Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-03-08
Governor Moves
to Dig Deep Into
LaBar Scandal
LONDON AND new
YORK TALK ON 50TH
DATE OF TELEPHONE

New York, March 7.-(AP)-New
York and London held their first tele-
phone conversation today, the 50th
anniversary of the day Alexander Ora
ham Bell procured the original patent
for the instrument. AS part of the
program a news dispatch was tele-
phoned from London to the Associated
Press in New York, the first news
story ever to be thus transmitted
across the ocean.
Across more than $500 miles Of land
and sea, voices IN London came clear
~ to listeners In New York, and were
answered without difficulty. Recep-
ton at both ends was pronounced
clearer even than on average local
calls.
The first message transmitted was
to a reporter for the Associated Press,
relayed an interview with Ambassador
A. B. Houghton by reporter for
Repter's Telegraphic Agency, British
news bureau.
The London takers were at the
British general postoffice. Their words
were carried by wire to the broadcast
ing station at Rugby, and thence
broadcast 1900 miles across the Allan
tic to a receiving station at Houlton,
Maine. From Houlton they came by
wire 600 miles to the listeners in the
American Telephone & Telegraph Of
fees at "a Walker street.
The replies went from the Walker
street offices by wire to the broadcast
ing station at Rocky Point, Long Is
land across the Atlantic-33OO miles
by this route to a receiving station at
Wroughton, England, and thence by
wire to London.
Similar conversations. in the eX-
detrimental stage, have been carried
on by representatives of the Ameri-
can Telephone and Telegraph Com
pany for the past three weeks. Thls
was the first time the public has been
allowed to talk. Representatives OF
press associations and newspaper IN
the two countries were invited to holo
the initial conversation.
Its coincidence with the anniversa-
ry Of the patenting of the first teIe-
phone was an accident, discovered
only after arrangements had Deen
mode.
1t only missed by days coincidence
with two other anniversaries in the
history of the instrument. On March
10. 1876, Alexander Graham Bell
spoke lIIO the lSlNpLIOllC AZ Af't1
ret in Boston to an assistant in the
same building. That was the first
telephone conversation. On March IL,
1916, he spoke by telephone again. to
the same assistant-but this time the
asitant wa in San Francisco. and the
telephone had conquered the conti-
nent.
Today's conversation concerned the
news of the moment, the weather-and
persihage 1t began at eight this
morning in New York, which was one
this afternoon in London.
An American newspaperwoman open
ed the conversation. She said 1t was
raining and so early in the morning
the men hadn't appeared yet. The
voices from London answered that 1t
was gloomly there, but not raining,
and added that her voice was so CHEEKY
they didn't care whether the men ar
rived or not.
Then came the news story concern
ing Ambassador Houghton, who had
lust sailed for this country from
SOUTHAMPTON. Sir Roderic Jones,
chairman of the Reuter- Agency, sent
message to Kent Cooper, general
manager of the Associated Press. An
other English newspaperman told of
the way London received the news of
last weeks fall in stocks on the New
York exchange.