Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1920-11-30
TO EXTEND
PHONE SERVICE
WAUSAU TELEPHONE co.
is INSTALLING MUCH
NEW MACHINERY

In order to improve it's service to
patrons, the Wausau Telephone COM
pany has undertaken a plan for eX-
tension and improvement which will
cover a period of two years. An or
der has been in at the Automatic fac
tory since November, 1919, for 800 ad-
ditional automatic phones which will
probably be installed by April, 1921,
and not long ago the company placed
its order for an additional 400 lines,
receiving assurances from the con-
Germ that delivery would be made in
January, 1922, of ofle-half of the or
der and that the remainder would be
delivered in the summer of 1922. All
this depends upon whether or not the
Automatic Electric company is able
to occupy a new building it is erect
ing at the present time.
New Power Plant
A new power plant has already been
partially installed at the central of
flee, and it includes storage battery,
machines for charging battery, ma
chimes for ringing subscribers bells
and the busy signal. This enlarged
equipment has been made necessary
because of the constant growth of the
system. In 1919 it was not expected
that the storage batteries could be used
day longer The company, however,
has been fortunate and had it's new
machinery arrived when the manu-
facturers informed the local concern
they could deliver, no trouble would
have been experienced. No delivery
of generator was made and after a
recent experience, H. |. Crawford, ma
mayer, made arrangements for the
use of generator so that the new
storage batteries are in use at the
present time.
The new storage battery proved
large enough last week to operate the
telephone system from Tuesday noon
to the following Sunday noon without
being charged. Two weeks ago the
electric current of the Wisconsin Val
ley Electric company was shut off for
ten minutes. The old battery of the
telephone company, in use at the
time, could not last but a second and
for period of twenty minutes the
city was without telephone service.
This fortunately happened during the
noon hour. With the new equipment
such an accident could not happen.
20 NCh OClkS
The battery room, located at the
rear of the Telephone building in the
basement, is a dangerous looking
place. There are twenty-eight cells,
each tank being lined with lead and
filled with chemical liquid. In front
OF this brick-walled room, are located
the generators. When it's full equip
ment has arrived the company will
have one electric generator of 200 am
peres, 65 volts, D. c., with which to
charge the battery, and as an emer-
gency system there will be a four
horse power gasoline engine directly
connected to another 65 volt 200 am
peres, d. c., for charging the battery
in case anything should happen to the
electric power. In addition there will
be added to the present equipment a
five K. w., ITO volt, lighting generator
to drive from the gasoline engine of
means of a belt and connected with
the lighting system of the building.
In case of any emergency, the build
ing could be lighted. A number of
other machines will be obtained to in
crease the efficiency of the service.
Will Occupy More Room
hO Olu OdtICIy IllS pOW6I
will be torn out and new board is to
be installed which will later be moved
into the rooms now occupied by the
Wisconsin Telephone company on the
third floor of the building. When the
lease of the Great Northern Life In
surance company of the second floor
of the building expires, the Wisconsin
company will move it's office onto the
second floor, while the Wausau Tele-
phone company will occupy all of the
third floor. Both will be able to rem
der much more satisfactory service
when this is possible, one and a half
years hence.
The numbers for the 800 new tele-
phones to be installed will be above
1000 and the type of telephone to
be used will be that which is now in
stalled in ROthSchi1d