New Britain herald., 1923-01-27

the opening or the eAcndHSe, d tcie- phone in the old passenger depot, and one in Bassett's grocery store. now Abbe's Hardware store, for demon stration purposes. This company took over several private lines between merchants homes and their stores, one of these being s. H. Wood, jewell CT, the line running from his store on Main street over the tops of several houses to his home on Arch street The Stanley Works also had a line be- tween their office and the shipping room
 The exchange started osf with about 25 subscribers and at the time that the company was taken over by the Connecticut Telephone company. the number had grown to 69 in the latter part of 1880.
 MT. Reynolds remained as manager of the company until 1882, when he went to Philadelphia and there or ganized the American Pulley com pany, making steel pulleys, and through this made large fortune.
 Two interesting resolutions appear in the minutes of the meeting of the common council in 1881. One on May | Is was a petition from the city time- | keeper for an appropriation of $2o.OO to connect his store with the fele- phone office, in order to get the cor rect time. This petition was referred to the fire department. On June 15, petition was received from the chief of police, asking that a telephone be installed in his office in order to save time. These petitions were the sub iect of considerable debate, but were finally granted.
 The Connecticut Telephone com pany became the Southern New Eng land Telephone company in 1884.
 Can't Fool the Chief.
 While it is true that every com plaint gets special attention, if it is made through the proper channels, any attempt on the part of an excited or fussy subscriber to "bawl out" the operator is wasted energy, as that op- orator is serenely on her way taking care of other calls, while the sub scriber between attempts to kick over the furniture is telling his troubles to young woman who has had ex- perience enough to know the diffcr- ence between a copper wire and cot ton clothes line and can tell her hear CT all about service" from A to z and half way back again.
 If it is toll call and the subscriber insists he did not talk more than two minutes, when the toll operator says three, the chief simply squelches the angry one by explaining sweetly that there are little tickets that are placed in a clock during the conver- sation. The operator pulls one lever when the conversation starts and an other when it stops. Then she reads the time on the cards. The clock usually declines to enter into the dis pute, but has never been known to retract a statement.
 But with all that, everything is conducted with courtesy. From the cffice of the district manager him self where he and his office staff must meet the angry world with disputed bills, through the wire chiefs depart ment where thousands of wires run through steel frames from immense cables to the switchboard above, through the handsomely furnished rest rooms where girls go when re- leved because no one could stand the strain Of whole day without rest at the pace required. through the dining room when rosy checked and dimpled maidens make hot coffee in to the main operating room itself, one is greeted with smiles and respectful courtesy.
 tsWhat do you do to cure your most chronic kickers?" asked the dazed scribe. Bring them in here and show them what we are up against" was the reply And it always works" came as an after thought.
 Some of the troubles the telephone man goes up against are extremely ludicrous to everyone except the tele- phone company. It was found neces- sary some time ago 10 cut out the custom of operators telling the time. If was found that women were using this privilege to boil eggs by. Also, it was the custom a few years ago to use the telephone system as an alarm clock. The night operator would be requested to "call me at 5 in the morning."
 Emergency Service.
 Inspectors have found telephones with the receivers off and the line stretched, the wire being used by children as play wash line. They have found women washing the wires and bell boxes, thus getting them wet and putting inc service out of busi-
 n,a ..a,,ng man 1tsnd his tplp- phone wires one time to operate a radio phone. People have called up