Evening star., 1935-05-26

the public exchange, there being only
one central Office then in the entire
city of Washington. The necessity
of having the call pass through an
outside operator. however, was hardly
thought an inconvenience, for the
telephone was new in those days and
Government business had not speeded
up to the point where quick and fire.
quent communication was deemed
necessary. Nor were the departments
and bureaus scattered all over Wash
ington as they are now.
Although only one telephone served
the White House Executive Once
during Mr.. Cleveland's first term, and
he seldom used it, by the time he re-
turned to Office for his second term,
every Government Office was con-
nected with the city's exchange and
there we're frequent calls over the
several telephones then in use by
the executive secretaries and clerks.
Early in the administration OF Pres
ident Mckinley, about 1898. a system
was installed connecting all the Gov
ernment departments, including the
White House In 1901 small switch
board was installed at the White
House and from this has grown the
present comprehensive system. On
several occasions new and larger
switchboards have been installed, as
the force in the Executive Office has
been increased.
W7ARREN G. HARDING was the
first boss of the White House to
make extensive use of the telephone
for regular routine work. woodrow
Wilson. his predecessor. disliked the
service thoroughly. In fact, the
White House operators were under
strict orders never to ring him. Even
if his closest associates wanted to see
Mr. Wilson on most urgent business.
they had to make peronal call.
During the Mckinley administra-
ton the telephone was used to some
extent in handling important affairs
Of the Government, though the use
of the system in those pioneer days
was tiny indeed as compared with
that of the present day.
Theodore Roosevelt didn't care
much for the telephone conversations,
using them only in extreme emer-
gercy. President Taft, on the other
hand, was fond of telephoning and
frequently availed himself of the long
distance service.
The work of maintaining the tele-
phone plant at 1900 Pennsylvania
avenue, together with the commercial
arrangements required in furnishing
the White House service, is handled
by the Washington forces of the Bell
company. Both the commercial and
plant departments have special sec
tions devoted to the handling of Gov
ernment telephone service. That these
care for the specialized requirements
of the Chief Executive and his staff
was strikingly illustrated on Christmas
eve, 1929, when fire broke out in the
Executive Off1ces. Immediately after
the fire alarm signal in the plant
emergency bureau sounded, at $40
pm, repairman was on his way to
the White House. Upon arrival there
he saw at once that the fire was con-
fined to the Executive Offices and the
switchboard, located in the telephone
room in the basement, was in danger
of being flooded by the water that was
being poured into the office.
The repairman lost no time in noti-
flying the office of the conditions, but
meantime a tarpaulin to protect the
switchboard had been rushed to the
scene, it having been learned from the
White House operator that. although
the switchboard was not in immediate
danger from the fire, water was pour
ing into the room from electric light
conduits and through the ceiling.
This action saved the switchboard
from damage. and If the Executive
Ohices had not been so damaged as to
require almost an entire reconstruc-
ton of the building 1t is believed the
switchboard could have been placed
back in service at once.
Telephone men began to arrive In
response to the emergency call. Three
executives showed up first of all, two