The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1954-03-26
DARE BEACHES SCHEDULED
TO HAVE DIAL TELEPHONES
In SERVICE BY SUMMERTIME
System To Be A direct Dialing Line; Can
Call Long Distance Numbers Automatical-
ly; New Gable Already Strung, Exchange
Building Under Construction, Equipment
Ready

The Dare Beaches will have
dial telephones in service this
summer, according to information
from Miss Sarah Halliburton,
secretary to the Mays Head
Chamber of Commerce, and J. L.
Murphy, mayor of Kill Devil
Hills.
A cable line has already been
laid the length of the beach, ex-
cept for a short stretch of per-
haps two miles which is to be
filled in with a special low
resistance cable. This enclosed
cable will help eliminate a great
deal of the poor transmission
which has been common to the
beach telephones in the past.
Also, new exchange building is
now being built at Kill Devil
Hills, and the dial equipment is
in Elizabeth City, according to
information received by M. Muir
ply from L. S. Blades, Jr., of the
Norfolk and Carolina Telephone
and Telegraph Co.
The name of the new exchange
will be Kill Devil Hills. Some
people were nsidera bly,
wrought-up about their phones
being listed as Kill Devil Hills,
which would be a change from
their old listing of either Kitty
Hawk or Mays Head However,
although the name of the ex-
change will be Kill Devil Hills,
the phones will still be listed as
they are in the directory now
under the Manteo exchange,
with Kill Devil Hills, Mays Head,
or Kitty Hawk preceding the
number.
One of the biggest features of
this new system will be what is
known as a direct dialing line"
which means that anyone can
call any long distance number
on any other dial exchange in the
country having the same set-up,
without ever going through an
operator. Charges are recorded
automatically in the exchange.
The only fallacy in this system is
the fact that'a child playing with
the dial might accidently dial
one of the code numbers for a
long distance exchange, and run
up a charge against the number
he is calling from.
The current issue of the Manteo
shows a listing of Dare
Beaches numbers as follows:
Mays Head, 70; Kill Devil Hills,
48; Kitty Hawk, 46. The number
of phones on the beaches is prob
ably greater than the listing at
present, and with the opening of
the new exchange the number
will increase even more rapidly.
The situation which exists on
the beaches now is one which has
drawn much criticism and
brought about expressions of
for a long time. If one
wants to call next-door neigh
Dor, it is a long distance call, be-
cause the call has to go through
the Manteo exchange and back
to the beach again. Too, the num-
Der of phones on a party line
has made it almost impossible
to call when most convenient.
And then when one is able to get
a line, the reception is generally
so poor that it is worse than
useless to even make the call.
The new cable should eliminate
this unfortunate factor, which is
believed to be caused, to some
degree, at least, by the atmos-
pheric condition near the sea.
All of the old phones will have
to be taken out and replaced with
the new equipment, but the lines
will remain intact.
The exchange building is be-
ing built of brick, estimated to
cost in the neighborhood of
$500, on the H. c. Foreman
property on the west side of
hi0huyav 158