The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-02-06

ersfield and fireproof buildings to house dial equipment were erected in Clinton, Essex and Washington for use early in 194O. Land for fut- ure use was purchased in Farming ton, Kent and New Canaan.
 Pair Telephones
 An innovation of the year was a 2121-pair telephone cable no larger than that of 30 years ago which con- tained only 303 pairs. Made avail able by the Bell Telephone Labora- tories and the Western Electric Company, the new cable, MT. Knight explained, will permit economies in relieving congested runs where costly conduit enlargement would otherwise be necessary.
 An unusual construction project was the erection of toll cable be- tween New London and Norwich, featured by spans from 25O to 400 feet long, with two catenary psans approximately 1000 feet long near Montville. The cable is kept under constant internal pressure of nitro gen gas; in the event of a break in the cable sheath, the drop in pres sure automatically operates alarms at telephone offices in New London and Norwich, and the escaping gas retards entrance of moisture which might short-circuit wires within the cable.
 Also of public interest was the hanging of 8 specially designed cable from 8 radio station on West Peak, Meriden Mountain, to the valley below-a sheer drop of $50 feet. A new method of attaching aerial cable to its suspension strand, made possible by a machine which wraps galvanized wire around cable and strand, eliminating the use of cable rings, was introduced during the year.
 Equipment added for the purpose of preventing or minimizing inter- ruptions of service and suggested by recent experience with flood and hurricane, includes portable two way radio apparatus, portable gen. orators and emergency lighting plants.
 Waterbury Line
 With the completion of the Water bury-New Milford cable, planned for the near future, all except five ex- changes will be brought within the toll network served by cable rather than by open wires. In general this network has grown around the back bone route of the Stamford-New Haven-Hartford -Danielson section of the Bell System New York-Bos- ton subway. The recent installation between New London, Norwich and Danielson completed an important quadrilateral which has a repeater station at each of its four corners, and New London. With this ar- vice at any point along either side mey be overcome by rerouting traf- fic over the other branches. A some what similar layout is in prospect for the western section of the State utilizing existing repeater salons in Waterbury, New Milford, Norwalk and New Haven.
 SCreSSlng the value or Safety training, MT. Knight pointed out that the company's 1899 plant pro- gram, involving more than 1,500 men, was completed with only five lost time accidents, none of which resulted in permant injury.
 Acknowledgment
 Despite larger demands upon our checks and measurements indicate that the quality of service was not only maintained but was improved" MT. Knight asserted. we aclsnow- ledge appreciatively the teamwork and cooperation which enabled the accomplishments of the past year" {" he said in paying tribute to the morale of the company's 4,60O em- ployes throughout the state.