The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1921-11-01

intervals along the line. These are
made up of ring-shaped coil of very
/ fine iron wires, around which are two
separate windings of copper wire
Just how these coils operate to i'm.
prove transmission OF the voice
would require too much time to de-
scribe and would be too difficult for
I most to understand. Broadly speaking
it enables the use Of a high voltage
with small current, and thus made
small wires as efficient as large ones.
The result has been the saving OF
millions of dollars in the cost of cop
per wire.
This was a wonderful advance in
telephone efficiency and it may have
seemed to many that it left nothing
! to be accomplished. This was not the
idea OF the telephone management,
+ however, for Professor Pupins in
yention had not made it possible to
/ talk across the continent, which was
now the desired goal
I 1t should be understood that the
telephone is operated by q very feeble
current. Any material increase In
current hinders rather than helps
transmission. This feeble current,
carrying with it the vibrations OF the
voice, becomes attenuated as the Us
lance increases, until 1t dies away en-
tirely. TIE problem then was TO re-
inforce this feeble current, giving il
boost. so to speak, at intervals
along the way, rather than 10 increase
the energy at the starting point.
The invention OF the telephone re-
peater solved this problem, Vast
sums Of money had been spent in the
effort to produce successful re-
peater, but without important re-
SUITS until the vacuum repeater was
developed.
INe first notable event where this
repeater was used was in January
1915 at the opening OF the coast to
coast service. There are six repeat
ing stations along this route at Buf
talo. Chicago, Omaha. Denver. Salt
Lake City and Winnemucca. On this
occasion Professor Bell in New York
talked with his pioneer friends, Wat
son in San Francisco.
1t is notable in this connection that
Ia piece OF wire used in the first ex-
periments of Professor Bell was con.
neeted with this circuit and again
Professor Bel used to Mr. Watson,
the now historic words "Alr Watson,
come here; | want YOU Mr.. Watson
heard these words much more dis
tinctIy than he did over a few feet OF
wire in 1875 Just eight months after
the first demonstration Of telephone
conversation by wire across the con
tinent the same distance was COW
cred by wire. President Vail at his
Office in New York talked with John
j. Carly in San Francisco, but strange
as this seemed this conversation was
.ieard at Panama and Honolulu 1900 |
miles from Washington.
In speaking Of wireless telephony
one must not be led to anticipate the
time when one may go around with a
telephone in his pocket or by having
a radio plant at home, communicate
with anybody anywhere. 1t would |
take too long to explain why this is
impossible, but such an idea will GER
tainly now come unless radio tele
phoning be completely and radically |
changed.
The growth of telephone users has
been marvellous beginning in 1885,
when the telephone was born and for |
few years showing only small
growth we find that in 1900 there |
were less than 1,000,G10 telephones !
connected. that in 1910 there was |
nearly 100000 telephones connected
and December 81, 1920, there we're
13,000,000 or one telephone to each /
of the total population of the United |
States.
In Bennington The development has
kept pace with the rest OF the coun-
try. Here the first exchange was
owned and operated by r. j. Bennett
train dispatcher of the Troy and Bos.
ton Railroad at Troy. The exchange |
was first opened late in 1878, and was |
probably located in the Stewart block |
on Main street Mr.. Bennett operat- |
ed the exchange for about two years, |
and then sold out to DR.. f. w. Goodall |
OF Bennington. who moved the ex-
change to the second floor of the |
hawks Block and later moved it TO
the ground floor Of the same block
Soon after It was again moved to the
Norton Block Oh the second floor,
where it remained some time, DR.. |
Goodall operated the exchange about
one year. when he sold out to TIE
Bay State Telephone Co., and later
purchased by tine New England Tele'
phone and Telegraph Co. Il
On Dec. LIST, 1882, there were con
nected IS telephones. At the time OF
the purchase by the Bay State Co.
there were but connected telephones.
Since the purchase by the New Eng
land Co. the growth has been steady
and during the past eight months
there have been added 1870 stations,
making a total number Of connected
telephones in tie Bennington Elk
change on September lst of 1854
w. +. BlSSELL.