Albuquerque morning journal., 1922-11-26

qucsted a special operator will he
| detailed to watch the calls and to
| give as quick service as possible.
| Dark and stormy days mean q
rush at the telephone office. Dis
/ agreeable weather that keeps many
! people indoors results in their use
| Of the telephone for errands that
| they might otherwise conduct di-
rectly. Possibly some OF the over
the-leuce visiting is done oyer-the-
| wire on unpleasant days, At any
| rate there is a one-third increase
| in calls on q bad day. The tncle-
ment weather of winter also means
more calls in the office. For that
reason the operators take their va
cations in the summertime when
| the calls are not so numerous.
1000 Subscribers
Each girl at the switchboard sits
on a high stool within reach Of
every number in the city. While
there are 1000 subscribers she does
not have that many different
Jacks" but one little hole for
each line. About the hole are
markings in color each Of which
means a different thing to the OPP
orator. When q wrong letter is be-
ing called on a number she knows
it instantly because there is no
yellow paint or blue paint, as the
case may be, on the Jack" IL
line is not being used the hole is
plugged. These Identification marks
are changing constantly as phones
are disconnected and new ones in
stalled. although some lines prob
ably remain the same year after
year.
Two days each month every girl
at the exchange records every call
that she lnakes. These are called
peg count days" 1t Is for the pur-
pose Of determining how heavy the
calls run. The repo.t II are sent into
headquarters and if the figures ara
running above a certain well stud
led limit extra help is put on at the
exchange. On the last peg day,
November 3, 27,034 calls We're made
during a 24-hour period through
the local exchange. This did not
include long distance calls which
amounted to 7i0 during the day
and night.
. The long distance operators at
the exchange are the specialists.
Three girls work eac.l day and
two each night at the long distance
boards, They are especially trained |
and have had long experience as
operators. The details Of making
long distance connections which !
they master are insignificant how |
ever compared to the trouble |
which tney take in locating parties. |
The not infrequently pursue a party |
all over a city calling at many |
places in an effort to reach him |
The hello girl probably knows |
secrets of the haunts Of prominent |
people that few OF their friends are |
aware of, (
Each Call Registered
Each long distance operator |
works with Il stack of directories
and rate books, cards for register
ing each call. and an instrument |
known as a "Calculagraph.' This |
is a big clock with levers attached |
by which the time Of each call is /
accurately stamped on the cards.
The operator stamps the card with
the time that actual conversation
begins and when it ceases, and fig
ures the bilT for the call from her
toll books.
In addition to the plugs for maxi
ing the connection to different sta
lions there is a set of repeaters, ex-
-ra plugs which increase the
strength on calls Of very long
range A step key" also helps to
strengthen the sound, being moved
Ip n certain degree for each area
IF distance, this being determined
by telephone engineers.
At the back of the row of op-
orators sits Miss Information,
pretty young dark haired woman
who seems to know great deal,
She has all of her information on
file at her desk but she apparently /
has much Of it in her head She
'eplies on questions for new num-
oers and only occasionally has to
consult her file. There is q com
llete numerical file in the office,
IN alphabetical file Of subscribers |
lames and file of street numbers.
BY means of the latter she is able
o give the number of a telephone
1t any given address when tho
1ame Of the party Is not known
She IS also the diplomat for the !
trouble department" taking COM