Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-10-08

used in placing telephone calls. No
one called by number in those days.
All those who had telephones knew
every one else who had one and
would simply tell the operator to
get $50 and So" on the line
The first exchange was on the second
floor of a three story building located
at Washington and Meridian streets,
where the Merchants National Bank now
stands. 1t was managed by John F. Wal
lick, still a resident of this city.
The operators, who in those days were
called Hello girls received the prince
ly sum of $50 a month, while the clerks
in the Office were paid $3.50 per week.
MANAGER ALSO
MODERATOR.
When a subscriber called central a
drop would fall on the switch board and
the calling party would ask central for
the party he wanted. The operator in
turn would call across the room to a boy,
who would put up the connection. The
manager would sit at one end of the
room and when the calling became too
boisterous, bang down would come a
ruler much in the same manner as a
school teacher and he would caution the
girls that they were making too much
noise.
Then, as now, the voice requirements
were essential, although it appears that
the requirements were slightly different.
The young woman with the high pitched
voice who could call her party to the
boy operator above the din of her asso-
ciate operators calling, got the job. In
these days it is the soft, modulated tone
with distinct enunciation that is one of
the necessary qualifications for a good
operator.
EARLY EMPLOYEES
WITH COMPANY.
Some of the early employees Of the tele-
phone company are in indianapolis and
a few of them are still with the pres
ent Indiana Bell Telephone Company.
Those with the company are Miss Mar
garet Cooper, employment supervisor,
who interviews and employs all Indian
apolis operators; Henry Mowwe, who
does special work In the office Of the
supervisor Of supplies, and E. E. Springer
claim agent. Each Of these employees has
more than twenty-five years OF continu-
Gus service to his credit, and all Of them
recite some interesting incidents about
the early days Of the telephone industry
in Indianapolis
The demand for service grew to such
proportions that it was only a short
time until the room at Washington and
Meridian streets became too small for
the exchange and it was moved to the
southwest corner Of Illinois and Ohio
streets In a very short time the ire
mendous number of 5000 subscribers had
been reached. This was in 1901. Since
then the service has grown rapidly, keep
ing pace with Indianapolis progress.
An old resident of the city said
"The telephone company is largely re-
sponsible for the expansion of the city
In many directions and played an i'm
portant part in this city becoming popu-
lated with over 100000 people. I don't
suppose there ever was a factory located
in Indianapolis, big convention secured
for the city, a noted speaker brought
here, or any other event of importance
but what the telephone was used consid-
erabiy."
BRANCH EXCHANGE
ESTABLISHED IN 1902
In 1902 a branch exchange known as
North, but lately changed to Randolph
was built at Twenty Second and Pierson
avenue. Five years later the Woodruff
and Prospect exchanges, now known as
Webster and Drexel, respectively, were
built. Additional exchanges have since
been built in various parts Of the city
In 1910 the subscription list Of the com
pany had grown to 21,510 Since then
the growth has been steady until now
there are about 5000 telephones in In
dianapolis. In the Merchants Bank build
ing. now standing where the original ex-
change was located there are 5S1 tele-
phones. This is in excess of ali the teIe-
phones connected through the first ex-
change in this city.
twenty-five hundred and fifty employees
mir in off oil
eighty-nine m )tOr vehicles cover the In
dianapolis district setting poles, in
Sailing telephones and maintaining the
. service. Although Indianapolis is only
one-tenth as large as the city of New
York its telephone construction covers
an area two and one-h half times that Of
Manhattan Island. This, of course,
means longer lines, but despite the large
amount of territory covered the rates are
considerably lower than those of New
York.
In the year of 1920 the Indiana Bell
Telephone Company purchased the prop
erty Of the Indianapolis Telephone Com
pany operating the automatic system.
Since then a large force of engineers,
construction men, installers, switch board
men, etc, have been working, increasingly,
days, nights, Sundays and holidays
toward the Joining of the Bell manual
SYSTEM and the automatic This huge
Job Is now nearing completion and in the
early winter months will become a reality.
At that time those having the Manual or
as ii is better known, the oil telephone,
will be able to call the subscribers of the
Automatic system and vice versa.
Much new construction was necessary
in the way of additional cables both I'M
foreground and aerial, new switch boards
have been installed and to make room for
this new equipment, several of the ex
change buildings were enlarged. To
house all Of the equipment necessary to
conduct the telephone business in In
dianapolis there are required eighteen
separate buildings. Fifteen of these are
Manual and Automatic exchanges located
In various parts of the city through which
pass more than half a million calls every
day. In the eight-stOry. fire proof build
ing located at Meridian and New York
streets, are the general offices of the
company, also the Main and Circle ex-
changes.
A large proportion of the company's
wires are encased in lead cables running
beneath the streets. Some of these cables
have 1900 pairs o. wires through which
1900 conversations can pass at one time.
Although IL seemed that the limit of hui
man ingenuity had been reached when
this large cable was invented, 1t was but
forerunner of what was to come. Re-
Gently the engineers of the American
Telephone and Telegraph Company have
announced that they are now working on
cable which viii be considerable larger
When the first long distance line out of