Salt Lake Telegram | 1914-11-24 | Page 12 | Amy Armstrong Could Never be a Telephone Girl; Though She Has Learned How to be One

S j V V Amy J Armstrong Could V i V S V Never N e Be a Telephone V h V Girl Though She Has Learned How to Be One Oner j Fi r 1 r the Wasatch Exchange e and I Sh h Spends a Day at There Discovers That the Little Instrument Has Hasa HasI I V Ii a Human Side So She Promises Not to Scold the Operator Again i ARMSTRONG AltI J By AMY ANY iI VI J vIsited tho other end of tho telePhone tele- tele U Phone ono one da day this week and th Urn tb slon- slon V black and sliver silver Instrument with its to simple mouthpiece Its hook and Its receiver will never nc be tho the same to mo inc again fiendish In Individual In- In Central 1 Is Js no longer a d halt half machine whoso whose chief delight dolIght de do- light I la to ring tho the s of the bury tUY Ignal in rn m my ear or whoso greatest t pleas pleasure ure Is to reply They Tho do not answer V when I r am om making th the tho best hest of ot my 01 1 last t chance to tho the town on r Bomo ODlO greats great eho is pretty prett girl tho tho s tory it 0 r Rather a V human part the tto Ufa clement nt In a great octopus of ot inoS of or connections connection by the VU million arranged In fri neat row TOW at after r neat row row TOV on oft tho the dl floora of ot the tel tolo- building which pIa play a vital Hal part partin ln in the th workings of o the tho city I will wUl never ol again bo be ablo able to say a in m ray most scorching tones tonet You ga o ga mo mc V tho wrong number central For I 1 wilt will wiltsee see the girl sill Hitting before a tall taU board V with its Us myriad of email hole holes Its tiny U V Splotches of or different colored cOlore paint which that a a. Dumber cumber has hac been changed U or a phon onto ont Its many plugs U and switches and signal Inal lights and much I I t will marvel and In my wonder will grow Irow that tho te a cra acra average o answer O takes but 26 6 seconds V VU 1 Long Reach Necessary U I U I myself am om and some L tenthS tenths tenth 1 S Inch inches tI hort of or being a a. telephone op op- op I eat sat in tho operating S and and was measured it would probably IY not occur cur to the outsider that a longreach long longreach V reach W was II an absolute c essential for a telephone telephone- operator tor but tho the t test left ft l IB Is the first thing which a an ai 11 applicant V must pass Sho must r havn a a. reach of ot not Dot lebs than ninety five inches The measurement roe is IG 1 taken from fraIn tip tin to tip of Df her bel middle tIn fingers ra gens with the arms outstretched outstretched out out- outI I stretched and nd to 1 is added her height I from tho the chair up taken in a sitting position This i is 15 because sho ha has to cover or many numbers in jn answering She Sho must go 0 to school for tor two w weeks ek I and durIn during that time must learn what U to say ay an and mostly what hal not to tay y when U V answering calls how to pronounce one wun with u a using the V lips ills in an on extreme mo manner so th that t It ItU U will not SnOt conflict with nine what I Is the thc correct intonation at of the tho voice the V proper pOper phrases phrases please for forthe forthe the first ir answer to 10 a caL caD Number U please for tor the ond c and What Is IB the tIle number again O if it shoo sho cannot can not ilot understand until tho the third attempt V All AU this and wore must bo be learned in addition to th the complicated mechanics of ot the switchboard V Emergency Le Lessons ns I B the But the t-the education of the operator and the rc resources of or the company compan are not V only for everyday e u use ue c. c 1 In cases casc of or emergency emergency emer emer- gency rency tho the workings are e exceedingly mer j speedy and efficient Poll Police co comes come Ina in ina ini a i a faint whisper in m a frightened voice over V tile the Ire without location telephone number number num num- 5 ber or other necessary information the phone phon dropped immediately Immediate after attar the re re- auest ouest The Tho operator r receiving l tho the calli call 5 st signals he her he supervisor who locates the i call cail through another operator who has II t r rI the call cal and the police are aro sent Fire rire re is I in the tho mo way Special keys kes for fire and lOlice vo- vo lice with unmistakable labels label are before each ach operator so EO o that if It a n person wants police ou or lire Ura department nt it is 13 ear earv to give Ivo a number If It someone calls for n a doctor tho call callis callIs Is located in tho the tamo anio wa way when hen no or 01 1 Phone number la Is given shen A chart hangs bangs on the wall waIl of tho exchange e ero ro room showing just Jut where each cach doctor In tho Ull city lives and after tho the address s ha has been obtained tho the doctor nearest that th ad address address Rd- Rd dress is called and asked if ho lo wishes to respond ond If Ir ho does coos not another is 18 called call cd until one is 13 found Cound willing to answer a an an- n- n awer tho tile summons Where Is the Fire Answering calls cans ell IK aa to where a fire Is when the lire son gong rings is town stuff in fn a 1 laage city according to T Waldo o oCo Co rell division traffic manager of oC tho thio give our pa patrons patrons pa- pa comI company But arc vvo Ilk like to tho the servIce they cant so CO o tar far as and aud so wo we are tr trying to do tIo it You should see flee the these e boards Boards when tho the fire e engine nc goes Joes out The They iro aro lighted from rota end cud to ed e and the girls work worl for many fast In It humanly possible us S 5 as Js tho the legitimate legitimate minutes necessarily crippling mate service to some seine extent It 11 has aha always 8 been a n mystery to me mc back at you ou how Central could J light Ight Wore before the tho number numb was well out of oC your our own lips t tell ll that a number had been a n phone taken out or that you OU board the number Dumber But on had the tho wrong before her arc marks of or lC red led yellow and other colored paints each cach with A particular significance the tile history as It were cree of or that number When hen a number Cr has been changed ed a white plug plus bearing the new number Is placed in tho the old slot Plot FO so the tho girl sirl at tho the board can tell mime immo- And the tho busy signal that grinds linds Into your car drum and bids fair to make you ou swear oven oyon if ft you ou arc are a church member In good standing Wb Why that thal Isn't an In Instrument Instrument Instrument In- In strument of torture at it all lilt The Tho girl Irl elm elm- pI ply touches the tho slot of or tho the desired number number number num num- ber with her plug pluS two to or times three and b bv by the answering sound she can tell you jou youline ou The line is bus busy As a matter of ot fact this signal is not so 50 rending as aa it used to bo be and central now no tells sou rou about it Instead of or trying to send yu U to the asylum Ls lum for or the tho dc dear deaf f. f Only a Machine Centrals fingers han hands bands s an and arms aims arc arcaO arcas arcas as aO supple anI and graceful as thom of ot a piano player Silo She reaches in out and around the tho various corde cords without nn an unnecessary lV movement and without disturbing a 3 singie sin sin- SIc gie le one put puts them into bite tho the correct co holes and drops drop them back Into place again although to Lo an nn outsider them 5 seem om tangled into a hopel hopeless e mess mese She Isn't allowed to have hac any personality while whilo at work and if lr some man calling happens to like her voice oleo and wants want to know what is her name Abe sho can only onh answer him Number please pleaser And finally If It he will not take talo takeno takeno no tor or an a answer she refers him bin to her cU Cf She Sho cannot oven oen accept kisses blown along tho the wire although perhaps haps some of or them reach their destination unaccepted un nfl accepted Hers Is 15 not to reason why why why- not to make mako reply but simply to reiterate Number Tho The Sh girls do however how how- ever eyer sometimes rc receive boxes of ot candy I when th they y have o particularly been bean of at a a- a to someone and the then theM A the they are aro allowed to accept although althou h tho the custom l is not encouraged There arC aro an un Infinite number numb of ot facto and nd about the tIme workings of time company which are extremely Ing but the they l cant can't all bo be told In a few foW words word For Instance there i Is an aver- aver ago ugo of OO call per hour per pcr operator and amid the tho timo for a a. call f is 1565 seconds to hall handlo it an and do it right Toots rants are Ire bein being be be- without tho the knowledge knowledge knowl knowl- In ing taken inlet constantly ed edge c of Ulft th operator to lo keep tho the service efficient There Thero are more than connections In the tho th Wasatch Wa exchange ex cx- x- x change e a aone ono something tho the matter with an any one of or which causes a great amount of oC trouble V Holds Worlds World's Record Ono One board of or local calls c in tho Wn Wasatch exchange o Is said to be the longest L continuous continuous con coil hoard in the tho world and to o lia moro mora calls colls pass lasa through it dally dati Th The busiest hour Is from Crom rein 3 to 10 oclo o'clock lc In tho hit morning and a great amount of ot apparatus ap op must bo be kept to meet this demand de dc- dc- dc mand Oland which Is ut tit other times Idle The telephone is a pretty good measure of ot the tho growth of a 1 cIty Not lot fifteen n years ears ago aso thoro thorn were 1300 lOO phones In Salt Lal Lake e Soon wore were and aleI now f there hero arc ale about OOOO Thirty six lx years ago theme was waR but one ono man employed In the tho manu manu- Ca of Now there are nrc at least employed in the tho manufacture of phones s and accessories Tho Time girls In the employ of or tho the telephone tele telo- phone company have beautiful restrooms la and conveniences provided for them Thoy have hare fire drills and all un sorts corts of oC precautions are arc tal taken en to prevent pre fire arid antI to eScape Injury should n a Ira break breal out O II R R. Collins city truffle traffic manager every detail about the workings work work- ings of or tho operating rooms and amid he heI I old bId mc so many timings things that I J loo looked ed forthe for tor tho the gray grol hairs to see eo how long IonS ho ha lied hall l I been In service I could not see sea any uny and only j. j few rather rathor deep wrinkles testified to tho tim hours which must have ha been spent in tho the process of oC acquiring C. C C C. Pratt district plant plan superintendent f know knew Just Juat Justas as much about tho the great r t cables containing millions of wires I rOB tho the wonderful engines In reserve to furnish power in case casc of ot accident to the power u usually employed the tho wonderful connections and tho the tiny instruments looking hooking l Ilka Ilko wee Christmas candles through which trouble anywhere imong tho the many wires can bo be located d without loss of or time time- Miss 1 C. C Dafner Darner the graduate inn so who takes talea caro care of oC the girls and nurses their troubles as well as ns theIr Ir bodily ills III is charming and apparently tiP ap competent All of or which gives tho the modest little tittle I have lu so eo often held in my hand handa a personality undreamed 1 of before In future futuro I shall handle handlo it with care and put tut my requests respectfully