Pacific Telephone Magazine

Large Telephone Installation.

Having a capacity of 3000 pairs the telephone installation in the new Terminal Building, Cortlandt and Fulton streets, New York City, is said to be the largest of its kind ever put into any office building in the world. It exceeds by nearly 200 per cent. the next largest office installation, that in the Broad Exchange Building, New York, which has 800 direct lines, and by 100 per cent. that of the Waldorf-Astoria, which has a private branch exchange operating 1500 extension stations. The first section of this huge installation, consisting of 3000 lines within the building and 1200 lines to the central office, has been completed and will be ready for use when the tenants move into the building, May 15th.

From the Main Exchange of the company, on Dey street, the cables run into a vault in Cortlandt street, and thence through a subway into a terminal room. situated at the southeast corner of the concourse floor in the building. In the terminal room is the central frame, the center of the whole system and where the 3000 pairs of conductors in the house. cables converge. The two buildings are 22 stories high and together have floor space of about 1,000,000 square feet. In the Fulton building the arrangements allow one pair of conductors for every 310 square feet and one pair of conductors for every 300 square feet in the Cortlandt street building.

A certain number of the circuits, about 1200 in all, will go directly to various offices from the Central Office of the telephone company. There are three main cables in the Cortlandt street building with 600 pairs of conductors each and two in the Fulton street building with 600 pairs of conductors each. A tenant. who occupies more than one floor, as in the case of the American Bridge Company, will have a special private line cable from their switchboard direct to the floors which they occupy. The main cable from the Central Office to the floors is continuous and has no wires exposed.

All wires, in fact, are concealed in shafts, conduits and in moldings from the point where they enter the building to each instrument. In the installation about 5,000,000 feet of No. 22 wire is used, which, if connected in one line, would reach from New York to St. Louis, about 1000 miles.

About 10,000 pounds of copper is required for the wiring, not including the bridle wiring from the terminus to each instrument; the entire weight of the wire used, including the coverings, is estimated at 100,000 pounds. When the entire system is completed it will be possible for every one of the 3000 instruments to be used at the same time.-Telephony.

Meeting of San Diego Employees.

A meeting of all the employees in the Maintenance and Construction Departments was held on May 22nd in the San Diego Exchange building with about twenty present, including Mr. E. H. Long, Division Wire Chief, Mr. R. L. Lewis, Manager, and Mr. J. E. Hayes, Wire Chief of San Diego Exchange.

Three interesting papers were read on Maintenance Conditions, Economy of Material and the Advisability of Using Material Boxes on Drop Wagons. A club was organized with the intention of taking a course in one of the correspondence schools, and meetings will be held regularly.

Maxwell Office Cut Over.

Extensive additions to facilities in

Spokane were provided when a new telephone exchange, to be known as "Maxwell," was cut over on May 29th. The new exchange is provided with standard equipment, the switchboard being equipped for 2100 lines with 3800 stations, and having an ultimate capacity of 4500 lines and 9600 stations.

The exchange has the usual operators' rest room which is to be handsomely outfitted and the equipment in every case is first class.

Dance at San Diego.

The Blue Bell Library Club at San Diego gave a successful entertainment and dance a short time ago, which netted $75 for the library fund.

A unique diversion was a telephone solo, rendered by Theodore B. Baker, who sang through the telephone at Central Office, the receiver being attached to a megaphone and the song heard by all. Thomas E. Richardson sang “Automobiling." Miss Jeannie Muirhead recited "Gossiping." A double quartet, composed of Misses Mabel Pluner, Margaret Cody, Mabel Schultz, Stella Springer and Messrs. Burnell Button, Theodore Richardson, C. B. Fraley and A. C. King, rendered several pleasing selections. Miss Irene Poe and John Christopher then danced the "Sailors' Hornpipe" admirably. A 'cello solo was rendered by Russel Chapman. Misses Misses Annie and Nini Chilton ended the first part of the program with a character song.

Victory for Bell at Moscow.

Under the active canvass of E. E. Crandall of Moscow, Idaho, the Company is organizing an extensive farmer system. A majority of the subscribers secured have, for the past few years, been subscribers of the Interstate Co-Operative Company, an Independent concern. Within the next 90 days in the neighborhood of 100 farmer subscribers will be connected with Pacific Company's office. It has been a long and up-hill fight at Moscow to break into the farmer business and Mr. Crandall deserves credit for his success.

Solicitor Word, who has been working for the past 30 days among the farmers at Troy, has secured contracts from about 50 farmers who desire Pacific connection at Troy. He also secured about 30 contracts for city telephones to be installed as soon as estimate is approved. This territory was also covered by the Interstate Co-Operative Company of Moscow.

Council Fixes Rates at Long Beach.

After two months of hard fighting the City Council of Long Beach by a vote of five to two passed a new rate ordinance over the Mayor's veto, fixing the telephone rates of The Pacific and Home Telephone Companies, same as before. No reduction was made except for "extensions."

This new ordinance makes it a penalty for either company to grant a rate lower than that called for in the ordinance.

Western Bell Club Ahead.

The Western Bell Club of Portland, the operators' organization, is one of the parties in the voting contest conducted by the Oregon Daily Journal, the prize for which is a library valued at about $500.00.

This contest closes about the 1st of July. At this writing the Western Bell Club is at the head of the contest with 100,000 votes to spare and the operators have strong hopes of securing this library.

Hel-Lo! The Poor Indian!

The telephone habit is certainly contagious in the Inland Division. San Francisco boasts of a Chinese Exchange, but it remains for the Tekoa Exchange to carry off the Plum by organizing a farmer line of Indians on the Coeur d' Alene Reservation.

The Paper in this magazine was supplied by the ZELLERBACH PAPER CO.

SAN FRANCISCO

COLLECTION RATING.

Percentage of money outstanding at the end of May, 1908, to the total amount of the bills rendered subscribers for the month, and percentage of number of unpaid accounts at the end of May to the number of accounts.