIstorE
i of the wonderful :nvrn ..Un that can
be used by a child