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TRACING THE TELEPHONE IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS
1877-193°
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2019
https://archive.org/details/tracingtelephoneOOwils
William J. Denver
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
1877-193°
Compiled and Edited by CLARK M. WILSON
SPRINGFIELD, MASS. 1958
COPYRIGHT, 1958, BY CLARK M. WILSON
DESIGNED AND PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BY GEORGE MCKIBBIN & SON, BRATTLEBORO, VT.
Acknowledgments
The information regarding the early telephone business in Western Massachusetts was obtained principally from con¬ temporary newspapers. Fortunately, the libraries in the larger communities have maintained volumes of newspapers dating back to long before the birth of the telephone, — June 2, 1875.
The library people were found to be very obliging and helpful, and the many visits, especially to the Springfield and Northampton libraries, did not seem to wear out their pa¬ tience.
Miss Alice Moore, of the Connecticut Valley Historical Li¬ brary, Springfield, provided interesting material concerning the early Springfield telephone history.
The libraries which were visited in quest of early telephone history were as follows:
Connecticut Valley Historical Library, Springfield
Springfield City Library
Forbes Library, Northampton
Holyoke City Library
Westfield Athenaeum
Young Men’s Library Association, Palmer
Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield
North Adams Public Library
Mason Library, Great Barrington
Greenfield Public Library
The Springfield Daily Republican was the chief dissemi¬ nator of news events occurring throughout Western and Cen¬ tral Massachusetts and Vermont, and even carried a column headed “Eastern Massachusetts.”
Other city newspapers contributed valuable local and sub-
vi Acknowledgments
urban news regarding the early telephone business in their areas, and provided other interesting information.
The newspapers which were chiefly consulted were: Springfield Daily Republican Holyoke Transcript
Hampshire Gazette and Northampton Courier Western Hampden Times and Westfield Nexus-Letter Palmer Journal
Berkshire County Eagle , Pittsfield The Sun, Pittsfield Adams Transcript, North Adams Berkshire Courier, Great Barrington Greenfield Gazette and Courier
After the organization of the New England Telephone and Telegraph Company, October 19, 1883, the telephone be¬ came accepted as a permanent affair and news items regard¬ ing it became increasingly scant.
Fortunately, Telephone Topics was started in May, 1907, and a reliable record of the telephone’s progress has been recorded.
As far as is known, there is only one complete set of Tele¬ phone Topics in Western Massachusetts. John H. Armstrong, who joined the New England Telephone Co.’s Plant Depart¬ ment in 1903, maintained a file of Telephone Topics and also kept extra copies. In 1924, recognizing the methodical nature of William R. Parkinson, who had joined the Springfield Plant Department in July, 1922, John supplied him with the copies he didn’t have, and “Bill” has carefully filed each num¬ ber since then. The privilege of using this complete set of Topics has been of inestimable value.
Thomas A. Watson’s autobiography, Exploring Life, pub¬ lished by D. Appleton and Company, and Beginnings of Te¬ lephony by Frederick Leland Rhodes, published by Harper 8c Brothers, have supplied timely information.
Thanks are extended to the many telephone men and women for their kindness in providing interesting informa¬ tion of the bygone days and also choice pictures.
Contents
Acknowledgments v
1. Introduction of the Electric Speaking Telephone
and Private Lines 3
2. The Springfield Telephone Company and the Dis¬
trict Telephone and Automatic Signal Company 1 1
3. Consolidation of the Springfield and the District
Telephone Companies 26
4. Start of the Pittsfield and North Adams Exchanges 39
5. Western Massachusetts Telephone Company: Pitts¬
field — North Adams — Adams Exchanges 56
6. Western Massachusetts Telephone Company:
N orthampton — W estfield — Greenfield
Exchanges 77
7. Start of the Palmer Exchange 95
8. Hampden Telephone Company: Springfield —
Holyoke Exchanges 104
9. Bay State Telephone Company 109
10. Bay State Telephone Company: Springfield —
Holyoke Exchanges 114
11. Bay State Telephone Company: Northampton —
Palmer — Westfield Exchanges 118
12. Bay State Telephone Company: Pittsfield — North
Adams — Adams — Great Barrington — Greenfield Exchanges 131
13. New England Telephone and Telegraph Company 152
14. Events Pertinent to Western Massachusetts 156
15. Pittsfield Exchange Area 168
16. North Adams Exchange Area 192
17. Great Barrington Exchange Area 205
18. Greenfield Exchange Area 219
19. Independent Telephone Companies 238
vii
Vlll
Contents
20. Holyoke Exchange Area
21. Northampton Exchange Area
22. Interviews with Telephone Agents
23. Palmer Exchange Area
24. Westfield Exchange Area
25. William J. Denver Chapter, Telephone Pioneers of
America
26. Springfield Exchange Area: October 19, 1883-1919
27. Springfield Exchange Area 1920-1926
28. Springfield Exchange Area 1927-1930
254
267
298
310
319
330
336
367
402
TRACING THE TELEPHONE IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS
1877-193°
I
CHAPTER 1
Introduction of the Electric Speaking Telephone
and Private Lines
After the issue of Alexander Graham Bell’s fundamental patent U.S. No. 174,465, March 7, 1876, a little over a year elapsed before the telephone was introduced to Western Mas¬ sachusetts. Of course it had been improved somewhat during this time; and, evidently, there was still considerable room for improvement.
The excitement caused by the announcement in the papers that Professor Bell was to visit Springfield with his telephone May 12, 1877, can best be gleaned from a perusal of the follow¬ ing items appearing in the Springfield Daily Republican from May 8 to 12:
“We are to have Professor Bell and his telephone Saturday evening and the details of the telephonic exhibition have been arranged. Professor Bell is to be stationed in the Springfield City Hall, which is to be connected with the Pittsfield Academy of Music, with Westfield as the way station.
“There will be a brief explanatory lecture by Professor Bell and then for an hour a concert of vocal solos and duets, cornet solos, and organ playing to be sent through the telephone from Westfield.
“Afterward some of our prominent citizens are to talk with Judge Colt and others at Pittsfield over fifty miles of wire. Wires will be stretched from the City Hall to the Western Union office, by courtesy of William J. Denver, Manager.
3
4 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
There are to be four telephones at the City Hall so that the concert at Westfield may be heard to the best advantage. Tickets go on sale at Gorham and Wood’s Friday, 25 cents, 35 cents for reserved seats.
“A considerable Northampton party is coming down to the novel performance and a train will be run after the concert from this city to Easthampton and Northampton and a delega¬ tion from Williston Seminary will thus be able to attend the concert.”
The above news items, supplemented by a small advertise¬ ment, afforded the concert plenty of publicity. Professor Bell, whose chief means of livelihood, at that time, was teaching his father’s system of “Visible Speech” at Boston University, ar¬ rived in Springfield safe and sound. Fred Gower, a young newspaper man of Providence, who was business manager of Bell’s lectures, went on to Pittsfield. Professor Bell, no doubt, was conveyed to the City Hall in a little wooden horse car, and settled back to inspect the sights of Main St., as the horses jogged along. Springfield was then a city of about 33,000.
The outcome of this exciting demonstration can be best learned from parts of an editorial and a news article appearing next day in the same paper:
“The telephone concert was entirely a success in showing the nature and workings of the invention, although the instru¬ ment is not yet advanced enough to transmit speech or music for any public purpose. There was one telephone on the plat¬ form and two others at other points of the City Hall, where an exceptionally fine audience was gathered. Professor A. Graham Bell, the inventor, made a brief address and his assistant, Mr. Gower, a similar one at Pittsfield, explaining the nature of the instrument, which is a wooden box, somewhat smaller than an ordinary photographer’s camera. The playing of the cabinet organ at Westfield resulted in the reproduction of the tunes at Springfield and Pittsfield, rather more faintly than the original but still clearly distinguishable except when the inevitable late-comers disturbed the audience. The reproductions were rather more audible in Springfield than at Pittsfield, the tele-
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 5
graph line at this end being made with soldered joints, but with merely twisted joints from Westfield to Pittsfield. Profes¬ sor Bell carried on conversation with the operator at Westfield and with Mr. Gower at Pittsfield, their words being audible but indistinguishable to the audience. Bell remarked that the possibilities of the telephone were only partly known, but Saturday night’s experiments gave a satisfactory idea of what it is hoped to accomplish by it.
“That the conversational capacities of the telephone are, even in its present imperfect condition, equal to genuine use¬ fulness seems obvious. Among the purposes to which it will be applied first are for conveying intelligence in mines, which is already under consideration, and for communicating from one office with a large number of factories for which a prominent New England manufacturer intends to utilize it, and for the benefit of divers beneath the ocean.
“The public is indebted to Mr. George H. Cary of the First Pittsfield Grammar School for its evening with the telephone, and we regret to learn that he is likely to lose money by his venture. The audience at the Pittsfield end was a losing one, and our big hall full did not make its expected returns.’’
Eleven days after this demonstration, Mr. Gower was back in Springfield, stopping at the Haynes House, where he was ready to consult with parties wishing to introduce telephones for purposes of business or experiment. Several proprietors of large business concerns and manufactories in Springfield and Holyoke were interested.
The Holyoke Transcript of June 2, 1877, had this article: “Two of Professor Bell’s agents were in Holyoke Thursday ad¬ justing telephonic boxes to the telegraph wire connecting the two mills of the Whiting Paper Co. The distance between the mills is about one-fouth of a mile. The employees whose busi¬ ness it is to send communication are quickly learning to use it. The box is about a foot long and about six inches square. In¬ side is a horse-shoe magnet and the iron membrane. The tele¬ phone company rent two boxes to business concerns for forty dollars per year, and ten dollars per box for each additional box. The rate between an office and a dwelling house or be-
6 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
tween two dwelling houses is twenty dollars. Experiments are constantly being made and any new discoveries will be added to the leased boxes.”
On July 19, 1877, the Republican described an improved telephone as follows: “The telephone is now made in a smaller and more convenient form, consisting now of a circular mouth¬ piece about two inches across with a handle some three inches long, at the other end of which the wires are attached. The bar magnet is contained in the handle and the small, vibrating disk is within the mouth-piece. Two of these are generally placed at each end of a route that a person may hear more plainly by holding them to both ears. An arrangement has been made for an electro-magnet call bell, to be used when one wishes to begin conversation, which costs $15 additional. The Whiting Mills of Holyoke are now supplied with the new style of double-barreled telephones.”
August 20, 1877, the Republican announced that “Manager Denver of the Western Union Telegraph Co. has the agency for the introduction of the telephone with Professor Bell's lat¬ est improvements. The Gas Company have a line in working order from their office in the old Savings bank building to the Gas works.”
Giles Blague, historian of Springfield’s 100th anniversary of city government, relates that in 1877 four neighbors and friends decided to have a four party private line for social and business purposes. They were Lewis J. Powers, Charles A. Nichols, Henry S. Hyde, and Elisha Morgan.
Competition for the attention of the public, however, was heightened by the introduction of Edison’s phonograph. It was placed on exhibition in Springfield in May of 1 878; and visited other communities, talking, singing, and laughing for the en¬ tertainment of the people.
An interesting story concerning this new form of entertain¬ ment appeared in the Republican , June 7: “While the Hamp¬ den hall phonograph was reproducing the words of Professor Pike, an elderly lady, who sat patiently on one of the front benches, suddenly exclaimed, ‘Now Mr. Phonograph man, you can’t fool me any longer if you can the rest of the people. I'm going to look inside of them doors,’ referring to doors in
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 7
the counter on which the phonograph rested, ‘an I’ll bet I can find a man or boy helpin’ you fool this crowd.’ The professor stood aside and the old lady looked and found no one, upon which she said, ‘Well, you beat the circus. You are the best ventriloquist I ever heard. But don’t you think you can make me believe that thing can talk.’ ”
As the length of communication was increased, it occurred to several progressive business men, who had enterprises both in Springfield and Holyoke, to have them connected by tele¬ phone. On Oct. 9, 1878, the Holyoke Transcript mentioned that Metcalf and Luther and E. S. Fay were making efforts to organize a stock company to establish a telephonic line be¬ tween Springfield and Holyoke. December 23rd, this Tran¬ script news item appeared:
“The new private concern, in which W. H. Wilkinson is a leading spirit, had a force of 15 men at work last week setting the poles. They had got beyond Chicopee Saturday night. This side of Brightwood, the wire will be strung for the present, at least, on the fire alarm telegraph poles, and south of Franklin Street, on the houses. No great objection is made by anybody to the new poles, though once in a while a man would like to have them run through the back lots. The city engineer is to see that the poles are put where they ought to go.”
Three days later another item disclosed that in order to make their poles in Chicopee and elsewhere as free as possible from objection, the owners intend painting their poles in vil¬ lages. Not content with that, Mr. Reynolds, who was building the line, explained that due to the approaching cold weather the work was done rapidly, and there was but little time to get expressions from property-holders, but he would be glad to meet interested parties with a view to learning their wishes for any changes.
About three weeks later, when the line was nearly com¬ pleted, the stockholders were much perturbed by a hitch in the undertaking, which is best explained by the Republican’s reporter: “It seems that the selectmen of the town of Chicopee at first told the company that they could run the line through
8 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
the place for 525 or $50, and the work was pushed through with that understanding. But the alleged defacement of the streets raised such a howl of indignation that the selectmen backed down, and now say that $300 is the least possible sum that will soothe the wounded feelings of Chicopee. The com¬ pany have had full permission to set their poles in the limits of Springfield, running part of the way on the fire-alarm tele¬ graph poles, and there is no incumbrance in Holyoke, as they run along the banks of the canal.”
It is consoling to read that a citizen of Chicopee took a dif¬ ferent view and expressed it in these imposing words: “Since the telephone is but one of the treasures, by the aid of science, born of nature, to stifle the breath of these new comers is simply an expression of barbarism that we are not prepared to believe still lurks in the nature of the people in this vicinity.”
It is not known whether it was this touching sentiment or the Company’s willingness to make good any damage done — with an implied threat to move their poles to the other side of the Connecticut River, thus depriving the town of future bene¬ fits — but, anyway, after a short “cooling off” period, the Re¬ publican announced that the selectmen have come down from $300 to $50 in their demand on the telephone company.
Evidently, this concession was acceptable to the irate stock¬ holders, for no further mention of this financial transaction is recorded. Telephonic connections were finished in Holyoke Jan. 18, 1879. The stock owners applied for incorporation un¬ der the name of the Springfield Holyoke Telephone Co. Its importance to the progress of the telephone business is shown by this Republican article:
“The telephone line which J. F. Reynolds, representing the New England Telephone Co., (not the present New England Telephone & Telegraph Co.) has put up between this city and Holyoke is the first private line between two towns, so far as known, and is the longest private line in New England and probably in the United States. Including the connections, it has taken twelve miles of wire and has nine or more stations. The voices of different individuals can be distinguished, and conversation carried on as easily as through a line of 100 feet.
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 9
Mr. Reynolds, W. H. Wilkinson, E. D. Metcalf and E. S. Brad¬ ford own equal shares of the line. The telephones themselves, with the call-bell attachments, are rented of the Bell Tele¬ phone Co., who never sell the instruments. Mr. Reynolds has also put up private lines in Springfield for A. L. Moffit, J. M. Cowan, W. O. Collins, John Bangs, George Fisk, and the Armory, some ten miles of wire in all. There are seven stations at the Armory, one of them being at the Water-Shops. Besides these, he has put up about 55 miles in the surrounding towns.”
On Feb. 26, 1879, there appeared the first newspaper men¬ tion of establishing a telephone exchange in Springfield like one in New Haven. Quoting the Republican:
“A circuit line for the city is talked of, connecting merchants with their customers, etc. There is said to be such a line (sys¬ tem) in New Haven, Conn, which has some 300 stations. There is a central switching station, where the connections are made, and when a woman, for instance, wants to order her dinner she speaks to the switching station, and asks to be put in com¬ munication with her butcher or grocer, and it is all done in a moment. But one person can use the line at a time.”
A Springfield item first mentions Frank Daboll:
“F. G. Daboll, the agent, put in a Draper’s acoustics speak¬ ing telephone yesterday for Dr. William G. Breck, connecting his house on Round Hill with his barn a distance of about a 1000 feet. Wilson Eddy has also had one strung between his house on Cyprus Street and the Boston and Albany shops.”
Before embarking on the next phase of the telephone busi¬ ness, it might be well to scan the following items from the Republican and Holyoke Transcript to see how our forbears disported themselves in those elysian days:
All the high school boys are writing to President Hayes, and quite a number were made happy in receiving a card bearing his name — written in a bold strong hand. (The girls, as of to¬ day, were too modest.)
10 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
A 200 pound sturgeon was caught near Willimansett. Pick¬ erel fishing is now the chief sport, and frequent parties are made up for Hampton and Southwick ponds, while occasion¬ ally some specially enthusiastic fishermen go to far-away Otis, and pretend to like the trip into the polar regions. The river is full of good sized black bass. About 10,000 young salmon have been placed in Ashley Pond. Measures have been taken in Connecticut to let Salmon run up to and over the Holyoke dam.
The bicycle rink was opened in Sovereign’s Hall on Bridge Street last evening with a lively patronage. The bicycle is a ticklish affair to manage at the outset but is soon controlled; and those, who have had velocipede experience, have little trouble with it.
Joseph Pepin, Holyoke, has built a pair of stairs from his skating rink house to the ice edge of the upper canal, where he has his amusement field fenced in. He has had his rink planed down and polished off.
The walking mania has again struck Holyoke. The Benson- Gardner walk at Parsons Hall started yesterday at 1 1 a.m., and at 8 p.m. Benson had walked 38 miles and Gardner 40. Ben¬ son’s last mile was the quickest, in 10 minutes and 24 seconds.
A party of sixteen of the first business men of Springfield and their wives visited the Holyoke House on a sleigh ride last evening and had a private supper. The party was chaperoned by N. A. Winans.
The steamer Dexter will take parties from Holyoke, who wish to go to the ball game in Springfield on next Saturday, between the Holyokes and Springfields, for 50 cents including admission to the park and return.
The Binghamton Republican tells of a lady who can’t see why baseball players change pitchers so often. She thinks they ought to get one that would hold enough in the first place.
CHAPTER 2
The Springfield Telephone Company and the District Telephone and Automatic Signal
Company
New Haven, Conn., was the first city to have a commercial telephone central office. A crude switchboard, with 21 stations, was set up by George W. Coy Jan. 28, 1878. Lowell’s telephone exchange took the honors in Mass. — April 19, 1878.
Springfield had progressed in the telephone art to a point, where it too, was a likely prospect for such an enterprise. It is no wonder then that there appeared in the Springfield Daily Republican Feb. 28, 1879, the following momentous news:
“The admirable system of local telephone communication is to be introduced in Springfield by the District Telephone 8c Automatic Signal Co. of New Haven. This is a company in¬ corporated under the laws of Conn, for the purpose of owning and operating the district telephone in six cities: New Haven, Hartford, Springfield, Meriden, Middletown and New Britain. In three of these places the system is in successful working order, New Haven furnishing 550 stations, Hartford, where the company began business only six weeks ago, 250 and Meri¬ den 75. Its capital stock when fully organized will be $40,000 which is being rapidly taken up in the cities named. In other cities the existing private lines have mostly been consolidated with this general service, and such will, no doubt, be the case here, even the Holyoke line being perhaps merged into the
11
12 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
new company. The convenience of this plan of quick local communication can hardly be overestimated. It answers all the purposes of the district telegraph, and does a great deal more, connecting business men with their homes, merchants with their customers and lessening the friction of domestic life. The Bell telephone is the one used by this company.”
A
H. P. Frost, President and Treasurer, and G. W. Coy, Secre¬ tary and Supt., of the “Nutmeg” Company, must have been somewhat taken back, when they became acquainted with the ominous news published in the same paper about a week later:
“Springfield promises to be uncommonly well provided with telephone communication. Local Telegraph Manager William J. Denver evidently does not mean to have his lately established messenger system superseded by an outside con¬ cern. He has accordingly secured the approval and cooperation of the Western Union management, and has already issued circulars soliciting subscribers for telephones. The charge for the ordinary service on a circuit wire will be $22 a year, the same rate established by the New Haven Co. For separate wires, which remove the annoyance of any but the indi¬ vidual signal, a higher but still very reasonable price will be asked. Mr. Denver is well equipped by his experience and posi¬ tion, as well as by his local acquaintance and reputation, for the successful management of this enterprise, and is likely to give the New Haven company a pretty hard push for the field. The territory covered will be from Brightwood to Mill river and from Lake Como to the Conn, river.” Lake Como, alias Goose Pond, lay close to State Street between what is now Catherine and Andrew Streets.
The rival companies lost no time in securing sites for their offices. The District Telephone & Automatic Signal Co., also referred to in the papers as the New Haven Co., the Bell Co., and the District Telephone Co., was the first to announce that it had taken a five years’ lease of rooms on the second floor of the Second National Bank block, 407 Main Street. This was where the Valley Bank 8c Trust Co. is located.
On March 19th, 1879, the paper preferred this information:
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 13
“W. J. Denver has taken a back store in the Music Hall block with the entrance on Pynchon Street, opposite the entrance to the Post Office, as the headquarters of the Springfield Tele¬ phone Co., and will begin stringing the necessary wires in all directions today.”
The Music Hall block, or Haynes Opera House, was situ¬ ated on the southwest corner of Main and Pynchon Streets, where the Capitol Theatre is now located. The store taken by the Springfield Telephone Co., sometimes called the Western Union Co., or Denver’s Co., was evidently at the end of the building on Pynchon Street, for later, mention is made of cut¬ ting a hole through the west wall of the office for a window. The Western Union Co.’s office was in the Haynes Hotel block, which was on the north side of Pynchon Street, corner of Main.
The Western Union Telegraph Co. had authorized Mr. Denver to build and operate a telephone exchange. Such a ven¬ ture required both financial and legal assistance. It is obvious that he consulted his banker, Henry S. Hyde, President of the Agawam National Bank of Springfield. Mr. Hyde had great faith in the telephone and together they secured several promi¬ nent business men to become officials and probably stockhold¬ ers of the new company. It was reported that the Western Union Co. took $3,000 of the capital stock and ten local men put in $300 each.
The organization of this Springfield Telephone Co. took place March 29, 1879, with C. A. Nichols President, H. S. Hyde Treasurer, W. J. Denver Manager, T. M. Brown Clerk, and as Directors, C. A. Nichols, W. J. Denver, E. Morgan, L. J. Pow¬ ers, and H. M. Phillips.
Henry S. Hyde, in addition to his bank position, was Treas¬ urer of the Wason Mfg. Co., railway car builders, and Vice President of the Hampden Savings Bank. Later he served for many years as Vice President of the New England Telephone & Telegraph Co., which position he resigned in 1914, but con¬ tinued as a director until his death in 1917.
Charles A. Nichols had established a book publishing com¬ pany and was Vice-President of the 5 Cents Savings Bank and became first President of United Electric Light Co.
Timothy M. Brown was one of the leading lawyers of the
14 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
city. He served as City Attorney for five years, when Hon. L. J. Powers and the Hon. H. M. Phillips were mayors.
Elisha Morgan, a descendent of Miles Morgan, one of the pioneers of Springfield, became General Ticket Agent of the Conn. River Railroad Co., then entered the envelope busi¬ ness, and with Chester W. Chapin, President of the Bos¬ ton 8c Albany Railroad, formed the Morgan Envelope Co*, later acquired by the U. S. Envelope Co.
Lewis J. Powers organized the Powers Paper Co. in 1866, of which he was President and Treasurer, and was elected Mayor of Springfield in 1 878 and 1 879.
Henry M. Phillips formed the Phillips Mfg. Co., steam heat¬ ing apparatus, was elected State Representative and Senator and Mayor of Springfield in 1883, 1884 and 1885. In 1914 he was elected Vice President of the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co.
William J. Denver’s wide acquaintance with the local pub¬ lic gained him special advantages in furthering his objective. Mr. Denver was born in Springfield Aug. 18, 1841. He was educated in the public schools and at the age of 15 took up telegraphy, becoming Manager of the Western Union Tele¬ graph Co. in 1864.
The District Telephone 8c Automatic Signal Co., already organized in Conn., having received authority from the city council to conduct business here, appointed H. P. Frost, Presi¬ dent, and George W. Coy, as Electrician and Supt. Mr. Her¬ rick P. Frost possessed unusual business ability. He obtained the right from the New England Telephone Co. (not the pres¬ ent one) to lease Bell instruments for use in the New Haven and Springfield districts at an annual rental of five dollars.
Mr. Coy was the man who built the switchboard for the first commercial exchange in New Haven. He was a Civil War veteran, a natural mechanic, and inventor. He secured the agency for the Bell Telephone Co. in New Haven and con¬ ceived the idea of establishing a telephone exchange.
The pride of having two telephone companies vying for their patronage was dampened somewhat by the thought of paying two telephone bills instead of one, and it was freely predicted that one company or the other would sell out before
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 15
actual operations were begun. The tenacity of these rivals wasn’t reckoned with, however, for the enlivening competition continued longer than expected. The newspapers, at least, profited by the lengthy advertisements, which frequently adorned their columns.
Two of these advertisements are quoted now, as they present a prospectus of their peculiar qualifications to serve the public:
“The Springfield Telephone Co. desire to assure their pa¬ trons and friends that they already have contracts with over one hundred of the principal business and professional men in this city for the use of their telephones, and that within a very few days they shall commence to set up their instruments and connect them with the main office. The public is cautioned against placing any confidence in the misrepresentations at¬ tempted to be made by other parties as to alleged exclusive con¬ trol of patents and also is reminded that an important advan¬ tage is gained by being connected with the company having the largest number of patrons and an exclusively local manage¬ ment.
“The Gold and Stock Telegraph Co., who make the phones operated by this Company, announce that in case any action for infringement of patents are begun against anybody using their instruments, they will, on notice and request, assume the defense. This is in view of their claim to own or control the fundamental inventions of every speaking telephone hitherto invented, constructed or patented.” W. J. Denver, Manager, C. A. Nichols, President.
The second advertisement read as follows:
“The District Telephone 8c Automatic Signal Co. have now in use more than nine hundred telephones in Hartford and New Haven. To Springfield we are now giving the result of all improvements, making the most perfect system possible. The Western Union Co. have no right to use the Telephone and any person to whom they attempt to confer such pretended right will be an infringer. Mr. Elisha Gray, under whom the Western Union claim to be licensed, has admitted Professor Bell’s rights.”
By H. P. Frost, President.
16 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
A Republican item of April 12, 1879, shows that the Spring- field Telephone Co. was pretty near the point of getting their switchboard into operation:
“The Springfield Telephone Co. got a temporary switch¬ board lent them by the Meriden Company into operation yesterday, and are ready for business with and between the dozen private boxes already put in. Boxes for the other appli¬ cants, who number some 200, will be put in as speedily as possible.”
On April 1 8th it was reported that this company had decided to give their patrons both the Edison transmitter and receiving telephone, and that there were then 40 boxes in operation.
April 16, 1879, is the date commonly accepted as the open¬ ing of the first telephone exchange by the Springfield Tele¬ phone Co.
The Springfield Club, at the corner of Worthington and Chestnut Streets, is reputed to be the customer to receive the first message. This, no doubt, was because the officials of the company belonged to that distinguished club and were nerv¬ ously waiting to see if the new contraption would work.
The District Telephone 8c Automatic Signal Co. did not get their exchange into operation until a little later, according to an address given by Maurice S. Sherman, Editor of the Springfield Union.
On April 25, 1879, an advertisement appeared, which gave the names of eighteen doctors and druggists connected to the District Telephone 8c Automatic Signal Co.’s Central Office. This is the only record published in the papers listing some of the first Springfield subscribers.
Telephones, Doctors, and Druggists
The following Doctors and Druggists are now connected with the District Telephone Co.’s central office, number 407 Main Street. The public is invited to use the telephones of this company at all times without charge.
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 17
Doctors
|
Bowles, S. W. |
Corner Main and State |
|
Brooks, S. D. |
41 Vernon |
|
Brooks, L. S. |
41 Vernon |
|
Brown, J. R. |
Patton’s Block |
|
Clark, David |
32 Maple |
|
Gardiner, W. H. |
155 State |
|
Hamilton, T. E. |
84 Greenwood |
|
Hamilton, T. E. |
274 Main |
|
Hooks, John |
183 State |
|
McFarland, L. |
273 State |
|
Pomeroy, S. F. |
201 State |
|
Rice, A. R. |
45 Pynchon |
|
Druggists |
|
|
Brewer, H. & J. |
463 Main |
|
Gates, E. N. |
53 Main |
|
Gates, E. O. &Co. |
232 Main |
|
Hill, G. A. |
326 Main |
|
St. John, S. Z. |
Corner Main Sc Union |
|
Webber & Co. |
1 1 1 State |
Five days later, the District Telephone Co. distributed its first list of subscribers, numbering 79. A feature of this Com¬ pany’s service was advertised as follows: “Our system is the only one in Springfield where all conversations are strictly private. Our bells are so constructed that eavesdropping is impossible.” This feature was effected by a selective signalling device which permitted the operator to ring a party without the other bells on the line being sounded — “Automatic Signal Co.” being thus derived.
The Springfield Telephone Co., which was the larger of the two, contributed to the Republican's coffers with a long ad on May 8, 1879. The company was proud to state that it had 300 customers (including held orders) and “was giving them the Edison transmitter with an additional telephone without cost, thus enabling them to hear without constantly changing
18 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
the position of the instrument, which advantage will be greatly appreciated.” Thirty-two circuits were strung through¬ out the city for the 125 instruments actually in use. The early telephones consisted of single-unit instruments used both for talking and listening, which necessitated transferring it quickly from mouth to ear — back and forth. Signs were posted, “Don’t talk with your ear or listen with your mouth.”
A quick look at the economic situation in ‘ye olden days’ follows. Springfield’s population in 1880 was 33,340, with a high school attendance of 381 in 1877. Holyoke, with a census of 21,915 in 1880, had 1 10 enjoying higher education in 1878.
Local transportation in Springfield was provided by hacks and horse cars. The route of these small wooden cars was from Brightwood through North Main and Main to State Street and up State Street to Winchester Park. Also from State Street through Main and Locust to Mill Street. The suburbs were reached by train, stagecoaches, and omnibus lines.
The steamers Dexter, River Belle, and Calla made excur¬ sions to Gallups Grove, to Holyoke, and other places; and tugs hauled barges up the river as far as Holyoke.
Gas was the principal means of illumination, and hotels had signs in rooms for the protection of those more used to kerosene lamps — “Don’t blow out the gas.” The Springfield Gas Light Co. had 2100 consumers of gas and 500 public lamps. The lamp lighters plodded the streets, except on nights when the moon cast an illuminating ray. Thomas Edison had just patented an electric lamp; and on March 29, 1880, four Fuller Electric lights were tried out in Alderman Skinner’s Silk Mill in Holyoke.
J. C. Parsons organized the Parsons Paper Co. in 1853, the first paper mill in Holyoke; and, when the telephone was introduced, there were 21 paper mills employing 2500.
After getting their exchanges in Springfield pretty well organized, the rival companies turned their attention to Hol¬ yoke — known throughout the world as “the Paper City.” The Republican announced April 2, 1879, that the Automatic Company had bought the private line to Holyoke. Mr. Denver’s Company had obtained control of three wires to Holyoke, which belonged to the Atlantic 8c Pacific
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 19
Telegraph Co. Half of the poles had to be replaced and new wires strung.
On April 5, 1879, the first assurance of a “circuit” appeared in the Holyoke Transcript: “W. J. Denver, manager of the Springfield Telephone Co., has obtained 25 subscribers (applicants) and will soon organize a telephone district; and the establishment of ‘a circuit’ in Holyoke is assured.”
There soon followed an advertisement in the Transcript announcing that the District Telephone 8c Automatic Signal Co. are now giving the result of all improvements to the city of Holyoke, and any person using Western Union telephones will be an infringer.
On May 3, the Springfield Telephone Co. presented the following ad: “Several subscribers have special wires, which no one uses but they, as, for instance, the Springfield Club and the Institution for Savings. These can be put in anywhere for $48 per year, while a station on the ordinary circuit costs $22. The Edison transmitter is used, giving a clearness to the message which no other system furnishes. A small battery jar is put into each house where the transmitter is used. The com¬ pany opens an office in Chase’s Drug Store in Holyoke today. At the rate the wires are going up over the city. Manager Denver thinks the people will be able to dispense with mos¬ quito nets this summer.”
Chase’s Drug Store was located in the Holyoke House block at the corner of Dwight and Race Streets where J. Russell and Co. were and still are doing business.
On May 7th, the District Telephone 8c Automatic Signal Co. announced it would have its Holyoke office in the Perkins’ block in running order in a few days and that the men were busily employed stringing the wires.
The Perkins’ block was located at 40 High Street, north¬ east corner of Fountain Street. Benjamin F. Perkins was well acquainted with Messrs. Frost and Coy. He was of an inventive turn of mind and had supplied them with telephones and switchboards with new features, which were made at his machine shop on Front Street.
A few days letter appeared this Transcript item: “The tele¬ phone wirepullers are playing at “Cats-cradle” across the
20 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
streets. Three wires are attached to the Second Congregational Church, and one wise man has prophesied its destruction in consequence.”
On May 17, 1879, an article appeared which read “the telephonians say that their ‘systems’ will be in operation soon.” Delays in receiving wire and instruments and the scarcity of workmen knocked their predictions into the pro¬ verbial “cocked hat.”
A Republican item of May 23 reads: “The District Tele¬ phone & Automatic Signal Co., having received 15 coils of wire at Holyoke yesterday, say they will have through connec¬ tions to Springfield by tomorrow night. They have now 50 boxes in at Holyoke, and will add transmitters to magnify the sound.” This company had bought the original private line between Springfield and Holyoke and, no doubt, was going to use this to connect the two switchboards. It seems likely that the slight delay in reaching Springfield was caused by the switchboard not being ready, and that the opening date for the Holyoke exchange might have been May 24, 1879, the day they expected to have the two boards connected.
A Transcript article of May 24 gives the names of 52 Hol¬ yoke subscribers connected to the District Company’s central
office:
“The District Telephone & Automatic Signal Co., agents for the National Bell Telephone Co., commenced three weeks ago yesterday to run their wires to various points in Holyoke, and have already the following named subscribers connected with their central office.
J. W. Arnold Chas. E. Ball M. W. Bartlett Dr. Chas. Blodgett H. Bowker & Co.
Geo. W. Burdett & Co. Bush & Chase Carter & Belden H. C. Carrington
Griffin, Kimball & Co. Holyoke Furniture Co. Holyoke House Holyoke Machine Co. Holyoke National Bank Houston & Furgerson Hubbard & Taber S. T. Lyman S. P. Milligan
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 21
|
James P. Casey |
Philander Moore |
|
Caswell Bros. |
Mt. Tom Paper Co. |
|
Chase & Cooledge |
Willis P. Norton |
|
J. J. Chesley |
Parsons Paper Co. |
|
Conn. River Freight Ofc. |
B. F. Perkins |
|
Crafts 8c Frazer |
E. J. Pomeroy |
|
Dr. George W. Davis |
R. T. Prentiss |
|
H. DeBill |
E. D. Shaw |
|
J. B. Farrington |
Shepardson 8c Lucey |
|
James Doody |
F. F. Smith |
|
E. S. Fay |
John C. Smith |
|
E. A. Fenne&Co. |
H. K. Tower |
|
F. C. Fitzgerald |
Transcript Office |
|
James Fitzgerald |
Valley Paper Mill |
|
E. P. Ford |
William B. Whiting |
|
John Gee |
Windsor House |
|
Germania Hotel |
Dr. J.U. Woods |
|
The Springfield Telephone Co., during this momentous |
month of May, 1879, after favoring the Transcript with their ‘ad’ of May 3rd outlining their plans for Holyoke, evidently contributed to the “Cats-cradle” which was woven over the streets. On May 16th the Springfield Republican reported this information: “The Springfield Telephone Co. are putting in their switchboard with 10 wires in Chase Bros. Store but it cannot be utilized until late next week. They say that 57 subscribers are secured.” May 16th being Friday, late next week would be about the 23rd or 24th. On the 23rd the com¬ pany made connection between their Holyoke central office and Springfield, which probably was the start of their Holyoke exchange. It was using 4 Western Union wires, and leased 1 of these to Metcalf and Luther, who formerly had service on the Springfield Holyoke private line.
It would seem from the foregoing that the two companies started their exchanges in Holyoke about the same time, the 23rd or 24th of May, 1879.
Now that “the admirable system of local telephone com¬ munication had been introduced” in Holyoke, it was proper to have an “admirable” telephone story introduced by the
22 Fracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
Transcript: Hawkins’ telephone box is number four. Haw¬ kins went to bed early last evening with the determination of rising early. He heard the clock strike four, as he supposed, rose and dressed and looked at his watch to find that he was ready for breakfast at 11:30 p.m. Without any undue profanity toward telephones, Hawkins quietly undressed and crawled into bed.
Towards the end of May, the canvassers invaded Chicopee, and by June 6th the District Telephone Co. had secured thirty names and were putting up wire connections. In an ad of June 7th it promised to give their patrons the wonderful Blake Transmitter.
The commercial form of the Blake transmitter, beginning late in 1878, rapidly displaced the Berliner, and Edison types and was used for a long time as the Bell System standard.
Wires were extended from South Hadley Falls to South Hadley by the District Company, where there was a private line from the Holyoke Water Power Co.’s office to the top of Mt. Holyoke. At South Hadley Falls, a telephone was put in the meal store of George Collins in the Hampshire House block.
On July 13, 1879, the Springfield Telephone Co.’s Holyoke office was moved to quieter rooms across the street in the Parsons Hall block, lately occupied by the Reform Club — to a more uplifting atmosphere. The Company was evidently experiencing the same difficulty in their Springfield Pynchon St. office. “Six large windows were put up yesterday over the counter to more completely shut out the street noises and keep away intruders. A small office with two telephones is to be set off by the west window for convenience of patrons. The Company has started three new wires to Holyoke. Of the seven wires out of Springfield, one drops off at Brightwood and two at Chicopee.”
Chicopee Falls is heard from August 16th, thanks to the Transcript: “The telephones have been placed in position much to the gratification of the subscribers and the town can now communicate with the rest of the world, Holyoke in¬ cluded.” A later item confirms that this village was served from Springfield.
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 23
The telephone lines continued to be extended and new subscribers added. In October, 1879, the Springfield Tele¬ phone Co. ran another line to West Springfield as far as Mit- tineague and added 11 subscribers. This Company’s new catalogue of October contains over 400 names in Springfield, West Springfield, Chicopee, Chicopee Falls, Holyoke, and South Hadley Falls. The names were printed both in alphabet¬ ical and classified lists. There were 64 stations working in their Holyoke office, which was in charge of W. H. H. Santy, a skill¬ ful telegraph operator.
The telephone linemen had some amusing experiences while putting up the wires, according to a Republican item: “One man, whose wife had given permission for the wire to be attached to the house, threatened to cut it unless it was removed at once, saying he wasn’t going to be struck by light¬ ning. In another case, the man gave the permission and his wife ordered it down. One woman, who owned half a house which the men wished to cross, made them change the wire about an inch to get it off from her premises.”
Indian Orchard was connected to the District Telephone & Automatic Signal Co.’s system in April, 1880, according to the Republican: “The District Telephone Co. have put up a wire along the Athol Railroad to Indian Orchard and have secured 15 subscribers there for instruments which will be put in within a week.”
This Indian Orchard event was also chronicled by the Palm¬ er Journal: “We are getting high-toned. For a long time we have enjoyed greater advantages for the better advancement of business than many villages our size, and now, to crown all, we are to have a line of telephones from Springfield, with con¬ nections to Chicopee and Holyoke. The central office will probably be at the Athol R. R. office. (This indicates that ‘cen¬ tral office’ did not necessarily refer to an office with a switch¬ board). The Chapman Valve Co., the Mill Co. (the Orchard Co.) and several business men, at their homes and places of business, are to have connections. The Mill Co. will also prob¬ ably have lines from their counting room to each mill, thereby saving considerable leg weariness for their clerks in delivering messages.”
24 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
Ludlow, according to the Republican of May 28th, was then in working connection with Springfield, and lines were soon to be extended to North Wilbraham.
The District Telephone Co. in Dec., 1879, extended its lines to George P. Ellison’s house at Baptist Village (Elmwood), Holyoke, and the next month installed a new switchboard at their Springfield office, similar to that in their Holyoke office, and extended a line through Water Street (Columbus Ave.) to Barney and Berry’s Skate Factory. Joint usage of pole lines was mentioned Jan. 30, 1880, by the Republican: “The Amer¬ ican Union Telegraph wires will reach Holyoke from Spring- field in a day or two on the District Telephone poles.”
Improvements in switchboards were taking place. The Transcript reported on Nov., 1879, that “the Holyoke switch¬ board has been supplied with new bars, by means of which different stations can be reached through several wires, thus preventing much of the delay which has been necessary at times.” This feature probably gave the same result as adding more cords to the present magneto boards.
The Holyoke Transcript was established in 1863; and, at the time of these happenings, it was published Wednesdays and Saturdays at 180 High St. W. S. Loomis was the Editor and Proprietor. It started its daily appearance Oct. 9, 1882.
George F. Perkins and his brother Charles B. Perkins were given especial credit for their work in Holyoke by the Re¬ publican of Nov. 13, 1879: “George F. Perkins, the local manager of the District Telephone & Automatic Signal Co., and his brother ‘Charley’, an operator, whose voice is better known than any other man’s in the city, have worked the field very diligently, and made the business so far a great success. Charles spends 20 hours out of every 24 in the office, sleeping there at night with an alarm bell near his bed, so connected by an arrangement of his own invention that every call will ring it and wake him.”
The Springfield Telephone Co. got a new switchboard into operation in Springfield March 1, 1880, according to the Re¬ publican. “It is said to be the most convenient one in the country. The operator sits in an ordinary chair and has the whole thing within easy reach, although there are now twenty-
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 25
five circuits in operation. These occupy a space only 27 inches wide, with room for a transmitter in the center. One move¬ ment of a little switch disconnects the battery and connects the operator with the required circuit, while a call from any station causes a little door to drop, revealing the number of the line. Thus all bell ringing and plugging are done away with. It allows fourteen persons to communicate at the same time and could be arranged to accommodate eighty. The ar¬ rangement was invented by A. G. Snell of New Haven and George F. Perkins of Holyoke, who have applied for a pat¬ ent.”
William H. French started with the Springfield Telephone Co. in March, 1880. He later wrote for Telephone Topics concerning his first job: “I was so small the manager asked me if I wasn’t afraid of getting lost around the city. Employed as messenger, if we had a call for a person who had no telephone, I was sent to get the party, and ask them to come to the office to telephone. One night I was sent for a doctor, who had no tele¬ phone, and I kept the door bell ringing for some minutes. Suddenly, the door opened, and the doctor, scantily attired, came out, and gave me such a calling down for ringing his bell that it scared the message from my mind, and I ran back to the office without telling the doctor he was wanted.”
CHAPTER 3
A
Consolidation of the Springfield and the District Telephone Companies
The National Bell Telephone Co. filed suit against the agent of the American Speaking Telephone Co., Peter A. Dowd, on Sept. 12, 1878, for infringement of Bell’s patents Numbers 174,465 and 186,787. The Western Union Telegraph Co. had organized this subsidiary in December, 1877, to manage the telephone business, upon which it had embarked, and assumed the defense of this suit.
The Western Union Co.’s interests, which had purchased the telephone patents of Elisha Gray, Thomas A. Edison, and Amos E. Dolbear, did not appear to be greatly disturbed by this lawsuit, for they confidently continued to advertise their claim “to own or control the fundamental inventions of every speaking telephone hitherto invented, constructed, or patented.’’
During the trial, which was held in Boston, the experts of the Western Union did their best to prove that other scientists had invented an electric speaking telephone before Bell. They also attempted to prove that the telephone, for which he re¬ ceived his basic patent, was not capable of transmitting ar¬ ticulate speech.
Mr. Bell was defended by two very able lawyers, whose team work and efficiency were unequalled, Chauncey Smith and James J. Storrow.
As the trial progressed, the senior counsel of the Western Union Telegraph Co., George Gifford, perceived, to his
26
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 27
dismay, that their small antagonist was making out a stronger case than the Western Union. When the National Bell Tele¬ phone Co. had completed its testimony, Mr. Gifford advised his clients to try to make a settlement with the Bell people. After an all night session between representatives of the Bell Company and the Western Union, an agreement was reached and both sides executed the contract, dated Nov. 10, 1879. The final decree, however, was not approved by Judge Lowell un¬ til April 4, 1881.
The terms of the settlement were as follows: The Western Union Telegraph Co. admitted that Mr. Bell was the inventor of the telephone and that his patents embraced the principles contained in the various telephones which the Western Union had been making, including transmitters employing carbon contact elements. It also stipulated that the Western Union should retire from the telephone business, and that the Bell Company receive the licenses to use their various telephone patents. The Bell Company agreed to purchase the Western Union telephones that had been made, and the telephone ex¬ changes which they had established, and to pay the Western Union Co. for seventeen years twenty percent of all rentals or royalties from licenses or leases of telephones used in the United States. (The Western Union Co. finally turned over to the young Bell Company 56,000 telephones in 55 cities.)
In the Fall of 1876, Mr. Hubbard had offered to sell the Harmonic Telegraph and Telephone patents to the Western Union for $100,000, but this company’s officials could not see much future in it, and disregarded the offer. At that time, the first crude telephone had been spruced up with an im¬ proved transmitter, and while it worked moderately well, it was not suitable for practicable use.
Thomas Watson recounts, in his autobiography, that on June 11, 1879, during the course of the trial, a few shares of the National Bell Telephone Co. stock was bought by an optimistic investor for 1101/4 a share. On August 30, another sale was made at 227 1/2. On September 10, the price rose to 370; and then, on November 15, after the news of Bell’s vic¬ tory had become known, it jumped to 97714; and on Dec. 10, 1879, even though it had never paid a dividend, it sold at 995
28 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
a share. Even at that price, the value of the company’s stock would have come to less than nine million dollars.
Watson also related that Bell was wont to celebrate any successful experiments with a war dance; and that he, too, had become an expert at it. If Bell and Watson had been living in their two garret rooms at No. 5 Exeter Place, Boston, when their fortunes were increasing by leaps and bounds, what a whooping and dancing there would have been! And their landlady, who once said, “I don’t know what you fellows are doing up in that attic, but if you don’t stop making so much noise nights and keeping my lodgers awake, you’ll have to quit them rooms,” — even she might have joined them in a few capers.
It took some time to bring about the consolidation of the Western Union and Bell exchanges; and, in the meantime, there were all sorts of rumors regarding the status of the two Springfield companies. Each went merrily on its way as though nothing had occurred. However, on Oct. 27, 1879, a news item in the Republican cast a shadow of what was to come.
A Telephone Wedding
“The consolidation of the rival telephone interests through¬ out the country, which was effected last week and leaves the National Bell Telephone Co. the sole proprietor, is of con¬ siderable importance to this city. By the terms of the con¬ solidation, the Springfield Telephone Co. is given the exclu¬ sive right to the use and extension of the system in Hampden County. Locally, where its service is very satisfactory, the pub¬ lic will be pleased with the result.”
This news was not very pleasing to the District Telephone & Automatic Signal Co.’s management; for they indignantly informed the same paper that they have no intention of retir¬ ing from the local field, but, on the contrary, are preparing to enlarge their facilities here.
The final clarification did not appear in the Republican until July 15, 1880:
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 29
The Telephone Consolidation Accomplished
“The Springfield Telephone Co. yesterday bought all the rights and property of the old District Telephone & Auto¬ matic Signal Co., which sometime ago passed into the hands of the American Bell Telephone Co., and henceforth there will be but one telephone concern in Springfield, Chicopee, Holyoke, West Springfield, Indian Orchard, and Wilbraham. Sometime ago the plant of the District Telephone & Automatic Signal Co. was sold to the American Bell Co. for $25,000 and it is now bought by the Springfield Telephone Co. for con¬ siderably less. Negotiations have been in progress for some¬ time and the Springfield Telephone Co. finally made an offer which was at first rejected. The price asked by the American Bell Co. would have made necessary an increase of the rates of service to a point much higher than prevails in other cities. The proposition of C. A. Nichols of the local company was finally accepted by telegraph yesterday afternoon and, as soon as it is ratified by the stockholders, the two offices in Spring- field will be connected.”
William J. Denver reluctantly withdrew from his beloved Telephone Company, but he continued as a Director. Frank G. Daboll was then appointed Manager.
President Frost and Superintendent Coy of the District Company had, since coming to Springfield, retained their positions with the Connecticut Company. Mr. Frost now dir¬ ected his talents to organizing the Connecticut Telephone Co. and was elected General Manager, which position he con¬ tinued to hold when it became the Southern New England Telephone Co.
Mr. Coy transferred his telephone activities to New York City, where he became associated with the Bankers and Mer¬ chants Telephone Co., and the United States Telephone Co. He also devoted time to new inventions and became associated with a manufacturer of interior telephone systems.
To keep their readers posted on all phases of the telephone business, the Republican provided the following: “The latest telephone story is that a well known downtown merchant yelled so loud through the transmitter that the man at the
30 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
other end called back, ‘Don’t be so loud, you’ll tear my ear off.’ ”
The number of subscribers belonging to each company was given in the Republican of July 31, 1880: “There were 406 subscribers in the city of Springfield, who patronized the Springfield Telephone Co. and 114 who were customers of the District Telephone & Automatic Signal Co. In the Hol¬ yoke Exchange, the Springfield Telephone Company had 167 stations and the District Telephone had 1 17. Some customers had both telephones. The number of both companies’ tele¬ phones in the municipalities served, were Springfield 520, Holyoke 284, Chicopee 44, Chicopee Falls 13, West Spring- field 22, South Hadley Falls 19, Indian Orchard 19, Ludlow 5 and North Wilbraham 3, making a grand total of 929 tele¬ phone subscribers brought under one company, 657 having been run by the Springfield Telephone Co. and the other 272 by the District Telephone & Automatic Signal Co.”
The following news accounts indicate that at first the switchboards of the two companies were merely connected, and at a later date the final separation was effected.
An item of July 31, 1880, reads: “Manager Daboll of the Springfield Telephone Co. connected the wires of the Bell and Springfield Telephone companies yesterday morning and hereafter the business will be done from the Pynchon Street Central Office. The work of hitching the numerous wires is quite a job but was completed in just 12 minutes, which put the subscribers of the Bell Company to so little inconvenience as to be hardly noticeable.”
The two Holyoke switchboards were also connected in the same way on July 30th. A Holyoke item states: “In a short time, however, as soon as the switchboard in the Springfield Telephone Co.’s office is arranged for it, the 17 circuits of the other company will be brought in and all the business done at one place. The wires will be brought down the tower of the Parsons Hall Block and will make 47 circuits in all.” The abandonment of the Bell Telephone office in the Perkins block, Holyoke, occurred Aug. 30, 1880. “The wires were transferred Saturday, being brought down the tower of the
Frank G. Daboll
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 31
Parsons block without the use of a pole. There are now 50 lines in use and about 300 stations.”
Regarding the final transfer of the Bell Company’s Spring- field subscribers to the Springfield Telephone Co.’s switch¬ board, a Republican excerpt of Aug. 10, 1880, states that this event was dependent upon a larger office being secured: “It is found here that two central offices do not work as well as one, and the new and larger one will be established as soon as possible.” The Springfield Telephone Co. did not move into larger quarters until March 28, 1881, and, in the meantime, other enlivening events occurred.
The quick glance at the economic situation in ‘ye olden days’, which was given in the previous chapter, overlooked a few newspaper contributions involving wages and prices:
“No members of the brick layers’ and plasterers’ protective union shall work after April 1st for less than $2.75 a day of 10 hours, and men shall be paid every two weeks.”
“Holyoke paper folks pay their help good prices, the male hands averaging $2.25 and the girls $1.25 and $1.60 per day.”
“Laborers are now getting $1.35 a day who earned $1.12 a year ago.”
“Coal is selling for $7 a ton and is on the rise. Very few people have ordered their winter’s supply, waiting for it to come down to $5, where it was last year. The dealers say it is going the other way.”
“The milkmen with one accord have raised the price of the lacteal fluid from 5 to 6 cents a quart which is the usual winter rate.”
A few market prices were: butter 25 to 30 cents a pound, eggs 22 cents a dozen, raspberries 20 cents a quart. Green peas 40 and 50 cents a peck. Lamb 22 cents a pound, hindquarters, and 20 for forequarters. Farmers were charging $2 per bushel for chestnuts.
Those fortunate to have anything left in their pocketbooks, could regale themselves at the theatre: H.M.S. Pinafore, by the local opera company; Sarah Bernhardt, in Camille; Tom Thumb and Wife and Company; Josh Whitcomb; Hazel
32 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
Kirke, another play of depth of human feeling; and the Orpheus Club.
There now occurred a great furore over an increase of rates, which the consolidated company proposed to put into effect Oct. 1, 1880. Quite a few lengthy articles appeared in the Republican from July 26th to September 27th giving the com¬ pany’s reasons for needing more revenue and the subscribers’ reaction. A few of these will suffice to explain the various angles of this first rate encounter, — first-rate in both respects:
“There is considerable complaint because the telephone company advance their rates from $22 to $30 a year for resi¬ dence and from $30 to $40 for business houses. The Company claim that they cannot run on the old terms without loss. It takes six or eight persons to answer calls at the office and a number more to put up wires, make repair, etc. The Company have to pay a certain rental in advance for every telephone which they put in. One well known business man here says that the telephone is worth $100 a year to him, and a corpora¬ tion who do an extensive business with Holyoke say they are saved more than the price of the subscription in postage alone. In Boston, they charge business places $60 a year with 5 cents extra for every connection made, which is considered an out¬ rage. Philadelphia, Chicago and St. Louis charge $100 a year without the five cents a message charge.
“While there was a sharp competition between the two rival telephone companies, each subscriber was at liberty to place his instrument at the disposal of all his friends at any and all hours of the day. But now the company who have survived the competition are found to insist that their wires shall only be used by subscribers, their families and employees. They have found that a pretty large share of their calls have come from people who pay them nothing and they intend to insist that subscribers shall not allow outsiders to use the instru¬ ments.
“At the citizens meeting to protest an increase of telephone rates the other night, the doctors told some doleful stories. One said that happening to have a name somewhat similar to one or two other members of the profession, he had several times
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 33
been sent off to see their patients by the telephone men, and that on one occasion he was treated to a night ride to Holyoke, which proved a wild-goose chase. Then another doctor got up and said that he had lost some patronage in the same way and had also been down to the telephone office and given the operators a “cussing” for their blunders. But he had the grace to add that having stepped inside for a few minutes and seen for himself what they have to contend with from the dear pub¬ lic, he made up his mind that he wouldn’t stay there a day for all the property which the company holds.
“The physicians and drugstores have determined to dis¬ pense with the use of their telephones after October 1 on the expiration of present leases. The doctors have 29 instruments and the druggists 7. It was felt that President Nichols might have made concessions which would have satisfied these im¬ portant patrons. Families have taken the telephone largely to be in easy communication with their doctors and the action of the medical practitioners may have some effect on the gen¬ eral business of the company.”
The next news item bore a more cheerful tone:
“The differences between the Telephone Company and the doctors and druggists have been settled so that these workers for the sick will keep their instruments. A conference with the Company resulted in the offer of concessions to the physi¬ cians, which generally satisfy them; and the druggists, who can¬ not well dispense with the instruments if the doctors keep them, therefore decided to keep their telephones. The Com¬ pany allow the doctors to be served at the usual rate for resi¬ dences where their offices are in their houses. There has been a good deal of talk about taking out the telephones by people in other callings throughout the city, and most of the prom¬ inent liverymen went so far as to sign an agreement to have the instruments removed. When the workmen came to do so, however, some of the stable-keepers decided they could not do without it, and the whole movement collapsed. Still another house had their instrument removed, but got it put back the same day upon being notified by a customer, with over $20 a
34 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
week, that they could expect no more orders if the telephone could not be made available. In fact, though complaint may be made, people are coming to feel that the telephone has come to be a necessity.”
This concluded the rate episode, but another serious event occurred, which was probably another first of its kind: “Charles Perkins, who operates the switchboard in Holyoke alone during the day, was a good deal frightened Wednesday afternoon by finding that his voice had suddenly failed. For a couple of minutes he couldn’t utter a syllable, but while walk¬ ing across the room to get some water, his voice returned as suddenly as it left him. The calls keep him talking almost con¬ stantly, and he begins to think that the vocal organs of man at least are not made for so much work.”
Miss Emma Greeley of Chicopee had been engaged as an assistant in the Holyoke Office.
It may be of interest to know that 55 telegraph wires cross Main St. from Barnes block. The network looks as if made of several hundred wires to one looking down Harrison Ave. from Chestnut Street. ( Republican Oct. 12, 1880)
September, 1880, marked the beginning of toll line con¬ struction. The first line to be strung was that of the Western Mass. Telephone Co. from Westfield to Springfield and opened for business Sept. 17, 1880. The first dispatch from Westfield was to report the Democratic meeting in Music Hall. The fee fixed upon between the two cities was 15 cents for three minutes.
On Sept. 27, 1880, there appeared another account of a toll line: “The telephone poles are going up between Northamp¬ ton and Holyoke. The route chosen is the River Road, as the Mount Tom Lumber Company will have the wires run to their mills, and one will also be run to the summit of the mountain for the Eyerie house.” On December 11, the Re¬ publican announced that the Northampton exchange is now connected with Holyoke, Westfield, and Springfield, and the rates will be 15 cents for five minutes.
The Republican announced on November 12th that the Springfield Telephone Co. had just finished another trunk line
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 35
to Holyoke, making four between the cities. This is the first time inter-exchange lines were referred to as trunk lines. The Springfield exchange had 100 circuits with over 500 sub¬ scribers, which required 6 operators.
The Company at this time started to put magneto bells on the circuits in place of those worked by a battery, as they worked better and required less care. These bells cost $8 each, and the expense was born by the Company.
In November, 1880, the old Atlantic & Pacific telegraph lines from Springfield to Worcester were sold to the Central Mass. Telephone Co. Telephonic communication appeared to work well over them, and they were opened to the public December 6th. The charge was fixed at 35 cents, and the fees were to be collected every Monday.
Up to this time, there was no communication between Springfield and Hartford, in spite of the urgent need for it. Hope, however, was held out in the Republican issue of Nov. 25, 1880:
“The Connecticut Telephone Co. has a line already work¬ ing from Hartford to Poquonock in Windsor, and Windsor Locks will be connected in a few days. By early December, Thompsonville and possibly Warehouse Point and Spring- field will be in communication. The old Atlantic & Pacific telegraph lines, which follow the highways for some distance, will be used from Springfield several miles south.”
In the meantime, the Connecticut Company was intercon¬ necting its exchanges, and an article of Dec. 18, 1880, reads: “The Connecticut Telephone Co. finished their connections yesterday with the local circuit, and Springfield can talk with Hartford, West Hartford, South Manchester, and Poquonock for 20 cents and with Meriden, E. Meriden, and New Britain for 30 cents. The line to Worcester is well patronized, but the through wire to Boston cannot yet be used, owing to a defect near South Framingham soon to be remedied.”
On Jan. 15, 1881, it was reported: “The telephone company now have a line to New Haven via Hartford, and conversation at 70 miles is carried on as easily as over the shorter distances.
36 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
Messages between this city and New Haven will be for the present 40 cents. This new line gives connection with offices at Birmingham (Derby) and Ansonia, Conn.”
Towns between New Haven and New York were being wired, and communication with that metropolis appeared not far off. However, the Republican aptly sounded a note of cau¬ tion: “The only hindrance to the successful working of the line over so long a distance will be the induction, which causes the boiling or crackling noise so often heard in the telephone, and which prominent electricians are trying to overcome.”
The cost of poles in those days was unbelievably low. The Republican reports that the American Union Telegraph Com¬ pany were using cedar poles, most of them 14 to 20 inches in diameter at the butt, and are 40 feet out of ground. They come from Canada and cost $2 to $3 apiece.
On Feb. 14, 1881, the Springfield Telephone Co. issued a new telephone directory with a pink cover. The patrons prob¬ ably thought, at first glance, that they were receiving a valen¬ tine. It contained 56 pages and of convenient size for pocket use. The list includes 758 subscribers, 470 being on the Spring- field board and 288 on the Holyoke. Special instructions are given for the use of the Edison and Bell instruments and the magneto bells.
With all these toll lines being opened in all directions, and the growth of the Springfield and Holyoke exchanges, it was evident that Springfield would become quite a telephone center within a year, necessitating a larger operating force and increased exchange facilities.
On Feb. 24, 1880, it had been announced that the office would be moved to the third story of the new Kinsman’s block at the northwest corner of Main and Bridge Streets, oc¬ cupying three large rooms. This location is where the Kresge Store building now stands.
A description of the new telephone office by the Republican follows: “The new quarters consist of three pleasant rooms in the south east corner of the block on the third floor, and they will be divided into a battery room, an office, and an opera¬ tor’s room. The office will have a telephone for the use of non¬ subscribers, who can talk without the annoyance of noise or
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 37
listeners. The battery room will contain about 360 jars of vitriol. A large frame work standard for holding the wires from all directions, has been built on top of the block and, within it, is the cable house from whence the wires run down into the operator’s room.”
March 28, 1881, was the date of the opening of the new office, and the Republican had this to say about the notable event:
“The Telephone Company are now in their new quarters, where they have probably one of the best furnished and most convenient offices in the country. The removal was effected with little trouble or confusion, and there have been compara¬ tively few delays in answering calls. Subscribers are asked to be patient for a few days until the young women become familiar with the intricacies of the new switchboard.” “Charley” Perkins, veteran operator at Holyoke, was the in¬ structor of the new operators. They were Lizzie A. Lane, niece of W. J. Denver, Mary O. White, and Mrs. Guy Carleton, wife of a subsequent manager.
It will be noted that the soft spoken and courteous fair sex have come into their own. Springfield and Holyoke were fortunate to have had such capable and responsible male op¬ erators as Charles B. Perkins, Arthur Lincoln and John L. Perkins.
The Springfield fire department had their fire stations connected to one telephone line in September. No one was permitted to use the line but members of the fire department. The ring numbers were No. 1, Central Office; 2, Mt. Tom hose; 3, Reliance; 4, Relief; 5, Emerald; 31, Police Station. One long ring denoted a fire alarm.
In May Charles B. Perkins, alias “Charley,” was appointed Manager of the Holyoke office, a promotion which he richly deserved. George F. Perkins, former Manager, was promoted to telephone Superintendent at Springfield. He resigned about 1883 to enter the electrical business in Holyoke.
In June of 1881, Holyoke had reached about 300 subscrib¬ ers, with five lines to Springfield. About 200 calls a month were being made between Holyoke and Northampton each
38 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
way. There were three operators in the Holyoke office besides the messenger, and business was so brisk all night that the night boy no longer could enjoy a few winks of sleep between calls. The novelty of the telephone was nearly gone, not many calls being made for the fun of it.
Individual lines were furnished in Holyoke, at this time, to the Whiting, Holyoke, and Massasoit paper companies, H. N. Farr, Nash & Holmes, W. R. Fullerton, M. W. Bartlett, Windsor Hotel, and the city stables.
The formation of the Hampden Telephone Co. is described in Chapter 8, which involves the Springfield and Holyoke ex¬ changes.
CHAPTER 4
Start of the Pittsfield and North Adams
Exchanges
Pittsfield Exchange
The introduction of the telephone to the Berkshires May 12, 1877, was advertised in the Pittsfield Newspapers in a manner well calculated to attract the eye:
CITY HALL SPRINGFIELD AND
ACADEMY OF MUSIC PITTSFIELD UNITED BY
telephone!
Saturday Eve’g.,
May 12 th
Words and Music Over 50 Miles of Wire
Two Audiences Hearing Together
PROGRAMME
1. Opening explanation by Mr. Frederic A. Gower, Manager of the Telephone Exhibition.
2. Cornet and Organ Solos, and vocal solos and duets, through the telephone from Westfield, for both audiences.
39
40 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
3. Informal tests and conversation between citizens of Spring-
field and Pittsfield.
Admission 35 cents Reserved seats 50 cents Tickets on sale at S. E. Nichol’s Book Store on Thursday morning
The papers also played up the coming attraction in a praise¬ worthy manner. Following are two excerpts from the write ups which appeared in the Pittsfield Sun:
“The lectures are expensive and the prices of admission have been placed very low to give all a chance to see this most wonderful of modern inventions.” “All may have a chance on Saturday evening to hear the first telephone ever invented. It will be parallel in interest to witnessing the first trip of Fulton’s steamboat or the passage of the first railroad train.”
An admirable account of this first performance of the tele¬ phone in the Berkshires was published in the Pittsfield Sun:
“We do not envy the man who could for the first time listen to music 40 miles away and to conversation between parties 50 miles distant from each other without the most profound feeling, aside from any pleasure derived from what was played or what was said. At Springfield, as the papers of that city re¬ port, the experiments were as perfectly successful as was ex¬ pected by reasonable persons, considering the present stage of the invention, and the large audience — some 1400 — received them with constant and hearty applause. The operator was stationed at Westfield and the ten miles of intervening wire were soldered at the joints instead of being merely twisted to¬ gether as is the 40 miles between Westfield and Pittsfield, so that the results here were less satisfactory although highly in¬ teresting. The first were a series of tunes upon a reed organ and were performed with the aid of a voltaic battery, such as is commonly used in telegraphing, and was managed by Mr. Robinson of the Western Union Telegraph Co. The tunes were heard with great distinctness and some of the more famil-
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 41
iar ones were recognized in all parts of the hall. The con¬ nection with the battery was then broken, and what effects followed were produced solely by the action of the voice im¬ pinging upon a thin steel plate about the size of a half dollar, and surrounded by coils of insulated wire. These results were not so marked as was expected by either the audience or Mr. Gower, the exhibitor; which he attributed to the “swinging off” of the single wire used in the experiments so as to touch or approach some other wire or a tree; but it was no doubt due in part, at least, from the imperfect joints. Songs, or at least some notes of them, and also of a cornet solo, both per¬ formed in Westfield, were heard throughout the hall. Mr. Gower also carried on conversation easily with Mr. Watson at Westfield and Prof. Bell in the City Hall at Springfield. Only the hailing sounds “hoy! hoy!” were heard by the audience distinctly. The purport of the conversation was to urge upon Messers. Bell and Watson efforts to make the music more audible here. The responses, however, grew more and more feeble until about half past 9 o’clock, when they ceased alto¬ gether. We suggest as an explanation that Prof. Bell had become negatively charged; at any rate he refused to be rung, not a tinkle. The audience dispersed, disappointed in some particulars, yet gratified to have been among the first to have heard in Pittsfield sounds produced in Springfield and West- field, and to have witnessed in its infancy what promises to be perhaps the most wonderful invention of the age, and so to be able better to comprehend the accounts of its development. The explanations of Mr. Gower were very clear and enter¬ taining. About 300 persons were present, not enough to pay expenses.”
George H. Cary, the principal of the First Grammar School in Pittsfield, was the sponsor of the exhibition both here and in Springfield. The good attendance at Springfield failed to make up financially for the small audience in the Berkshires.
The Springfield Daily Republican of June 22, 1877, re¬ ported that George H. Cary, the First Grammar School teacher, has hired a large house in Nantucket, which is his
42 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
home, and will make it the stopping place of Pittsfield visitors to the island this summer. It is hoped that the results of his first telephone venture did not oblige him to take summer boarders to repair his losses.
Mr. Cary’s interest in the telephone was not dimmed, how¬ ever, for it wasn’t long before he became the Bell telephone agent for Berkshire County. He was assisted in this endeavor by a Mr. Arnold so that he was able to continue as principal of the grammar school.
The sale of Bell telephones for private lines seemed to be flourishing, according to these two items which appeared in the Republican Nov. 4, and Dec. 2, 1878: “George H. Cary, the Bell Telephone agent, is to unite the mill of C. J. Kettridge 8c Co. in Dalton with the line running from Hinsdale depot to the Plunkett Woolen Co.’s mill, making nearly two miles of wire. There is a good prospect that the line will soon be run as far down as Cranesville.’’
“George H. Cary who has put up a good many Bell tele¬ phones in the County the past summer, is confident that next season will see a much greater increase. There is talk of a line from Hinsdale depot to the Ashmere reservoir; D. C. Smith of Dalton is thinking of one from his office near the depot to his mill. Hinsdale already has a line with five stations in suc¬ cessful operation, with the prospect of its continuance to Cranesville. F. A. Schermerhorn of Lenox has an underground line between his house and stables. Col. Anchmuty talks of private line, and Mr. Cary thinks that next summer’s influx of city residents at Lenox will make the demand for them con¬ siderable, with the probability of their extension to Stock- bridge.”
Boltwood’s History of Pittsfield says the first commercial installation here was between the Pontoosuc Mill and the Pittsfield National Bank in March, 1878.
The Berkshire County Eagle , of Sept. 4, 1951, has this en¬ livening excerpt: “William Larkin, North Street Clothier, rather believes his grandfather, Samuel Payne, had the first home phone here, connecting his farm at Taylor Street and South with his livery stable in town on McKay Street. Mr. Larkin well remembers a story told by his grandmother in this
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 43
connection. A peddler stopped one morning at the stable to sell strawberries. His grandfather said wait a minute, he’d ask his wife. He cranked up the wall phone, talked into the mouth¬ piece, hung up and said no.
“The peddler was furious at my grandfather,” says Mr. Lar¬ kin, “because he thought the old gentleman wanted him to be¬ lieve his wife was inside the box.”
A novel scheme of connecting telegraph and telephone in¬ struments to the same line is described in the Republican of February 14th: “The private telegraph line which half a dozen men have had in operation, for amusement partially, for two years or more, has resulted in the organization of the Dis¬ trict Telegraph Co. by W. K. Rice and W. G. Morton. Tele¬ graphic or telephonic connections are to be made between the residences of members and the police headquarters, fire de¬ partment, and the stores and offices. Six offices have already been opened, five more applications have been received, and the company hope before Spring to have 20 offices. The terms are $3 a year for the use of the wire.”
There was some question whether Morse instruments and telephones would work on the same line, but they evidently did, for by May 1st the organization had 26 instruments in use, a few being Bell telephones which were furnished for $16 per year. It was also made known that with additions to their patronage the company would soon organize an exchange.
Mr. Rice was evidently impressed by this new means of com¬ munication and decided to sell his interests in several drug stores and take over the Bell telephone franchise in Fall River, where a list of 100 subscribers had been obtained by another party who did not have the means to go ahead with the busi¬ ness. The management of the District Telegraph Co., there¬ fore, devolved upon Mr. Morton, who acquired his partner’s interest in the company.
The prospect of a company starting an exchange, and using Bell instruments, may have hastened the entrance into the field of another interested party. Anyhow, this news was an¬ nounced in the Eagle of May 8, 1879: “The Western Union Telegraph Co. is organizing through their agent, F. W. Rob¬ inson, a district telephone system in this town, by which lines
44 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
from offices, stores, and residences will connect with the main office, and place all subscribers in communication with each other, a very convenient arrangement for calling physicians, police, merchants, livery etc. when they may be needed. About 40 subscribers have already been obtained and the requisite 50 will soon be secured. The Company puts in the machines and wires and charges each subscriber $22 a year. Messrs. Rice and Morton’s District Telegraph combination has about 20 offices and so between the two, the wires will be plenty in Pitts¬ field.” An office was being fitted up in the basement of the Berkshire Insurance building with an entrance on West Street.
It didn’t take long for Manager Robinson to secure the 50 applications, the list getting quite a boost from the offices in the Insurance building.
The Sun on May 22nd carried this item: “The Western Union District Telegraph has 62 subscribers and 12 miles of wire has been ordered which will be put up as soon as possible after it is received. It will cost about $2500 for machines, wire etc.”
It wasn’t very often that the appearance of telephone instru¬ ments was alluded to, but this feature wasn’t overlooked by the Berkshire County Eagle: “The new telephones of the Western Union Co. and the Bell Company are beautiful specimens of workmanship and they are reduced to the smallest compass and the handiest possible arrangement for use. An elegant wall bracket will contain the entire machinery.”
On July 10, 1879, the Berkshire County Eagle gave its readers a few last minute pointers and appended a list of those who were at that date anticipating being connected with the telephone exchange. There are not many of these early lists extant, and it seems fitting to add these names to the Pittsfield Honor Roll:
“In a few days the telephone exchange will be ready for public use or at least for the use of subscribers. The list of those who may be telephonically communicated with is as follows:
“Pittsfield Coal Gas Co. works and office; Henry W. Taft, residence; Berkshire Life Ins. Co., office; Drs. Paddock and
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 45
Adams, residences; Dr. Bailey’s residence; T. Clapp’s resi¬ dence; Willard Bros., Drugstore; Dr. Wentworth’s residence; Perkins and Searle, Boston Branch Store; M. Gleason’s Market; A. B. Root’s residence; Dr. Vermilye’s residence; R. W. Adams’ residence; J. L. Russell’s livery; James Wilson’s residence; D. M. Collin’s residence; Pittsfield National Bank and Cashier Francis’ residence; M. P. Lawton & Son’s coal office; J. T. Power’s store; C. C. Gamwell’s coal office; S. W. Tillotson’s livery; J. M. Barker’s residence; Burbank Hotel; John Hurd’s market; F. Nickerson & Son’s Market; Geo. W. Smith & Son’s Grocery store; American House; F. W. Hins¬ dale’s residence; Henry Chickering’s residence; Robbins & Kellogg’s factory; L. L. Atwood’s store and residence; S. Payne’s livery; B. C. Blodgett’s Music school; H. T. Morgan’s residence; Pontoosuc Woolen Co.’s office; G. R. Lowden’s market; A. Kennedy’s residence; Geo. Y. Learned’s residence; Academy of Music; S. E. Nichol’s book store; W. H. Cooley’s store; H. L. Dawes’ residence; Mrs. Pollock’s residence; E. M. Wood’s residence; J. L. Peck’s residence and mill; L. A. Stevens’ & Co., store; Express Office; Boston and Albany de¬ pot; F. G. Robinson’s residence; Bel Air Mfg. Co.; E. McA. Learned’s residence; F. W. Brandow’s dental office; Berkshire Fire Ins. Co.’s office; County Jail; Butler Merrill Sc Co., lumber yard; Wm. Clarks’s Co.’s machine shops; E. D. Jones’ resi¬ dence; Court House; Murphy’s livery stable; Springside Sum¬ mer Boarding House.”
The Pittsfield exchange was opened Aug. 4, 1879, accord¬ ing to both the Eagle and the Republican. The Berkshire County Eagle gives a graphic description in its Aug. 7th edi¬ tion, it being a weekly paper in those days, of large dimensions and having four pages of fine print:
“Hello there!” A man passing the new room just opened in the basement of the insurance building on West Street heard the words shouted, and supposing he was called, stopped. “Hello!” “What’s wanted?” “Hello!” “What station is cal¬ ling?” “Who is it?” the voice went on and the stranger perhaps thinking the place was a lunatic hospital, went down the steps
46 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
to investigate. It was only Mr. Benjamin Chickering, in the central office of the “telephone system,” attending to the “calls.”
“The system went into operation on Monday (Aug. 4th) with 65 stations on 1 3 circuits, the remotest being at Pontoosuc at the North and Mrs. Pollock’s at the East.
“Each “station” office, store or residence having a telephone, is furnished with a list of the subscribers, all of whom are des¬ ignated by numbers. When a subscriber wishes to speak with another he presses a button on his telephone a number of times corresponding with the number of his office (telephone), and that rings a bell on his circuit in the central office the same number of times. Mr. Chickering puts his telephone in con¬ nection, asks “what’s wanted,” calls “hello,” or by some word lets the caller know he is ready to receive the message. The caller tells Mr. Chickering who he wishes to talk with, a con¬ nection is made after summoning the person desired, and the two, though perhaps a mile apart, are united by the wire and chat at their leisure, give orders or transact any business they may have.
“But few private families can afford $22 a year for such a luxury and the number of subscribers will be limited and the profit to merchants and others small until the price is reduced. Manager Robinson says the company makes little or nothing above expenses at present.”
The Springfield Daily Republican refers to the central of¬ fice as being in a convenient and tastefully fitted up room with a telephone and transmitter there for the free use of the pub¬ lic. Also that the battery room adjoins the central office, and there are 175 cells of battery. Charles Silvernail is mentioned as the night operator, and there was some talk of extending the line to Bakerville.
The new central office was next to the Western Union Tele¬ graph office so that Mr. Robinson could administer the affairs of both offices without too much locomotion. The number of subscribers had reached 70 by August 26th, and the wires had been extended to both freight offices, depot, telegraph, and ex¬ press offices. Telephones were also put in the Renfrew Mills,
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 47
their office at the Bradley Mill, and Smith, Mole & Co.’s store.
A few news items, taken from the Pittsfield Sun , touch on sundry subjects of local interest.
A man in town is sure, since the telephone has come out, that the world will come to an end this year.
Pittsfield has the largest population living under one town government in the United States. Does it sound smarter to be called the largest town in the country or the smallest city?
An official in the Pittsfield fire department has just sacrificed chin whiskers 44 14 inches long, the growth of many years. (It may be that they had reached a point where he was stepping on them going up a ladder.)
Butter is down to 20 and 22 cents per lb. It’s a long while since butter has melted down to these figures.
On Nov. 17, 1879, there appeared this rather surprising news in the Republican:
“Principal George H. Cary has bought the Pittsfield tele¬ phone exchange, established a few months ago by the Western Union Telegraph Co. but it does not affect his connection with the schools, and there will be no change in the central office. Mr. Cary has been the local agent of the Bell Telephone Co. for some time.”
What is known of Mr. Cary’s earlier life comes from Mr. Charles Clark Coffin, Town Clerk of the town of Nantucket, Mass., incorporated 1671: Cary, George H., son of James S., Mariner, and Margaret Hussey of Nantucket, born May 31, 1847, in Nantucket.
Marriages. July 27, 1869, George Howard Cary, Age 22, School teacher, and Mary Gardner Folger, age 21 at Nantucket.
According to the press, Mr. Cary had been in the school de¬ partment of Pittsfield seven years, and the Pittsfield Sun at¬ tested to his pedagogic proficiency: “George H. Cary, prin¬ cipal of the Pittsfield First Grammar School, attended the Boston examination for grammar school masters early in April (1879) where his examination in 25 studies lasted three days. This morning he received his notice that he had been granted
48 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
a certificate of qualification by this most thorough educational examining board for teachers in this country.”
A change in the location of the central office took place on Feb. 7, 1880, it being moved to the third floor of the Insurance Building and a messenger service established. One of the rea¬ sons for the change was the need of the company’s battery room by the Western Union Co.
Pittsfield’s population in 1880 was 13,364. It was a prosper¬ ous textile town and the county seat of Berkshire County. The Berkshire Life Insurance building was its only skyscraper, towering upwards four stories. The Academy of Music (now the Miller building), a theatre above the average, stood on the East side of North St., south of the railroad. The House of Mercy Hospital and the Athenaeum, which contained the library, the Berkshire Historical and Scientific Association and a room for lectures, concerts and art displays, had been estab¬ lished only a few years previously. The shores of Pontoosuc Lake were unblemished by cottages; and Onota Lake could boast only the summer homes of Pickering Clark and W. C. Allen.
There was no street railway in 1880, the horse drawn vehi¬ cles not appearing until July 3, 1 886.
Pittsfield, being high in the Berkshires, where the atmos¬ phere was more refined, naturally partook of a higher order of entertainment, than did its neighbors on the lower reaches of the Connecticut river. Boltwood’s History of Pittsfield lists some of the intellectual and cultural interests of 1876:
“Among the popular entertainments, lectures were con¬ spicuous — amateur theatrical performances seem to have been frequent — lovers of classical music were gratified by numerous concerts; and at the theatre might be seen several of the best actors of the period — public balls and masquerades were much in vogue — in sleighing time, hardly a week passed without an excursion of a large party to Lanesborough, or Cheshire, Lenox or Lee, for a supper and a dance at the village hotel.
“Nor should public amusements of less importance be for¬ gotten — the itinerant Punch-and-Judy shows at the Park, for
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 49
example, occasionally accompanied by a melancholy bear; the street auctions on West’s corner; the traveling circuses which encamped on the small pasture at the North-east corner of Wendell Avenue and East Housatonic Street; the races and baseball games at the Pleasure Park; the Swiss Bell-ringers and the Bohemian glass-blowers at West’s or Burbank’s Hall; and the exhibitions, two or three years later, of strange amusing and useless toys called the phonograph and the telephone.”
The next telephone event involving Pittsfield was of such magnitude that a special chapter must be devoted to it — Chap¬ ter 5. Prior to this, however, attention must be given to the fair towns of North Adams and Adams, situated at the foot of Mt. Greylock.
North Adams Exchange
Mention of somebody planning a telephone exchange in North Adams was made in the Pittsfield Sun as early as April 9, 1879: “There is talk of a grand telephone company, night and day watchman, a system of fire alarms, and other useful and needful things, all of which will probably end in talk.”
The last observation was not very complimentary to the progressive spirit of the “tunnel city,” and, as it happened, North Adams got its telephone system working nearly two months before Pittsfield did; but it had only a day “watch¬ man” to start with.
The telephone interests must have adopted the motto facta non verba (deeds, not words) judging by the ensuing events. Only ten days had passed when this surprising news appeared in the Springfield Republican: “There are already 25 sub¬ scribers to the telephone circuit at North Adams and it will be begun when 50 have been obtained. The line will include Blackington, Briggsville, Hough tonville, the Union, and the projector is confident that 100 will join as the circuit is begun.”
On May 1, 1879, the Adams Transcript , an eminent news¬ paper published weekly in North Adams, and still using the name it took when North Adams was a part of the town of Adams, reported still greater achievements: “The district telephone company has been organized (April 30) and the
50 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
central office, in the rear of A. W. Richardson’s office, Holden St., will be in charge of George C. Millard. About 30 mem¬ bers have been obtained, and probably more will join when the advantages of the system become appreciated.”
On May 15th, the same paper reported the following news: “The wires for the new telephone company are being put up and the system will be in operation within a few days.” It \vas also reported that a movement was on foot to connect North Adams with the Renfrew, W. C. Plunkett and L. L. Brown Mills by telephone. These important industries were situated in Adams.
The North Adams exchange was opened for business Mon¬ day, June 9, 1879. The Republican reported the event in these words: “The District Telephone Co. opened their office and formally began business yesterday. There are 33 subscribers to begin with and some of these are using the Blake trans¬ mitter.” (The Bell Company’s answer to the Western Union Telegraph Co.’s Edison carbon transmitter.) And on June 23rd the same resourceful paper secured this information: “The District Telephone Co. have 40 subscribers and 6 circuits and a 7th is to be put up soon. The company are to put in the Boston hook call bell, the ones already in use not working very well.” This improved call bell was, no doubt, the one Thomas Watson invented in Boston late in 1878.
George C. Millard was the projector and manager of the telephone exchange. Prior to this, the business directory listed his business as that of “Electric bells,” which showed he was well adapted to his new venture.
William F. Orr also played a prominent role in the affairs of the new company. The North Adams Evening Transcript of June 29, 1934, furnished the following information regard¬ ing Mr. Orr’s early career. He started to work as a messenger boy for the Western Union Telegraph Co. when thirteen years of age, and in a few years he left Drury Academy to take a position as a telegraph operator. He and George Millard re¬ ceived from the Bell Company a franchise to establish and operate a telephone system in “Northern Berkshire and North¬ ern New York except Albany.”
Although employed by the Western Union Telegraph Co.,
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 51
young Orr found time to help his friend establish the tele¬ phone exchange in North Adams, and a few months after the beginning he bought a half interest in the business. In 1880, Mr. Orr became manager of the local Western Union office. The duties he was able to perform for the telephone company, without relinquishing his telegraph connections, were truly remarkable, and were summed up in the Evening Transcript as follows: “Mr. Orr served as manager, installer, operator, trouble-shooter, lineman and, as he sometimes said, explainer and apologizer for the infant telephone system, devoting all the time that he could take from his duties with Western Union to selling telephones to new subscribers, making their installations and maintaining their service.”
A glowing account of the telephone situation in North Adams appeared in the Adams Transcript of Aug. 14, 1879: “The Telephone Co. are extending their business in all direc¬ tions. Braytonville, Briggsville and Blackington are now on the line and it is probable that it will be extended to Williams- town and North Pownal. Even the Stamford people talk of having it brought to them, and a meeting is to be held soon to decide whether they can afford the expense of erecting poles between Briggsville and their town. There is quite a rivalry between this town and Pittsfield as to who will do the largest telephone business, and as the number of subscribers in each town is about the same, and the proposed extensions of the home line are highly probable, it looks as though North Adams would win in the race. There has been talk of having com¬ munication between this town and Pittsfield and between the latter place and Springfield. If this should be brought about, it is not improbable that within a year or two North Adams busi¬ ness men will be able to sit in their offices at home and talk telephonically with the business men of Boston.”
Another Transcript item, in a way, bears upon this tele¬ phone subject. “The soda fountain at Rice Brothers’ drug store is in full blast, dispensing the usual cooling beverages, including mineral waters.” This is quite interesting, except for the mineral waters, because it was W. K. Rice of this firm who left Pittsfield to start the telephone system in Fall River.
52 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
The question of a fire alarm system now presented itself and turned out to be quite a factor in the life of the town. The Republican of Aug. 12, 1879, introduced the subject: “The committee of the fire district appointed to see about a fire- alarm have had interviews with Manager Millard of the tele¬ phone company and are quite in favor of adopting his plan. The cost will be only about $150 and the committee are wait¬ ing for the return of two members who are absent on vaca¬ tion.”
The Transcript of Sept. 4th presented additional evidence of the town’s progressive spirit in these words: “The tele¬ phonic fire alarm system has been adopted and went into op¬ eration Monday night (September first), someone being in the telephone central office all the time, including Sundays. The night manager (operator) is Wm. Spear. The town will be divided into districts, a system of whistle signals be arranged, and full particulars and instructions will probably be pub¬ lished next week.”
The next week there appeared a full explanation under the heading of —
The Fire A larm System
The telephonic fire alarm system, recently adopted by the prudential committee, needs a little explanation. The wires of the telephone company now extend nearly all over the town, so that an alarm can be easily sounded if the discoverer of the fire understands just how to act. The following furnishes all needed information, and should be cut out and preserved, especially on account of the list of places where the alarm may be given.
The town has been divided into four districts. The person discovering a fire should go at once to the nearest telephone station and inform the owner of the telephone, who calls up the operator in the central office, cries “Fire” twice, as plainly as possible, and then tells him the location of the fire. The operator will ring the electric bells in the boiler rooms of the two print works, and the engineers will at once sound the general alarm. Afterwards the engineers will learn from the central office the location of the fire and then blow the signal
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 53
for that district. For instance, the fire being in district No. 3 the engineer will blow his whistle three times.
Where the telephones are located:
Ashland Street — E. A. Rand’s office; Braytonville — North Adams Mfg. Co.’s office; Beaver — Beaver Mill Office; Briggs- ville — Briggs Brothers office, A. A. Lee’s store; Blackinton — Blackinton Woolen Co. office; Center Street — Geo. C. Mil¬ lard’s residence; Church Street — S. Blackinton’s, Rev. A. C. Osborn’s, Wm. Arthur Gallup’s, E. S. Wilkinson’s residences; Church Street — N. H. Arnold’s residence; Eagle Street — S. W. Bray ton’s residence, Clark & Olds’ store; Holden Street — Cen¬ tral Telephone office, J. A. Bond’s livery office, E. A. Bond’s, J. H. Mabbett’s residences; Johnson’s ground — Johnson’s store, S. Johnson’s residence; Marshall Street — Arnold Print Works boiler room, Arnold Print Works office, C. T. Sampson Mfg. Co. office; Holbrook Street — J. H. Orr, Jr., residence; Main Street — Adams Club Room, Dr. Stafford’s office, Wilson House, Adams National Bank, Berkshire National Bank, J. H. Flagg’s livery office, Boston Branch Store, C. H. Berry’s livery office, J. H. Orr’s residence, Jas. Hunter 8c Son’s office, M. D. 8c A. W. Hodge’s mill, N. H. Arnold’s store; Pleasant Street — R. G. Walden’s residence; Quincy Street — Wm. Martin’s resi¬ dence; River Street — W. W. Freeman & Co’s office; South Street — W. B. Walden’s office; State Street — Richmond House, C. H. Cutting 8c Co’s store, David Roberts’ music rooms, H. W. Brown 8c Co.’s office, Troy and Greenfield Freight office, Express office, S. B. Dibble’s office; Summer Street — W. W. Freeman’s, A. C. Houghton’s, A. W. Hodge’s residence; Union Street — Freeman Print Works office, J. B. Tyler’s residence, Eclipse Mill, Glen Woolen Mill office.
The following newspaper article starts out in a promising manner but the theme soon deviates from the telephone sub¬ ject: “The telephone, electric light and all the wonders of the century are put in the shade by the discovery made by a well educated German farmer in Dakota, that by feeding a cow on hops, malt and corn, in the right proportion, she can be made to produce the best quality of lager beer.’’
The expanding telephone business must have created quite
54 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
a hubbub in the rear of Mr. Richardson’s office, and it is not surprising to read the following item in the Feb. 12, 1880, Transcript: “The telephone company are fitting up an office in the Transcript block, on Bank St., and expect to occupy it in about two weeks. It will have many advantages over the old location. The front room will be fitted up with desk, chairs etc., for the use of patrons, but the operating room will be kept sacred for business. A transmitter will be placed in the public room, connecting with the switchboard, but in the operating room there will be no transmitters, all messages being sent by telephone. The company will not put in the magneto call bells at present, until they see how Mr. Bliss’ in¬ vention, which claims to avoid the ringing of any bell on a cir¬ cuit except the one needed, succeeds. They are the second company applying for this invention.”
The Transcript mentioned that the office of the telephone company was moved on Sunday (Feb. 22, 1880), to the Tran¬ script block. The work was begun Saturday, but subscribers were put to little inconvenience. The managers put a large force of men on the job, and with the assistance of the pro¬ fessional “line man,” rushed the work of removal.
North Adams, according to the 1880 United States census, had a population of 10,192. It had separated from the mother town of Adams in April, 1878, by act of the legislature, on account of the diverse interests of the villages and the incon¬ venience to voters.
It was principally a textile town and held promise of being the great railroad town of Western Massachusetts, as four rail¬ roads had their terminal facilities there. The Hoosac Tunnel, 4s/4 miles long, had been built by the state at a cost of about 18 millions, and the railroads paid tolls for their trips under Hoosac Mountain.
Hoosac Tunnel was opened to railroad passenger traffic in 1876. Its construction had extended over 25 years, several earlier attempts having failed. Toward the end of the 1860’s nitro glycerin was developed and first used to blast the solid rock formation of Hoosac Mountain. George M. Mowbray, an operative chemist, was called from the oil fields of Penn¬ sylvania to take charge of the production of this dangerous
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 55
substance, which common carriers refused to transport, and to devise methods for its use. He was referred to in the T ranscript quite frequently as “Prof. Mowbray.”
To travel from Boston to Troy, one rode over the tracks of several railroad companies: The Fitchburg Railroad Co., The Troy 8c Greenfield Railroad Co., The Troy 8c Boston Railroad Co., and The Boston, Hoosac Tunnel 8c Western Railroad Co. These roads now form the Boston-Troy line of the Boston 8c Maine system, and in those days by renting one another’s trackage a through line was established between Albany and Boston, popularly known as the “Tunnel” road, and trains made the run from Albany to Boston in about six hours. A new Union Depot was opened about the time the telephone ex¬ change was started and attracted many visitors.
The Pittsfield 8c North Adams Railroad, the Housatonic Railroad and others combined to provide transportation to New York City.
The opening of schools in the fall of 1881 found Drury High School with an attendance of 90 pupils, and Drury Acad¬ emy with 983. This latter institution was a private school with several dormitories and later was acquired by the city for the enlargement of Drury High.
The progress of the telephone in North Adams and Adams is continued in the next chapter.
CHAPTER 5
Western Massachusetts Telephone Company Pittsfield -North Adams -Adams Exchanges
Pittsfield Exchange
George H. Cary now began to demonstrate that venture¬ some spirit, which he inherited from his seafaring ancestors of Nantucket Island. When he bought the Pittsfield Telephone exchange from the Western Union Telegraph Co., he, no doubt, had in mind the larger undertaking which he and his associates were soon to initiate.
The enormity of this venture, which finally came to light in the Republican's issue of Feb. 17, 1880, must have put a severe strain on the imagination of the Berkshire folks.
A Big T elephone Scheme
Manager George H. Cary has just received a concession from the Bell Telephone Co. for all the territory west of the Con¬ necticut river, which includes Westfield, Northampton, Greenfield, Shelburne Falls, Pittsfield, North Adams, Great Barrington, and Lee for large towns, while only Pittsfield and North Adams are occupied. The plan is to connect the towns by trunk lines, over which messages can be sent for a small fee. A stock company with a capital of $100,000 is now being formed under the lead of Pittsfield parties, with 1,000 shares at $100 each, to put up the necessary lines etc. The North Adams circuit was sold yesterday to Manager Cary, who bought
56
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 57
the Pittsfield circuit some months ago. It is thought that the stock will be taken in a short time.
The same article announced that the Pittsfield telephone central office was removed to the third floor of the Berkshire Insurance building Saturday night, Feb. 14, 1880.
T. P. Tobey had been engaged to float the stock issue, and in one day stock to the amount of $9,000 was subscribed at Pittsfield, which, with the stock accepted by the former owners of the Pittsfield and North Adams companies, made about $20,000. The original stock issue was reduced to $40,000 which was deemed sufficient to get started. Lewis Warner and Frank Edwards of Northampton were appointed to take sub¬ scriptions for the stock in Hampshire County. It was preferred that the stock be sold where they proposed to do business.
On March 9th an item in the Republican gave the joyful news that the $40,000 of the capital stock had been subscribed.
The Western Massachusetts Telephone Co. was incorpo¬ rated April 14, 1880, with the following officers and directors: W. B. Rice, President; Wellington Smith, Vice President; C. C. Francis, Treasurer; George H. Cary, General Manager, and R. H. W. Dwight, Clerk; Directors: W. B. Rice, W. Smith, G. H. Cary, S. S. Potter, J. T. Power, S. F. Root, and J. L. War- riner. Mr. Cary engaged offices over John T. Power’s store, West Street, Pittsfield, while the central office of the Pittsfield exchange remained at room 28, Berkshire Life Building. Mr. Cary also relinquished his position as Principal of the First Grammar School.
The new company, having taken over the Pittsfield and North Adams exchanges, now proceeded to fulfill its promise to extend service throughout the two counties. According to the Republican of April 28, 1880: “The Western Massachu¬ setts Telephone Co. yesterday voted to begin work immedi¬ ately on the line between North Adams and Pittsfield, 20 miles, and appropriated about $2,000 for the purpose. They also voted to begin the canvass for subscribers in Southern Berkshire towns, preparatory to establishing a trunk line be¬ tween them and Pittsfield, and the forming of exchanges. Manager Cary is to have charge of the buying of all supplies and will superintend the building of the lines.”
58 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
On June 5th telephonic communication between Pittsfield and North Adams was quite successfully carried on for the first time between the two telegraph offices over the telegraph wires, though there was considerable induction.
The line which had been run as far as the Renfrew Co.’s mill in Dalton was to be extended to Hinsdale for a few prospective customers.
A line to Lenox was started June 26, 1880, and on Sept. 1st the Republican announced its completion: “Lenox has been connected with Pittsfield by telephone, with the principal sta¬ tion for nonsubscribers in the former town being at Curtis’s hotel. There are nine subscribers there, and they will be worked as Hinsdale and Dalton subscribers are, as a circuit from the Pittsfield central office.’’
It is of interest to learn that the Western Mass. Tel. Co. was represented at the first telephone convention, which took place Sept. 6, 1880, under the name of the National Tele¬ phone Exchange Association. The Republican furnished part of the story: “The Western Mass. Tel. Co. will be represented at the Niagara Falls convention next week by President W. B. Rice, Manager Cary, and George H. Bliss, the latter’s inven¬ tion of individual calls by means of clock work being put to a crucial test there, for which Mr. Bliss is now making three machines.”
In regard to this convention, the Hampshire Gazette of Sept. 28th, had a more illuminating report: “Young as the telephone is in years, it has extended interests enough to need a convention of its makers, vendors, and operators, which was recently held at Niagara Falls. More than 20 companies united in the call which was for the purpose of considering the sub¬ jects of trunk tolls, local tolls, rentals, submarine and under¬ ground wires, modes of constructing lines, and other matters of related interest.”
George H. Bliss, referred to above, was a resourceful and prolific inventor, who resided in Pittsfield and devoted much of his thought to the improvement of the telephone. Back in Aug. 15, 1879, the Republican gave mention to a device which, for several years, consumed nearly as much space in the papers as did the telephone: “George H. Bliss is inventing an im-
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 59
provement for use in telephone circuits which prevents the ringing of the call bells except at the station wanted by the central office or other callers.” On Sept. 3, 1879, he filed an ap¬ plication for a patent, which was granted Jan. 13, 1880. A company was formed in New Bedford with F. S. Potter as secretary and treasurer, while a well known Eastern Mass, man was expected to take the presidency. Quoting from the Repub¬ lican of Feb. 18, 1880: “Stock in the telephone invention of George H. Bliss, which began at $1 a share, was sold yesterday for $55 and stock in the foreign patents is already going quick at $10 a share.”
It will be seen that this invention was something to be reckoned with, in spite of the fact that no such contrivance is employed in these enlightened days. The device was some sort of clock-work attachment and was manufactured by the Terry Clock Co. in Pittsfield. Soon after the Niagara Falls conven¬ tion, a brief account of its performance there appeared in the Republican: “The Bliss telephone signal bell for individual calls worked admirably at the exhibition at Niagara Falls the other day and was conceded to be among the most successful of the different signal attachments exhibited there. The com¬ pany are already full of orders and it is proposed to soon put the clock-work attachment on the Pittsfield exchange.”
It is interesting, in this connection, to read what Thomas Watson in his autobiography has to say about telephonic selective signaling systems:
“Then I turned my attention to what seemed next in im¬ portance — an individual call bell. At that time our agents were in the habit of installing many telephone stations on one line, sometimes as many as twenty, each station having a different signal on the call bell. But the constant ringing in all the sta¬ tions when any one was wanted became a nuisance and some device was needed by which any one station could be called without disturbing the others. I wasted a lot of time devising an instrument for this purpose but, although I succeeded, it was too complicated for practical use. The only solution was to put fewer stations on a line, and as our agents were soon
60 fracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
forced to do this for several reasons, an individual signal was no longer needed.”
In spite of this rather discouraging opinion, the call bell device of George H. Bliss seemed to sell like the proverbial “hot cakes” — for a few years at least.
The sports of the year 1880 seemed to favor those of strong lower extremities, according to these two items in the Re¬ publican: “The 12 hours walking match at Burbank hall Sat¬ urday for $25 and the gate money, Michael Casey, an employee of Liveryman Russell, won the match, making 57 miles in 11 1/2 hours, while Walsh left the track at 53 miles.”
“A bicycle club, which 10 Pittsfield men have already joined, is formed and four machines have already been bought, one of which has been put on exhibition at Atwoods.”
Late in September, four telephones were placed in Cheshire, being connected to the Pittsfield-North Adams toll line.
The following item from the Republican of Oct. 19th is also interesting from a mineralogy standpoint: “Pittsfield will be connected with Richmond by telephone this week and will form part of the local exchange, conversation between the two points being carried on without extra charge. The Cheever ore bed and the Richmond Iron Co.’s office are already con¬ nected and the line will be extended to the Leet and Hudson ore beds and from there to West Stockbridge. No more lines will be built this winter.”
There were so many infringements on Bell’s telephone pat¬ ent, that the managers were required to be on the lookout for such sources of competition. This Republican item of Oct. 11, 1880, in part, deals with such an occurrence: “Manager Cary has found some of the Eaton telephones, against which the Bell Co. have an injunction, in Berkshire county, and will notify those using them to take them out.”
About this time, according to a later news item, J. D. Foote was appointed local manager of the Pittsfield exchange.
The telephone was proving popular in Pittsfield, the Re¬ publican reporting on Nov. 24, 1880: “The Pittsfield tele¬ phone exchange, which had 80 stations when the Western Mass. Tel. Co. took hold of it, has now over 160. M. J. Con-
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 61
nors who superintended the building of the Central and Southern Berkshire lines, has recently been given charge of repairs for the North Adams exchange.”
At the annual meeting of the Western Mass. Tel. Co. April 13th, these officers were elected: President, George H. Bliss; Clerk, R. H. W. Dwight; Treasurer, C. C. Francis; General Manager, George H. Cary; Directors: George H. Bliss, Well¬ ington Smith, Thomas A. Mole, John T. Power, S. N. Russell, A. B. Whipple, and George H. Cary.
On April 21, 1881, the same paper mentioned plans for ex¬ tending the benefits of the telephone to more distant localities: “The work of extending the telephone line from Lenox to Lee and Stockbridge is to begin as soon as the frost is out of the ground. The new line will be a part of the Pittsfield ex¬ change.”
Several matters of interest are contained in this April 28th paragraph: “The Western Mass. Tel. Co.’s additional $10,000 capital, making it $50,000, has all been taken and old stock¬ holders have the preference until May 3. The directors have voted to put the Bliss Signal in all their exchanges and some changes are made in the price of the rental of telephones, which have been $36 per year and $3 additional for the sig¬ nal. Business places will be charged $40 a year, an advance of $4, and residence phones will be reduced to $34. The 500 clocks necessary are to be made as soon as possible.”
The stock issue having been over-subscribed, and the spring weather having instilled a feeling of optimism, the telephone management had their central office quarters newly carpeted and otherwise improved.
A May 19th item in the Republican reported that the sep¬ arate wire to Cheshire had been started, giving an independ¬ ent line between Pittsfield and North Adams, and the poles from Pittsfield to the Adams House will have insulators for six wires.
A moving episode was reported in the Republican of June 2: “The telephone company will remove their central office to the rooms in the Insurance building over the savings bank. The front rooms adjoining are to be used for the general man¬ ager’s and president’s offices which are now over John T.
62 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
Power’s store on West St.” The move took place July 3rd, and the townspeople celebrated the next day with a parade and fireworks —
There now appeared a rather startling announcement in the Republican of June 9, 1881:
“Manager Cary has resigned and his resignation will be acted on at today’s meeting of directors. For the present there will be a consolidation of some of the duties of the different officers of the corporation and the local managers at Pittsfield, North Adams, Westfield and Northampton will act as man¬ agers for their different exchanges. Mr. Cary has been the gen¬ eral manager of the company since its organization.” At the next day’s meeting the duties of general manager were given to secretary R. H. W. Dwight, who resigned his position with John T. Power.
The Republican of May 5, 1882, reported that George Cary had been appointed by the Suburban Telephone Co. of Bos¬ ton Supt. of district No. 2, which comprises Cambridge, Charlestown, Somerville, and some other outlying towns. On Oct. 18, 1884, the paper reported his returning to his first love — the teaching profession, being appointed sub-master in a Boston Grammar School.
On Nov. 1, 1899, Mr. Cary entered the U. S. Custom Service as a Clerk in the office of the Collector of Customs at Boston, and on Feb. 2, 1902, he was promoted and transferred from the Office of the Appraiser of Customs to the position of Customs Examiner. Mr. Cary died at Belmont, Mass., April 25, 1918, at the age of seventy and was buried at Nantucket. Western Massachusetts owes much to George Cary’s vision and ven¬ turous spirit.
In July of 1881, soon after Mr. Cary’s resignation, the stock of the Western Mass. Tel. Co. was selling from $105 to $107, and the directors declared a 4% dividend.
Lenox was favored with some outside construction in July, which received mention in the Republican: “The telephone company are running an additional wire to Lenox making three in all, and double cross arms have had to be put on the poles. A number of summer residents rent telephones only for the season.”
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 63
On July 11th the poles had been set for the Lee extension and the wires were to be strung two days later: “There will be 20 subscribers at Lee, which is to be a part of the Pittsfield exchange.”
In Aug., 1881, the telephone company had all the operators in their exchanges keep account of the calls and connections made for three days. (Now called a ‘peg count’.)
There was mention now and then of the damage done to telephones by lightning: “About 20 telephones were burned out in the local exchange by Thursday night’s thunder storm.”
When the Pittsfield exchange was first started, a generator, furnishing power for ringing, was located in the near-by Pitts¬ field Coal Gas Co. plant; and when trouble developed the “trouble shooter” had to rush down to the generator room and kick the belt off to avoid getting a shock.
In Sept., 1881, the line to East Lee was completed, and the Telephone Company extended their wire to Curtisville via West Stockbridge, which became a part of the Pittsfield ex¬ change.
There had been talk of opening an exchange in Great Bar¬ rington, which would include Egremont, Sheffield, and Ash¬ ley Falls; but it was decided to postpone action on this project till spring. In its July 22, 1880, issue, the Republican spoke of a private line which had just been finished between Great Barrington and South Egremont.
The annual meeting of the Western Mass. Tel. Co. was held at Pittsfield on April 12, 1882, and, as reported by the Repub¬ lican ., “elected these officers: President, George H. Bliss; sec¬ retary and treasurer, C. C. Francis; directors, George H. Bliss, John T. Power, Gardner T. Barker, S. N. Russell, A. B. Whipple, of Pittsfield; Wellington Smith of Lee and T. A. Mole of Adams. Wellington Smith declined re-election to the vice-presidency. The company passed its dividend, the con¬ struction account having been heavier than was expected the past year, and the capital stock was increased from $50,000 to $85,000. R. H. W. Dwight is continued as General Manager.”
On April 15, 1882, J. D. Foote, for 18 months local manager of the Pittsfield exchange, resigned; and Charles Raymond was appointed manager in his place.
64 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
About this time, Mr. Bliss was quite busily engaged, in his capacity as President of the Telephone Co., conducting nego¬ tiations for the sale of the Western Mass. Tel. Co. to the Bay State Tel. Co., but the proceedings which took place in the North Adams and Adams exchanges must be recounted at this point.
N orth Adams Exchange
The affairs of the North Adams exchange seemed to pro¬ gress peacefully during the agitation attendant upon the or¬ ganization of the Western Mass. Tel. Co. George C. Millard had sold the exchange to George H. Cary on Feb. 16, 1880, and the latter transferred it to the new company April 14th, the date of its incorporation. Mr. Millard agreed to continue as local manager and Mr. Orr decided to remain the manager of the Western Union Telegraph Co. Later he advanced to District Supt. of the Commercial Union Telegraph Co. at North Adams and continued to serve in that capacity after it had been absorbed by the Postal Telegraph Co. Mr. Cary, who was instrumental in forming the Western Mass. Tel. Co., became the General Manager. He now set about expanding the system, and the first object on the agenda was the exten¬ sion of the lines from North Adams to Adams and Williams- town.
Another project was soon undertaken, — that of building a telephone line between North Adams and Pittsfield, which according to the Transcript of May 27th progressed so rapidly that communication between the towns was expected to be established in a few weeks.
The telephone line between North Adams and Williams- town was completed about the first of June, 1880, and the students of Williams College were undoubtedly pleased at the prospect of trying out this new means of communication, — particularly to Northampton and South Hadley.
A news item in the Transcript of June 10, 1880, was in con¬ nection with the Republican National Convention, where General Garfield received the presidential nomination: “Man¬ ager Orr of the Western Union telegraph office is deserving
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 65
the thanks of those interested in the Chicago Convention for his promptness in posting bulletins of the balloting and for sending copies to the telephone office that the news might be sent over the town as fast as received.”
Considerable information is included in the Adams Tran¬ script of July 15, 1880: “The line between North Adams and Pittsfield was completed last Thursday (July 8) and a great amount of business is transacted over the line every day, 25 cents for 3 minutes, the telegraph would be more. A local line has been completed to Adams, where a system of some 20 subscribers is being established with headquarters over Dean’s store. In a week or two an independent line is to be run to South Williamstown where there is no telegraph office. The advantages of the telephone system will be shown particu¬ larly in the isolated towns like Savoy and Florida which have no telegraphic communication with the rest of the world. The North Adams system has now some 90 subscribers and it is expected that the number will soon reach over 100. The cen¬ tral office is to be remodeled, two new and very large switch¬ boards being among the needed improvements. All through the county magneto bells are being substituted for those first in use and it is intended eventually to have only four stations on a circuit.”
About the middle of August, 1880, a branch exchange was opened at Adams with some 20 subscribers, with the head¬ quarters over Dean’s store.
The business situation appeared to be improving, if hotel trade was any criterion. The Transcript of Nov. 3, 1880, de¬ scribed a new hostelry under construction: “The new hotel being built on State St. by Owen Welch will probably be called the “American House”. It is to be four stories high, and will contain 60 rooms. The office will be in the middle of the lower floor, leaving one store one either side. The dining-room will be on the second floor.”
About the time of the completion of this hotel, which be¬ came famous for its cuisine and hospitality a la American plan, the following sample of Vermont humor was, no doubt, re¬ counted here by some traveling salesman:
A Middlebury man milked his cow, set the pail in front of
66 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
the animal, took up the milking stool and carefully placed it on the pantry shelf. The cow drank up the milk and at last accounts no cream had risen on the milking stool.
Prof. George M. Mowbray, after the completion of the Hoosac Tunnel, remained in North Adams and started a fac¬ tory of his own for the manufacture of nitro glycerine. It was Nov. 11, 1880, when this ingenious individual was again men¬ tioned in the Transcript: “Prof. Mowbray started up on Tues¬ day his works for manufacturing his new insulated wire. He began on the order from the state for wire to be used in the Hoosac Tunnel. There is every indication of complete success in this new invention.”
A person not familiar with textile terms might be rather startled upon reading the following: “The Williamstown Mfg. Co. are running their mules till nine o’clock in the evening to keep up with their looms.”
Information was provided by the Transcript of Nov. 18, 1880, regarding several subjects of moment: “The telephone line was completed to South Williamstown Nov. 6, with a single station, that at Greylock Institute, the flourishing and excellent boarding school of the Millses. The Williamstown circuit at present has three stations: at the Williamstown Mfg. Co.’s mill office, at the coal office of T. W. Richmond 8c Co., and at the livery office of Thomas McMahon, which is at present a public station. The North Adams office has just re¬ ceived 20 magneto bells, with boards of new design support¬ ing battery and bell, with connecting wires let into the back, for the first time furnished by the company. These have been put in place of the battery bell first used, so that 9 only of these now remain on the circuit. It is thought that carpenters and others have at times, to facilitate their work, interfered with the attachment of telephone wires to buildings, in ignor¬ ance of the fact that the law imposes a fine of $500 or imprison¬ ment for two years for such offence.”
A personal note, which were not too frequent, appeared in the Nov. 24, 1880, Republican: “M. J. Connors, who super¬ intended the building of the Central and Southern Berkshire lines, has recently been given charge of the repairs for the North Adams exchange.”
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 67
The next day the Transcript published another personal note, which disclosed that Manager Millard had been pursuing a phase of electrical work which was referred to in those days as “sparking.” “Mr. George C. Millard, Manager of the West¬ ern Mass. Tel. Co. for Western Berkshire, and Miss Jennie Campbell of Williamstown, were married at the groom’s resi¬ dence on Center St., Wednesday evening week. Numerous and valuable presents were left with the happy couple, and a very pleasant wedding banquet is reported. Mr. and Mrs. Millard will reside at the groom’s new house on Center St.”
Christmas not being far away, the spirit of the season seemed to take hold of the telephone officials, judging from this item in the Transcript: “The telephone central office is to be painted and papered, and the annunciators are to be lowered and placed in stands so that the operators can sit, instead of being obliged to stand as now. The floor is to be carpeted, and a railing put up between the operators and the space for the public.”
Quite a sizeable increase to the list of subscribers occurred, which were listed in the Transcript of Jan. 13, 1881: “The following new connections have been made to the telephone exchange not included in the published list: Adams — L. L. Brown Paper Co., B. F. Phillips’ residence, Colony and Bowen, Ainsley and Isabel, Smith, Mole Sc Co., Allen Iron Works, A. B. Mole’s residence. South Williamstown — Greylock Insti¬ tute. Cheshire — Burgett office and residence, Bowen’s store and Post Office, Darby’s drug store, Dean and Martin, Dr. Thayer’s office and residence. North Adams — P. J. Boland’s store, Billings Brothers’ store, Boston, Hoosac Tunnel and Western abstract office, Brigham’s store, Chace Sc Co.’s meat market, M. J. Holbrook’s shop, Parkhurst and Alford law office, A. H. Jones’ residence, Richardson and Flagg’s Coal office, Troy and Boston Railroad general office.”
During December a few events transpired to show that the Tunnel City was still making progress. F. E. Swift, who con¬ ducted the Wilson House for some years and made it a noted resort for travelers and guests, bought the entire Wilson House block. It was decided to double track the Hoosac tunnel as soon as possible and to illuminate it, providing the engine
68 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
ordered for the experiment with electric lighting proved satis¬ factory.
The prospect of furnishing the state with nitro glycerine for this extensive work was, no doubt, pleasing to Prof. Mowbray. A further reference to his cable project appeared in the Dec. 16, 1880, Transcript: “It has been decided to put 4 or more wires in the cable which Prof. Mowbray is making to lay in the tunnel, and one of them will be for the Western Union. Prof. Mowbray’s new inveition in insulated wire is said to do away with induction so that the wires may be placed nearly side by side.”
A new and complete telephone directory of the subscribers on the “Western Mass, line” was printed by C. M. Ward of the Springfield Printing Co., and delivered early in May, in which there were 125 names in North Adams and Williamstown, and 35 in Adams.
Further telephone progress was recorded in the Transcript of June 16, 1881. “The local telephone exchange has com¬ menced the use of the electric clock, by which all unnecessary disturbance from the ringing of bells is avoided. About 60 of these clocks are now in use here. (The Bliss telephone signal clocks made in Pittsfield.) The exchange here is in a very good condition now, and is well conducted, about an average of 600 calls a day being answered. The Wilson House drug store, H. A. Smith Sc Son, Chief Engineer Hubbell, A. B. Wright Sc Co., John Bracewell and the town farm have been connected recently. George M. Dyke succeeds Joseph Wood as night operator.”
A demand for telephone service had arisen in several com¬ munities in Southern Vermont. Readsboro was about 17 miles from North Adams, by a north east road through Stamford and Hartwellville, thence south east to Readsboro, thus pass¬ ing around the northern end of Hoosac Range. Jacksonville was about 8 miles east of Readsboro, and Wilmington 7 miles north of Jacksonville.
The idea of anyone so far away from North Adams expect¬ ing telephone service seemed rather fanciful, but here it was, reported in the Republican of April 8, 1881: “A line is to be
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 69
built by private parties from North Adams to Readsboro, Vt., and from there to Wilmington.”
The T ranscript on Oct. 6th reported that the private parties were now contemplating a stock company with a capital of 1 1,200. The plan was to connect this line to the switchboard of the North Adams exchange and pay the Western Mass. Co. a suitable sum for operating their stations.
The final arrangement was described in the Transcript of Nov. 3, 1881: “The telephone from Jacksonville to this town (North Adams) is assured, and is to be known as the Jackson¬ ville and North Adams Telephone Co. with a capital stock of $1,500. It is expected it will be in running order within three weeks. The organization was completed at Readsboro last week, with the following officers: President, James Bullock, Readsboro; Vice-president, George S. Goodnough, Sadawga; Secretary, W. P. Jones, Jacksonville; Treasurer, Abed Hall, Stamford; Auditors N. L. Stetson, Jacksonville; A. H. Tucker, Appolis Bailey, Readsboro; directors, E. J. Bullock, Reads¬ boro; R. H. W. Dwight, Pittsfield; H. C. Millington, Sa¬ dawga; R. Q. Wilcox, Jacksonville; C. E. Winchell, Stamford; M. Davidson, Hartwellville; John T. Carrier, Readsboro Falls; Committee on by-laws, H. N. Hix, Sadawga; A. A. Butterfield, Jacksonville; A. H. Tucker, Readsboro. The meeting ad¬ journed to meet at Readsboro at 10 o’clock this morning.”
It does not appear that many of the prospective customers of this company were slighted in the selection of officers and directors, 14 parties being thus honored, all of whom resided along the route to Jacksonville, except Mr. Dwight.
It seems rather incredible that on Thursday Dec. 8th the Transcript reported this swift progress: “The telephone line of the Jacksonville and North Adams Telephone Co. will be in running order this week, and the rates for messages to subscribers of the Western Mass. Co. have been established. They are: to Stamford, 15 cents; to Hartwellville, Readsboro Falls, and Readsboro, 20 cents; to Sadawga and Jacksonville 25 cents. The operators at the different stations are Jackson¬ ville, Stetson and Jones; Sadawga, Millington and Goodnow; Readsboro, James Bullock & Son; Readsboro Falls, J. T. Car¬ rier; Hartwellville, M. Davidson; North Stamford, Fred Para-
70 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
dise; Stamford, C. E. Winchell.” The “operators at the differ¬ ent stations” were presumably business proprietors, whose telephones were available to the public, and who had people summoned to the phone — in consideration of a small fee.
In viewing the way telephone lines sprang into existence, it must be remembered that only one iron wire, grounded at the ends, was the practice; and that trees, in most instances, served as telephone poles. The magneto call bells were in series, and their coils of wire impeded the electric speaking current, so that it seems quite miraculous that the subscribers could hear anything at all.
In the meantime, the Brattleboro Telephone exchange had erected a line through Marlboro and Wilmington and thence to Jacksonville, so that it was not surprising to read the fol¬ lowing in the Dec. 20th Republican: “Conversation between North Adams and Brattleboro, Vt., via Jacksonville, was dis¬ tinctly carried on Saturday, and Pittsfield was also connected, making 70 miles.”
A financial item, pleasing to the stockholders of the new company, was given in the Transcript March 2, 1882: “The Jacksonville and North Adams Telephone Co’s receipts last month were $80 and the capital stock is worth but $1,500, so that the dividends will probably be large.” On August 15th, the directors of this company met at the Paradise Hotel, Stam¬ ford, and declared a dividend of $1 a share from the first six months’ business, which was about 15% a year.
The new line of the North River Telephone Co. from Jack¬ sonville, Vt., to Shelburne Falls, was now in operation. The directors of the Jacksonville and North Adams Telephone Co., at their meeting Aug. 15th, voted to connect with this North River Co., which gave Berkshire County communication with Shelburne Falls and towns north of it.
An important step was now taken by the Jacksonville and North Adams Telephone Co. which was disclosed by the Transcript of Aug. 31, 1882: “A new switchboard has been placed at Jacksonville by the Telephone Co. Hereafter no messages will be sent from our North Adams central office. They will be sent from Morse and Orrs book store.” The com¬ pany now had a switchboard of their own.
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 71
The following news item is of special interest to many tele¬ phone people, who have had the privilege of knowing the gentleman referred to because of the many years he served as Manager of the North Adams exchange. This article appeared in the Sept. 9, 1882, Republican: “A change in the local man¬ agement of the telephone exchange is talked of, and W. H. Stedman, for some time with Prof. Mowbray and an excellent electrician, is recommended by a number of the business men for the place.”
Several references to Mr. Stedman’s activities have appeared in the papers prior to this, which afford glimpses of his earlier life. As far back as 1872 the business directory showed him conducting a crockery, jewelry and silverware store with D. A. Atkins, and a little later he became sole owner, specializing in watches and jewelry. Then the Transcript of Feb. 20, 1879, told of an expansion: ‘‘Stedman, the jeweler, has very con¬ venient arrangements in his new store in Fisher’s block for the prosecution of his silver and gold plating business. He has several rooms devoted especially to the work of plating and has added new and important apparatus. His new Amber Polish is meeting with a remarkable sale in this vicinity, and a well known cutlery company has ordered 2,880 bottles, 20 gross.”
Williams College, at Williamstown, was the Alma Mater of General Garfield, and the following article in the Transcript of Feb. 17, 1881, must have created quite a pleasurable flurry in this small college town: “The inauguration of a new presi¬ dent of Williams College and the presence of General Gar¬ field, who will return to the Silver Anniversary of his class as President of the United States, must make an interesting commencement week at Williamstown.”
The inauguration of President Elect Carter was to take place July 6th, and President Garfield had consented to speak for the college trustees. Unfortunately, however, the joy of welcoming the President of the United States to this happy ceremony was not to be realized. The Transcript of July 7, 1881, thus conveyed the sad news: “The country was startled on Saturday (July 2) by the news that President Garfield had been fatally shot in the railroad depot at Washington, as he, accompanied by Secretary Blane, was entering the depot of the
72 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
Baltimore and Potomac railroad to take the train for New York. The presidential party was to leave Washington for an extended journey through New England. On Monday morn¬ ing they were to go to Williamstown to attend the commence¬ ment exercises of Williams College, then on Thursday noon to St. Albans, Vt. and to White Mountains.”
The Western Mass. Tel. Co. was acquired by the Bay State Telephone Co. Sept. 13, 1882, and an account of what trans¬ pired in the North Adams exchange under the jurisdiction of this larger company will be found in Chapter 12.
Adams Exchange
Soon after the opening of the North Adams Exchange, the thought of providing Adams with similar benefits seemed to be uppermost in people’s minds. The form of service talked of was that of a branch exchange, which would be a switchboard connected to the one at North Adams, and which would per¬ mit a free interchange of calls.
The first definite information to this effect appeared in the Transcript of Sept. 4, 1879: “The telephone line will prob¬ ably be extended to Adams, as a branch system is being organ¬ ized there. The advantages of becoming a subscriber to the North Adams Telephone Co., of which the system in Adams will be a part, are increasing constantly.”
A later report was given by the Transcript of Dec. 18th: “The business men are anxious to have the telephone system introduced, especially if it can be connected with the central office at North Adams. A canvass was recently made and 17 subscribers obtained, and it is thought that as soon as the system can be put in successful operation that nearly as many more can be obtained. There are 2 or 3 private lines about town.”
Undoubtedly, the results of the canvass were not such as to cause any precipitate action, as generally 50 applicants were considered necessary to warrant the opening of an exchange.
However, time was passing and the business men were wait¬ ing rather impatiently for the extension of the telephone sys¬ tem to Adams. The number of subscribers, who were ready as soon as the wires were put up, had increased to 20.
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 73
The organization of the Western Mass. Tel. Co. at Pittsfield on April 15, 1880, brought the part of Mass, west of the Conn, river under its jurisdiction, and the next day this encouraging news was printed in the Transcript: “The work of extending the system will begin at once. The first thing on the pro¬ gramme is the extension of the line from North Adams to Adams and Williamstown.” Then on May 13th it was an¬ nounced that General Manager Cary was to put a large force on work in Adams in a few weeks.
The sight of this large force of men at work in their streets must have occasioned this June 3rd article: “The business men are pleased that the telephone system is to be introduced, and a score or more are ready to put in the ‘machines’. It has been decided to put the central office in the telegraph room at the depot. Telegraph Operator Faure, by the way, intends to go back to France next fall to introduce the telephone.” Those who thought that the people in France talked mostly with their hands were of the opinion that this mission was a case of “Love’s Labour’s Lost,” but others adhered to the sentiment expressed in that stirring ballad, “Hands Across the Sea.”
The Transcript , the middle of July, was able to report something more tangible. “A local line has been completed to Adams, where a system of some 20 subscribers is being established with headquarters over Dean’s store.
On August 5th Messers Robinson 8c Son, publishers of the Transcript, again reviewed the situation: “The telephone exchange is not yet in working order, but is being put into condition as rapidly as circumstances will allow. The new style key-board has been put in the central office and the lines are now nearly all up. There has been considerable vexatious delays owing to the company’s inability to secure magneto bells.”
The next reference was Aug. 26th, when it recorded the fact that the telephone company had lately put in 15 stations, among which were the mill offices of H. S. Millard and Adams Bros, and the store of Anthony & Burlingame.
It would appear from the above that the central office was
74 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
opened sometime between Aug. 5th and the 26th, 1880, it being conjectured that the date was about August 21st.
It is not surprising that some curtailment in expenses was deemed advisable by the management. On Nov. 11, 1880, it was reported that the telephone offiice has been moved to the telegraph office at the depot as a matter of convenience and economy. However, the new year brought better times: “The following new connections have been made to the telephone exchange not included in the published list: L. L. Brown Paper Co., B. F. Phillip’s residence. Colony and Bowen, Ains- ley and Isabel, Smith, Mole 8c Co., Allen Iron Works, A. B. Mole’s residence.”
Officials of the cheese producing town smelt a rat, to the chagrin of some telephone linemen, of which the Republican got wind. “A number of telephone poles which were placed too far out in the highway at Cheshire have been ordered back by the authorities.”
Business between Pittsfield, Adams and North Adams had increased to the point where more circuits were needed, and the Republican mentions that the poles from Pittsfield to the Adams House will have insulators for six wires.
In the meantime, the telephone outlook in Adams had brightened considerably, which was related in the Transcript of Dec. 8, 1881: “The Telephone Company have now 50 sub¬ scribers here. The telephone exchange has been removed from the telegraph office to rooms on the third floor of the Bank block on Main St., with Charles L. Flint of Northampton in charge, and the work of the exchange can now probably be attended to with satisfaction to its subscribers.”
May 3, 1882, the Republican announced: “The new West- field Telephone Manager is to be Charles L. Flint of the Adams exchange, and he will assume control today. Edmund G. Flint, who has been night operator at the Westfield ex¬ change, is promoted to the management of the Adams office.”
Adams was a town of 5,593 at the beginning of 1880, having been reduced in numbers by the incorporation of North Adams as a separate township in April, 1878. Adams was favored by important textile and paper mills, so that its
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 75
financial stability did not appear threatened as a result of this separation.
A description of the industrial situation in Adams was given in the Transcript of Aug. 14, 1879: “Adams was never so busy before. The Blackington Woolen Mill at Maple Grove, re¬ cently leased by the North Adams Woolen Co., is the last to start up. The Renfrew Mfg. Co. are just completing their sec¬ ond one-story weave shop and their establishment may now be truly called an immense one. The settlement that has grown up around the mills, and dependent upon them for support, is large enough, almost, to be a town by itself, and there are yet a good many more tenement houses to be built. The success of the Renfrew Co. is something remarkable, and the people of Adams are justly proud of two such enterprising, successful and widely known manufacturing corporations as the Ren¬ frew Gingham and L. L. Brown Paper Cos. There is a great scarcity of tenements in town, and the business men generally are of the opinion that it would be a profitable investment for somebody who has the money and enterprise to put up a block with tenements that could be rented for about $150 or $200 a year.” ($12.50 or $16.66 per month.)
Cheshire, which adjoins Adams on the south, was plying its art of cheese making in those days, which was described in the Transcript of Feb. 24, 1881: “The Greylock Cheese Co. made last year 103,928 lbs. of cheese and paid the farmers $10.20 a hundred. It took about l0i/2 lbs. of milk for one cheese and the cost of making was $1.40 a hundred. The company paid a dividend of 9 per cent and the old officers have been re-elected.”
Adams had its inventors, too; Charles E. Allen being men¬ tioned as having invented and patented an individual call box for telephone lines, which prevented the bells on a line being rung except the one wanted.
The esteemed editors of the Transcript appeared to ques¬ tion the wisdom of some of Adams’ financial schemes: “A horse-railway, an electric light company, and other improb¬ able prospects are being agitated. There may be something in the electric light story, as it would not be very expensive; but when a horse-railway of three miles costs $60,000, as it did in
76 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
Northampton, the chances for its construction are small, not¬ withstanding the benefit such a road would be running from Adams to Briggsville.”
Besides the theatrical performances available in North Adams, Adams also had the benefit of the Father Mathew Dramatic Association.
The Bay State Telephone Co. acquired the Western Mass. Tel. Co. on Sept. 13, 1882, and further information regarding the Adams exchange under this new company is contained in Chapter 12.
CHAPTER 6
Western Massachusetts Telephone Company Northampton - Westfield - Greenfield Exchanges
Northampton Exchange
Northampton was the first community in Western Massachu¬ setts to be visited by Alexander Graham Bell. This occurred before his invention of the telephone, and while he was intro¬ ducing his father’s system of “visible speech” to the United States.
The Clarke Institute of Northampton, having been char¬ tered by the state, was incorporated July 15, 1867. The leader in this movement was Gardiner G. Hubbard, whose sympathy for the deaf and dumb was aroused by the plight of his young daughter, Mabel. Mr. Hubbard later played a prominent part in the development of the telephone, and his daughter Mabel became the young inventor’s wife.
An account of A. G. Bell’s visit to the Clarke Institute was given in the school’s fifth annual report, year ending Sept. 1, 1872: “Mr. Bell spent the months of March and April in our school devoting four hours each week day to instruction. One hour was given to our teachers collectively, another hour was devoted to the peculiarities of individual pupils, and to de¬ veloping the possibilities of his system with respect to them. The remaining two hours were spent in the several class rooms, in superintending the application of his system by the differ¬ ent teachers, making suggestions and rendering personal as-
77
78 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
sistance.” A later reference in the same report stated: “Its use so far has been exceedingly encouraging and promises well for the future.” Dr. Bell became a trustee of the Clarke School in 1898 and was elected president of the Corporation in 1917, both of which positions he held until his death, Aug. 21, 1922.
Northampton’s first experience in telephony was reported by the Republican of Aug. 26, 1879: “As far as known there are no Edison or Bell telephones in Northampton. Dr. Highbee constructed one or two for his own use very early in the his¬ tory of the invention and his method of making them has been copied by some of his friends. There are some others in use that are constructed in the simplest way but which work well for short distances.” This latter kind may have been what was known as the “lovers’ telegraph,” which consisted of a little tin box connected by a string to another tin box. It was said that its name induced many to purchase them.
The first reference to private lines was given in the Feb. 28, 1880, Republican: “A telephonic transmitter is to be placed in the Congregational Church of Enfield to day and connected with the houses of several who are unable to attend the serv¬ ice.”
The Hampshire Gazette and Northampton Courier , better known as the Hampshire Gazette , or Gazette , on March 2nd gave this news: “Mr. George H. Cary of Pittsfield was in town last week representing the interests of the Western Mass. Tel. Co. Its interests in Northampton are represented by Lewis Warner and Frank Edwards who will give information and take subscriptions for stock.” Mr. Warner was cashier in the Hampshire County National Bank and Treasurer of the Hampshire Savings Bank.
Mr. Cary’s visit evidently produced results, for the Repub¬ lican reported on March 13th: “Some 15 prominent business men met at the Hampshire County bank yesterday to talk up having the telephone introduced. Mr. Tobey, of Pittsfield, was present to explain matters and subscription papers were left. Something more tangible will be done in a few days.”
It will be noted that considerable emphasis was placed on obtaining subscriptions for the stock of the new company. Finally, enough investors in Western Mass, signed on the
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 79
dotted line to warrant proceeding with its organization, and the Western Mass. Tel. Co. was incorporated April 14, 1880, with headquarters at Pittsfield.
The first step in establishing an exchange in Northampton was soon taken, according to the Republican of June 1st: “The canvassers at work getting subscribers for the new telephone company have thus far met with good success. Wires will be run to Florence and Leeds, and a good patronage is anticipated from the outside districts, Easthampton, Haydenville and Williamsburg. The exchange will open with 100 subscribers. The Central Office will be located on the third floor of the Parsons block, 92 Main Street.” Later it was disclosed that James H. Cary, brother of George H. Cary, the General Man¬ ager of the Company, was named local manager. The Parsons Block, recently destroyed by fire, has been part of the F. W. Woolworth property for some time.
On August 6th, the Republican related, “the telephone poles are being set up at the rate of three quarters of a mile a day, so that it will be in running order by September 1st. Probably Northampton will, for the present, talk with Spring- field by way of Westfield.”
By September 10th, 13 telephone wires had been strung across Main Street from the central office, and on October 15th the Republican provided this news: “Work on the telephone lines progresses very slowly, some 25 subscribers being now connected with the central office. The wires are up as far as Smith’s Ferry and connection will probably be made with Holyoke next week. Poles have been distributed from Mt. Tom station to Williston Mills, Easthampton, thereby putting Easthampton in connection with the main lines to Spring- field.”
It would appear from the above article that the Northamp¬ ton exchange was opened in October, 1880. This is confirmed by the same paper on October 25th: “The Northampton com¬ pany have already put up some 40 miles of wire and will get up 20 more before winter sets in. Forty phones are now con¬ nected with the central office, and 60 more connections will be made as soon as the instruments arrive.”
The practicability of the telephone was immediately dem-
80 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
onstrated. Quoting the Gazette of November 9th: “The tele¬ phone proved very useful election evening at the town hall. An instrument was placed in the hall at the rear of the stage, and being directly connected with the Connecticut River R. R. station, returns reached the hall from the telegraph office much sooner and with less trouble than would have been possible otherwise.”
Installments of telephones arrived now and then, so that by November 30th, 76 subscribers had been connected. A mis¬ understanding with the Bell Telephone Co. caused a delay in getting the line through to Holyoke, so that this important event did not occur until about December 10th.
The Hampshire Gazette kindly acquainted the public with the telephone rates: “Each subscriber is charged $3 per month. Non subscribers can make use of the telephone for local com¬ munications at the store of the Parsons and Wells Co. at the center or the store of W. H. Riley at Florence, ten cents being charged for the privilege. The rates to Holyoke, Westfield and Springfield are 15 cents to local subscribers and to non sub¬ scribers 25 cents for five minutes.”
The latter part of November, 1880, poles were put up from Florence to Bay State, and connection with Easthampton was expected the middle of December.
A Gazette reporter turned out this lively bit of information for the December 14th issue: “Last week communication was opened with Springfield, Worcester and Westfield and the manager gave a few friends a “free ride,” so to speak, over the wires. Doctors sit in their wide-arm chairs and prescribe for patients over the phone, suburban factories do business in town without coming in, bank officers save their clerks many steps, and even lawyers talk civilly at the end of telephone wires.”
On Feb. 1, 1881, the Hampshire Gazette published a list of the subscribers connected to the Northampton exchange. This list shows 66 names under Northampton, 1 1 in Florence, 4 in Leeds, 6 in Williamsburg, 6 in Haydenville, 8 in East¬ hampton and 3 in Bay State — a total of 104. This list was taken from the telephone directory and it will be noted that no tele¬ phone numbers are shown, and the names are not in alpha-
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 81
betical order. One, making a call in those days, asked for the desired party by name.
Northampton February 1, 1881
Fire Engine House Gazette Printing Co.’s Office
L. S. Davis, house
N. H. & N. Freight Depot
M. L. 8c M. W. Graves J. A. Sullivan French 8c Kimball
E. N. Foote 8c Co.
Dr. A. W. Thompson, house Henry R. Hinckley, house Clarke Institution L. Bodman, house George D. Jewett
F. H. Stoddard Northampton National Bank Clapp 8c Johnson Daniel’s Stable
E. C. Barr W. F. Prindle Carr’s Bakery Woods Stable T. Shea’s Market Mansion House Boston Branch C. H. Pierce Journal Office H. L. James, house George D. Sherwin, house Dr. Davenport Oliver Walker First National Bank Metcalf 8c Company Delano 8c Hammond
Parsons 8c Wells*
Dr. Dunlap Williams Mfg. Co.
John Metcalf, house Dr. Seymour, house Dr. Parkhurst, house Dr. Knowlton, house Lewis Warner, house Conn. R. R. Freight depot Conn. R. R. Passenger depot Western Union Tel. Company Clark’s Stable Hampshire House Maynard 8c Brooks Eames 8c Sprague American Express Co.
N. B. Hussey 8c Co.
Dewey 8c Loomis John Parnell Thomas Raftry
E. P. Copeland Washburn 8c Banks Jackson’s Market P. H. Dewey George S. Whitbeck
O. Edwards 8c Co.
Bond Bros. 8c Bottum Dr. R. W. Higbee Hampshire Co. Bank E. N. Foote, house Holley’s Stable Nonotuck House
E. H. Brainard, Florist
82 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
Florence
Arthur G. Hill, house Dr. Gaylord, office
Greenville Mfg. Co. Col. J. L. Otis, house
Jackson’s Slaughter House Florence Hotel
J. H. Cary, house Nonotuck Silk Co.
Florence Machine Co. Luther J. Warner
O. L. Woodward*
E. S. Ross*
Mill River Button Co.
Leeds
Emery Wheel Co. Nonotuck Silk Co.
H. G. Hill, Mill L. D. James* Orcutt House
Smith 8c Fay B. Loomis Hotel Haydenville Depot
Williston Mills Telegraph Office C. J. Smith*
First National Bank
Williamsburg
H. L. James, Mill Williamsburg Depot Woodward 8c Lyman
Haydenville
P. Larkin L. D. James Hayden Co.
Easthampton
W. F. Alvord Mt. Tom Thread Co. Nashawannuck Mills Valley Machine Co.
Bay State
E. J. Towne W. T. Clement Cutlery Co.
Northampton Cutlery Co.
* = For Public Use
March 14th, the Republican reported 120 subscribers on the list, and two weeks later announced that 1 1 Bliss individual
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 83
call clocks were being tried out on one line. In April, an en¬ larged and improved switch-board with a capacity of 50 wires was installed. The Bliss individual call clocks cut out the bells on a line, except the one wanted.
Another testimonial to the efficacy of Alexander Graham Bell’s invention is given in the Hampshire Gazette: “Hayden- ville. How handy that telephone is. A general office is accessible at the post office, and also at L. D. James’ store. Last week Wesley Pierce received a telephone dispatch through Smith and Fay, that he was wanted at Ludlow. Going down he struck a soft job overseeing of the laying of 1,500,000 bricks. The Ludlow Company to put up four large brick shops of about 400 feet each in length. He receives $3 a day and house rent.”
Following the resignation of General Manager George H. Cary, R. H. W. Dwight had been appointed to take his place. The Republican of July 11th, 1881, told of other changes. “Manager Dwight of Pittsfield was in town Saturday trans¬ ferring the management of the Northampton office from James H. Cary, who resigns, to George D. Sherwin. Mr. Sherwin built up the Westfield exchange and put up most of the local wires.” It was reported on September 29th that James H. Cary, late manager of the Northampton telephone exchange, has taken a position with the Boston Electric Co., at the Worcester branch office. The next year he organized “The Cary Tele¬ phone Signal Co.,” capital $35,000, at Boston, to make his in¬ dividual call device. George D. Sherwin first worked as a line¬ man in Springfield for the District Telephone and Automatic Signal Co. in 1879.
The advance in the business rates from $36 to $40 a year on July 1, 1881, provoked an incident, which was later described quite dramatically in the Northampton Graphic: “Sixty- five years ago a Northampton man was informed that his tele¬ phone bill was to be increased to $40 a year. In a fit of anger, he ran to the instrument and hacked the wires with a knife. In doing this he unwittingly cut off all communication on his circuit.”
The slashing and the grumbling having ceased, the company scraped together enough funds to purchase a new switchboard. Its installation was described in the Republican of Aug. 10,
84 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
1881 : “Mr. Cross, operator at the Central telephone office, and his lineman worked all Monday night getting their new switchboard with the Snell jacks in working order and were already for business at 6 o’clock yesterday morning. The new board works perfectly, the old trouble about the wires not being sufficiently grounded having been done away with. There is room for 50 circuits in the new board and the ex¬ change has over 30.” This board was invented by A. Q. Snell of New Haven and George F. Perkins, the Holyoke tele¬ phone manager, and is described in Chapter 2.
Manager Sherwin now began casting his eyes about for new lands to conquer. This item appeared under the Republican's Amherst column of Aug. 30, 1881: “Manager Sherwin was in town Saturday looking over the ground with a view to extend¬ ing the circuit to Amherst, and some 15 parties pledged them¬ selves to have telephones put in their houses or offices. Mr. Sherwin will report at headquarters, and, if there is sufficient encouragement, the line is likely to be built.”
A week later it was reported that Manager Sherwin was canvassing Amherst for the purpose of opening a telephone service in that town in connection with the Northampton ex¬ change, and that 20 subscribers had been obtained.
The Northampton exchange on Sept. 21, 1881, put up its 27th line, which connected residences on Elm and Green Streets. At the beginning of 1882, the exchange had 130 sub¬ scribers, and about 30 connections were being made to Spring- field daily. In March, the necessary number of subscribers had been secured in Hatfield, and it was planned to connect that thriving town as soon as the frost was out of the ground. In May there were 14 subscribers on the Easthampton “branch.”
The last Northampton item to be reported during the life of the Western Mass. Tel. Co. was from the Aug. 21, 1882, Republican, and, fortunately, it provides a happy ending:
“Operator Cross, of the telephone exchange, is off for a two weeks trip in New York state.”
Northampton, the county seat of Hampshire County, had a population of 12,172 in 1880. It did not adopt the city form
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 85
of government until June 23, 1883, Benjamin E. Cook, Jr., a democrat, being elected the first mayor.
The town and suburbs possessed quite a few industries at that time, the silk industry being most prominent. The Beld- ing Bros., which became the largest silk manufacturers in the world, had a mill here. The Nonotuck Silk Co. contributed greatly towards building up the village of Florence, and there were the silk works of L. J. Warner and the Leonards.
The Williams Manufacturing Co. conducted a large basket business. Other concerns were: the Florence Tack Co., Emery Wheel Co., Leeds; Florence Machine Co.; Lee Cutlery Shop, Bay State; Mill River Button Co., Leeds; Williston Mills, Easthampton; Mt. Tom Thread Co.; Northampton Cutlery Co. and W. T. Clement Cutlery Co.
The New Haven & Northampton R.R. ran as far as Wil¬ liamsburg, and was called the “Canal Railroad.” There used to be a canal running from Northampton to New Haven, traces of which can be seen at Avon and Farmington. This railroad is now a part of the New York, New Haven & Hart¬ ford system and is operated as a freight line. The Connecticut River Railroad of those days is now owned by the Boston & Maine R.R.
A reference to local transportation was given in the Novem¬ ber 10th paper: “The horse-railroad company are having a car built to run on runners this winter, in place of the well-known vehicle used in winter popularly known as ‘Noah’s Ark.’ ” The idea of the runners probably developed from winter experi¬ ences like the following: “The horse-railroad company have dug for their tracks again, and will start out with the cars today.”
Northampton was also noted as a seat of learning. Smith College was dedicated July 14, 1875. There were several pri¬ vate schools for girls and an admirable public school system. On Nov. 2, 1880, the Republican gave the Smith College en¬ rollment: “The new Smith College catalogue shows 227 stu¬ dents in the collegiate department of whom 30 are seniors, 50 are juniors, 72 are sophomores and 75 of the entering class. Also 25 in the school of music and 2 in the school of art mak¬ ing the whole number in the college 254.” Forbes Library
86 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
was built in 1890 and has been a great adjunct to these schools of learning.
Round Hill played an important role in the social and cul¬ tural life of the town. Its sightly crest, commanding a superb view of the fields, river and mountains, induced some of Northampton’s distinguished residents to build homes there. Jenny Lind “the Swedish Nightingale’’ gave a concert in Northampton in July, 1851. She was so impressed by the charm of Round Hill that the next year, after her marriage to her Concert Manager, Otto Goldschmidt, they spent their three months’ honeymoon at the Round Hill Hotel.
A continuation of Northampton’s telephone activities will be found in Chapter 11.
Westfield Exchange
The introduction of the electric speaking telephone to West- field occurred on May 12, 1877, in connection with the three point program given by Alexander Graham Bell. An account of what happened in Westfield that evening is given in the weekly copy of the Western Hampden Times and Westfield News-Letter:
The Telephone
Springfield and Pittsfield made a bridge of Westfield’s nose on Saturday evening, as a means of investigating and enjoying the new mode of audible communication which reduces mag¬ nificent distances to a conversational capacity. The telephone annihilates space and brings people at a distance, ear to ear. T. A. Watson was master of ceremonies here, Prof. Bell at Springfield and “Mr. Gower” at Pittsfield. G. H. Southland, of Springfield, played two cornet solos for the benefit of the Springfield and Pittsfield audiences. H. B. Stevens sang “The Morning Light is Breaking” and “Hold The Fort,” both of which were distinctly heard in all parts of the hall at Spring- field and Pittsfield. The office of the Western Union Tele¬ graph Co. was filled by about thirty of our best citizens to witness the entertainment. All that they were permitted to hear was a cornet solo played in Springfield, the sound of which was barely audible. The repeated calls of the operator
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 87
for “Mr. Gower”! “Mr. Gower”! was a treat to the ears of the guests. Mr. Dawes of Pittsfield, called for Mr. Gillett, but Mr. Gillett being indisposed was not present. After Messrs. Tits- worth and Hopkins had retired, they were both called for from Springfield.
Over two years elapsed before any further news regarding the telephone in Westfield appeared in the papers. On July 7, 1879, the Westfield Times and News-Letter announced that “Westfield is about to enjoy the advantages of the telephone. Not only will our business men be able to intercommunicate with it but conections will be made with Springfield.” And on August 6th the same paper continued: “The Telephone Company will proceed to construct their lines as soon as pre¬ liminaries are settled and it will probably be in operation in less than a month.”
The Springfield Daily Republican on August 19, 1879, presented a more cynical view: “The telephone project, which started off with such vim two or three weeks ago, has been little heard of for some time. The trouble seems to be that the canvassing agent is willing to let whichever of the rival companies (Springfield Telephone Company, and the District Telephone and Automatic Signal Company) pays the most for it have the list, and the number of subscribers is not large enough to be much of a temptation to either. Undoubtedly, were the wires up and in use, the 40 subscribers could soon be doubled in number.”
Nothing ever came of this first telephone venture, and the townspeople settled back into their usual ways of living. There was quite a business depression at this time, and the Times and News-Letter tried to keep their readers cheered up: “The exodus of Westfieldians to pleasure resorts will be much smaller this year than usual owing to the unfavorable report of the committee on ‘Ways and Means.’ The prospects for business are brightening. The iron and woolen interests throughout the country are starting up under a freshening breeze. Hold up courage a little longer and the ship of busi¬ ness will be safely moored in the haven of prosperity.”
The Western Massachusetts Telephone Co. was formed April 14, 1880, with headquarters at Pittsfield, and the ter-
88 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
ritory granted it by the Bell Telephone Co. included West- field. The enterprising George H. Cary, who was instrumental in organizing the company, and who was General Manager, lost no time in dispatching a representative to Westfield to canvass for subscribers. This took place in May and June, 1880.
The canvass appeared to turn out well, and the next step was described in the Republican of July 15th: “The telephone company have begun work by fitting up their quarters at No. 7, Post Office Building, and putting a tower on the roof into which their wires will enter. The office will always be open, as an operator will remain there all night.” This is a two story building, situated on Elm Street, between School Street and the First National Bank.
The outside plant work was summed up by the same paper on August 9th: “The Western Mass. Tel. Co. have had men at work a week or two putting up wires, and, in a few days, the instruments will be put into the stores and offices. There are 25 circuits, arranged for five subscribers on each, but as yet only 74 have been secured. In the center of the town, five miles of wire have been stretched and with the line to Little River, Crane Brothers’ paper mill and Springfield, 18 miles of wire will be used. The charge made to subscribers is $25 a year or $36 if a Blake transmitter is added. Probably a majority will have the transmitter. Joseph Jepson who superintended the work of putting up the wires will have charge of the central telephone office. Non-subscribers are allowed the use of the telephone at the rate of 10 cents for three minutes. Poles are erected half-way to West Springfield, and there the wire will be connected with that of the Springfield Company.”
The proprietors of the Times and News-Letter had learned to discount the optimistic predictions of the telephone man¬ agers, as evidenced by this model of discretion: “The tele¬ phone will be done when it is completed. Anything more ex¬ plicit would be unwarrantable.”
Joseph Jepson, the new manager, appeared to be a native of Westfield. According to the business directories, he had been janitor of the Westfield Normal School. Mr. Cary, principal of a grammar school in Pittsfield prior to entering the tele¬ phone business, had probably met him at the normal school
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 89
and recognized his capabilities. Mr. Jepson had been on call duty with the fire department for about six years, as foreman of No. 1 Extinguisher.
General Manager Cary appeared to have things moving well in Westfield, according to the Republican of August 18th: “The Telephone Company began putting instruments into the offices and stores today and expect to have the lines in operation and the central office running by Saturday. It will be a week or two before communications are made with Springfield, as wires are yet to be put up four or five miles.”
The Westfield Exchange was opened August 21, 1880. There was evidently no fanfare or brass band to celebrate the occasion. The Republican refers to it laconically: “The Tele¬ phone Office was opened Saturday, 22 connections having been made. The wires were considerably used yesterday (Sun¬ day), being a great novelty. The system will be open to Spring- field in a week.”
The local Times and News-Letter , in honor of the event, was a little more generous with its space than usual: “The town telephone is now in successful operation, the central office in charge of Joseph Jepson, being kept open night and day. Seventy-one subscribers have been procured, only part of whom have yet been supplied with instruments. The re¬ mainder will be supplied probably the last of the week, or as soon as the telephones can be obtained. The lines to Spring- field, Little River, and Salmon Falls (Woronoco) are not yet completed, and it will probably take a week or ten days to finish them.”
George H. Bliss, of Pittsfield, received his patent for the Individual Call bell Jan. 13, 1880. Westfield was not to be cheated of the honor of having an inventor, who was the first to devise such a contrivance. It was disclosed in the columns of the Republican of Sept. 3, 1880:
“Westfield lays claims to the original inventor of an individ¬ ual call-bell for telephones as J. A. Larkin, the inventor and manufacturer of the automatic telephone which is coming into general use for short lines, sometime since devised a sys¬ tem of such call-bells, and filed a caveat thereof at Washington.
90 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
He claims that his system will operate over any length of wire without regard to the number of telephones on it. He is now arranging for a public exhibition of his invention at West- field, operating upon 12 bells.”
The Times and News-Letter on Oct. 13, 1880, reported more progress: “Salmon Falls and way stations are now con¬ nected by telephone with Westfield. Between 60 and 70 phones are now in constant use in this town. About 300 messages are sent to Springfield and Holyoke every month, and 150 are re¬ ceived. The local service is excellently served.”
Certain ladies of Westfield appeared to possess stronger lower extremities than upper, according to a news item in the Times and News-Letter: “The ten mile ladies walking match in Music Hall for a purse of $25 was won by Mrs. Glode (formerly Miss Tatro) in two hours and twenty-eight minutes. A full house witnessed the competition. Why is it that people will persist in educating their heels at the expense of their head?” Coincidentally, there appeared in the same issue the following: “One girl in the kitchen is worth two at the front gate.” These slighting observations probably didn’t worry the walking girls, because the more that came to look over their gaits — the better they liked it.
A tribute was paid Manager Jepson at this time by the Re¬ publican: “Manager Jepson, to whose care and supervision the success of the local exchange is due, gives the best of satisfac¬ tion to its patrons, and, it is said, runs the office at less expense than any of similar size under control of the company.”
The early telephone managers were primarily plant men, and possessed considerable mechanical ability. Mention has been made of several who obtained patents on telephone equipment. Manager Jepson was also of an inventive turn, according to the Westfield Times and News-Letter: “Joseph Jepson, the popular manager of the telephone exchange in this town, has perfected and put into use his new telephone switchboard. It is a great improvement over the kind now generally used, enabling the operator to respond more quickly to several calls made at the same moment and also lessening
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 91
materially the work of adjusting switches. A patent has been applied for.”
Two more communities were added to the Westfield “cir¬ cuit” Aug. 11, 1881, according to the Republican: “Tele¬ phonic communication was made with Southwick Center yes¬ terday and by the afternoon the instruments will be in opera¬ tion at the Ponds, three miles further south. Talking through a wire is still a matter of wonder to the country people, and the workmen have had numerous requests for a sight of the hole in the wire through which the sound passes.”
The Times and Neius-Letter added this information: “Tele¬ phones have been placed at the following points in Southwick: Depot, Pavilion, Riley's Point Grove, J. E. Rowell’s, L. E. Thayer's store and Bennett Fowler’s. The line will next be extended either from Southwick to Granville, or from Salmon Falls to Huntington.”
On May 3rd, 1882, the resignation of Manager Jepson was made public in the Times and News-Letter: “The new local telephone manager is to be Charles Flint of the Adams ex¬ change, and he assumed control yesterday. Ex-Manager Jep¬ son is to remain a portion of this week to assist him and will then enter the employ of the Connecticut Telephone Com¬ pany where he gets an increase in pay. Edward Flint who has been night operator at the Westfield exchange, is promoted to the management of the Adams office.”
In the same issue appeared Mr. Jepson’s resignation from the fire department: “Joseph Jepson, who has been connected with the fire department for eight years, has resigned as fore¬ man of No. 1 extinguisher and Dr. G. A. Walkley has been elected to fill the vacancy. Mr. Jepson is a good fireman.”
The subject of fire alarm signals appeared to be the new Manager’s first important business, the town having voted $110 for a line between the two engine houses. Manager Flint put telephone and fire alarm bells into the Arnold Street and North Elm Street engine houses, an alarm box near the corner of Elm and Franklin Streets and a bell in Chief Engineer Whipple’s apartments at the Willmarth house. The Repub¬ lican of July 6th describes how the system operated: “The policemen will have keys to the alarm box, and when the bell
92 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
is struck the alarm will instantly be transmitted to Engineer Whipple, the engine houses and telephone office. From the latter, the various subscribers to the telephone who are in¬ terested in fires will be given the news by the regulation fire ring.”
Having got the fire alarm signals working to everybody’s satisfaction, and it being the middle of August, Manager Flint decided to take a week’s vacation. It was arranged that his namesake, Manager Flint of the Adams exchange, would take charge during his absence.
This terminates the events that occurred in Westfield dur¬ ing the regime of the Western Massachusetts Telephone Co. The story of this exchange will be resumed in Chapter 1 1 . A few items regarding the affairs of the town were selected dur¬ ing the perusal of these early newspapers, and they provide the information given below.
Westfield, in 1880, enjoyed a town government, having a population of 7587. Its chief industries were the manufacture of whips and cigars and were represented by 39 cigar fac¬ tories, 8 seed and leaf tobacco dealers, and forty companies, engaged in the different branches of whip manufacturing. There were also a few paper mills, notably Crane Bros., and the Woronoco Paper Mills. The H. B. Smith Steam Boiler Works and Foundry were established in 1853. 1800 persons were employed in manufactories, 500 being women.
The High School in 1880 had an enrollment of 141, of which 40 belonged to the entering class. The Normal School, established at Barre, Mass., in 1839, was removed to Westfield in 1844. In 1881 there were about 125 pupils in the School, which was located on Washington Street, corner of School. A good many students from Springfield and West Springfield went over on the “Scoot” train at 7:15 and returned at 6 in the evening.
A few items in lighter vein are quoted from the Times and News-Letter:
Next Friday an excursion train to Coney Island will run over the Canal Road. Five hours in New York and three on Coney Island are promised. Round trip $1.50. Leave 6:08.
Turkeys are twenty cents a pound and scarce at that. Why
Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts 93
don’t our farmers raise more turkeys? It would seem that they might be raised at a good profit at such a price.
A little fellow who wore striped stockings was asked why he made barber poles of his legs. His pert reply was “Well, ain’t I a little shaver?”
Greenfield Exchange
Greenfield did not make much headway in procuring a telephone exchange while under the domain of the Western Mass. Telephone Co. In 1880 it had a population of only 3903. It was compact in itself, and did not require the telephone as much as some other places. The telegraph and U.S. mail ap¬ peared to satisfy their communication needs. At the begin¬ ning of 1881, the Western Union Telegraph Co. was connect¬ ing private residences and places of business with their office at the depot to enable their customers to signal for messenger boys.
In the summer of 1881, however, an agent of the Western Mass. Telephone Co. partly canvassed the town for subscribers to an exchange. If 50 were obtained within a radius of 15 miles, the wires would be put up that summer. The canvass, however, did not come up to expectations, and another lull ensued.
About a year later. May 16, 1882, the Republican reviewed the situation thus: “About the only telephones now used in the town are the private wires of the Spurr Manufacturing Co., running from the telegraph office to their factory, and that of A. N. Hull, from his office to the depot. Those who have tele¬ phones on private lines pay $10 for each phone and the same for transmitters yearly, besides paying the expense of repairs, etc. Solon Wiley and others are making a move for establish¬ ing a telephone exchange at Greenfield and it is expected that a line will be opened this summer. The difficulty seems to have been that in districting the towns, Greenfield was allotted to the Northampton exchange and little has been done by that office to awaken an interest in this locality. It looks as if a profitable exchange could be made by joining Greenfield, Turners Falls, Deerfield and Shelburne Falls in one circuit.”
94 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
It was not long before the directors of the Western Mass. Telephone Co. were busily engaged disposing of their Com¬ pany, and Solon Wiley and associates were reluctant to pro¬ ceed with establishing an independent “line.” Consequently, another exasperating delay occurred, which was climaxed by the fulfilment of their hopes, when a new and larger com¬ pany was formed — The Bay State Telephone Co.; an account of which is given in Chapter 12.
CHAPTER 7
Start of the Palmer Exchange
The first reference to a telephone message in Palmer was made in a joking manner by the Palmer Journal a few months after Alexander Graham Bell’s exhibition in Springfield, and when the telephone was regarded by most people as a high class toy: “We learn by telephone that a detachment of the Robyour- henroost tribe of Indians has escaped from the Chicken Terri¬ tory and you’d better lock up your hen-house until after Thanksgiving.”
However, an article appeared in the Journal March 27, 1880, which was written in a more serious vein: “The tele¬ phone line from the freight office of the New London North¬ ern Railroad in Palmer to Monson is now complete and works finely, making it as easy to talk with a person in Monson as it is with one in the same room.”
On April 10, 1880, another article appeared: “Telephonic communication with the counting room at Three Rivers (Otis Company’s Palmer Mills) has been completed, and as there is already a line from there to Ware (Otis Co.), conver¬ sation can now be held at the New London freight office in Palmer with both of those villages. The line works very nicely. The freight office is soon to be connected in like manner with J. F. Holbrook’s coal office. On Wednesday evening through connection was made between Monson and Ware, communi¬ cation being carried on without any difficulty, while music at Monson was heard and enjoyed at the freight office in Palmer. There is now some talk of making connection with Springfield via Three Rivers and North Wilbraham.”
On May 1, 1880, the Journal reported that the manufac-
95
96 Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
turing companies and C. Hitchcock of Ware were about to erect a telephone line to the depot, and on May 15th the same paper announced: “The new telephone lines, all having con¬ nection with the Ware depot as well as with each other, now have instruments at the counting rooms of the Otis Co., George H. Gilbert Manufacturing Co., C. A. Stevens 8c Co., C. Hitch¬ cock’s store, the Hampshire House, Caryl Brothers and C. C. Hitchcock’s residence.”
These private line installations didn’t seem to satisfy the publisher of the Palmer Journal , G. M.