USA > Massachusetts > Tracing the telephone in western Massachusetts, 1877-1930 > Part 11
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In the summer of 1883, they were working on the new union passenger station at Palmer.
The formation of the New England Telephone and Tele- graph Co. on October 19, 1883, put an end to the Bay State Telephone Co., and the Palmer record under the new com- pany will be continued in Chapter 23.
WESTFIELD EXCHANGE
The Bay State Telephone Co. after purchasing the Western Massachusetts Telephone Co., to which the Westfield Ex- change belonged, proceeded to make some jurisdictional changes. The Northampton and Westfield offices were trans- ferred from their former Pittsfield management to a newly formed Springfield division, which also included the Spring- field, Holyoke and Palmer exchange areas. Charles L. Flint
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was retained as manager of the Westfield exchange and re- ported to the new Division Superintendent, Frank G. Daboll, of Springfield.
A new business rate was to be introduced on Jan. 1, 1883, according to the Republican: "Instead of $40 a year, $50 will be charged but this will include the right to talk with Spring- field without additional cost. Only the telephone subscribers who desire permission to talk freely with Springfield will be charged $50 a year. To those who prefer to pay by message when calling people in Springfield, or have no desire for added use of the lines, the rate will remain at $40."
James A. Larkin of Westfield had already laid claim to being the original inventor of a selective signaling system, which enabled the operator to ring a subscriber to the ex- clusion of the other parties on the line. The next notable in- vention emanating from Mr. Larkin's work shop was nothing less than a kind of telephone, which received the following mention in the Times and News-Letter of Westfield: "Our enterprising townsman, Mr. James A. Larkin, has invented a good many things, among them the acoustic telephone for short distance communication, which he has manufactured and put upon the market with success."
This acoustic telephone was again referred to in the same paper of March 16, 1881: "The fame of the Larkin telephone stretches from the Atlantic to the Pacific. One bank alone in San Francisco has ordered seven of these instruments."
The height of Mr. Larkin's success, however, came a little later, when he designed a telephone especially adapted for long distance telephoning. The news of this startling develop- ment appeared in the Republican of Jan. 7, 1883: "J. A. Lar- kin seems to have struck a big thing in his latest telephone im- provement, for the People's Telephone & Telegraph Co. of New York have given him 3,000 shares of their stock and made him one of their vice-presidents for the right of the invention. The shares have a par value of $100, so our Westfield man has $300,000 of the $1,000,000 capital stock. The new telephone is an improvement upon the one some little time ago patented by the People's Company, and differs from the Bell Company's instrument in many features, notably in its sensitiveness and
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power to receive and reproduce sound and in being worked by what is known among electricians as an intermittent or 'make and break' current, instead of by the constant current of the Bell instrument. A suit is now pending between the Bell and People's Companies and if the latter win they will at once begin extending their lines all over the country. They already have lines in operation in Jersey City, Trenton and other places in that vicinity."
Up to now the proposed toll line between Pittsfield and Springfield was often approved at Directors' meetings but never seemed to reach the building stage. A round about route was now provided by the completion of a line between Green- field and Shelburne Falls. This progressive step was announced in the Republican of Feb. 20, 1883: "Westfield was connected with Pittsfield by way of Greenfield, Shelburne Falls, Jackson- ville, Vermont, and North Adams, a distance of more than 100 miles, last night and conversation between both ends of the line was distinctly heard."
The number of subscribers in the Westfield exchange on March 12, 1883, was nearly 100.
The need for telephone service in the outlying towns was pointed out in this Republican item: "The telephone people are talking of extending their lines to Granville if half a dozen subscribers can be secured in that place. There will doubtless be little trouble in getting that number. A telephone line would prove a great advantage and accommodation, saving business men and others many 10-mile drives. If this line is es- tablished, probably some place will be designated for a central station where people can use the instruments by paying 15 or 25 cents to talk with Westfield or Springfield."
A surprise was in store for the readers of the April 19, 1883, Republican. "Manager Flint of the local telephone exchange is to be succeeded this week by Arthur W. French of Spring- field. Mr. Flint, who has given good satisfaction while in town, is to go to Winona, Wisconsin, to assume charge of the Western telephone company's affairs in that place." Horace Greeley's admonition-"Go West, young man!"-proved correct in this case, according to the Times and News-Letter: "Charles L. Flint, formerly manager of the Northampton telephone ex-
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change and later of the Westfield exchange, who went West a few months ago, has recently been promoted to the manage- ment of the large exchange in Minneapolis, Minn., which employs fifteen operators."
The following incident is taken from the Times and News- Letter: "It is thought that the ladle used in dipping ice cream for a customer on one of our streets the other day, will behave itself after this, for the dispenser of the delicacy was seen to give it a good 'licking.' " 1
The Pittsfield-Springfield toll line project, which according to earlier plans was to proceed via Dalton, Windsor, Cum- mington and Williamsburg was finally revived, but the present management favored the old stage route through Lee, Becket and Chester. The Republican announced the beginning of the work, June 12, 1883: "Work was begun yesterday on the telephone line to be run from Westfield to Pittsfield by a con- siderable force of men. This will give Southern Berkshire con- nection with the middle and eastern parts of the state without having to send the message around by way of Vermont as is now the case."
On August 15th it was reported that the Telephone Com- pany had their poles set as far as Chester, in the Western ex- tension.
An item appeared in the Republican of August 30th, just prior to the completion of the project: "Now that the tele- phone line has been run through from Pittsfield to Westfield the latter place will be made the central station for Chester and Huntington, as it is now for Russell and Southwick. The opening of through business from Berkshire to Springfield will be likely to prove considerable of an annoyance to West- field people who talk much with Springfield, as they will have to wait their turn instead of having a line for themselves as for the past year or two. The telephone people promise, how- ever, that if the arrangement is unsatisfactory to local patrons an extra line will be put up between Springfield and West- field." The next day, proof of the line's clarity was cited: "The striking of a clock in Chester was distinctly heard in Spring- field yesterday through the telephone." The completion of
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this important toll link was announced in the Republican of Oct. 3, 1883.
The publishers of the Times and News-Letter appeared to be of a scrupulous and outspoken turn, and the telephone people were not alone in receiving jibes from their literary pens. Manager A. W. French had evidently been transferred rather abruptly, after serving as the Westfield Manager only four months. This circumstance elicited the following genial remarks Aug. 29, 1883: "Mr. F. G. Messenger is the new tele- phone manager in this town, in the place of the one who took 'French leave' the other night. We trust Mr. M. is the right man in the right place, and that he has come to stay. We have had boy's play long enough."
The Times and News-Letter was published every Wednes- day afternoon by L. N. Clark and C. C. Story. The price was $1.50 per year, and $2.00, if delivered by carrier. It was a con- solidation of two newspapers on July 3, 1874,-The Westfield News Letter established Feb. 18, 1841, and the Western Hamp- den Times, established March 17, 1811. It consisted of four large pages, and the papers issued in the early 1880's are still in excellent condition, due to the high grade rag paper used then. The papers were interspersed with humorous stories and quaint observations, there being no pictures, cartoons or "funnies" to amuse the readers.
Two medicinal remedies, which were prominently adver- tised in this Westfield paper, seemed also to have a beneficial effect on the telephone's system. Ayers Sarsaparilla, for rheu- matism etc., and Ayers Cherry Pectoral, for throat and lungs, were made by Dr. J. C. Ayer & Co., Lowell, Mass., and it was Frederick Ayer, of this firm, who invested his medicinal profits in the telephone system and was elected a director of the New England Telephone and Telegraph Co., when it was organ- ized.
Reference to telephone matters seemed to get scantier as time went on. On Sept. 19, 1883, this item appeared in the Times and News-Letter: "Anson B. Norton, telephone oper- ator, will be one of the contestants in the bicycle races at Blandford on Friday." This event occurred at the fair grounds, where the fair and cattle show held forth three days each
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September, with prizes galore and dinners which were spoken of in glowing terms by the same paper.
The last important improvement made under the regime of the Bay State Telephone Co. was a new switchboard, ar- ranged for 50 wires instead of the former 25. Several improve- ments were incorporated which enabled the operator to at- tend to several calls almost at the same moment and which allowed conversation over a long length of line to be much more distinctly heard.
The Times and News-Letter speaks of the switchboard in this quaint fashion: "The telephone exchange has a new and improved switchboard by means of which all creation and the 'rest of mankind' can talk at once. In other words, it is a reg- ular 'sewing circle.' "
The Bay State Telephone Co., after conducting its affairs successfully for about a year, notably the expansion of toll lines, joined with other companies in forming the New Eng- land Telephone and Telegraph Co. Westfield's telephone affairs under this new Company will appear in Chapter 24.
CHAPTER 12
Bay State Telephone Company Pittsfield - North Adams - Adams - Great Barrington - Greenfield Exchanges
PITTSFIELD EXCHANGE
THE Western Massachusetts Telephone Co., with headquar- ters at Pittsfield, transferred its property and leases of every kind to Joel C. Clark of South Framingham, who represented the Bay State Telephone Co. This important transaction took place Sept. 13, 1882. The Bay State Telephone Company partitioned its far flung territory into divisions; the Western division, with headquarters at Pittsfield, comprising the Pitts- field, North Adams and Adams exchanges and the undevel- oped areas, telephonically speaking, of Great Barrington and Greenfield. Joel C. Clark was appointed General Manager of this division, and Charles A. Raymond was continued as Man- ager of the Pittsfield Exchange.
A new idea of rate making received mention in the Repub- lican of Sept. 13, 1882: "General Manager Clark, of the tele- phone company, is arranging a new schedule of rates all over the territory covered by his contract, basing them on the distance from the central office, the number of instruments used and other details, which will make a reduction in some cases."
It is not known whether this study resulted in the schedule of rates announced in the same paper a few days later: "The
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new telephone rates in Berkshire will be $10.75 a quarter for business places and $8.25 for residences, with a discount for prompt payment."
Martin A. Goodwin spent 8 years in Pittsfield, starting about Nov., 1882, according to a later Topics: "He built the first line from Lee to Housatonic and also ran the first line to Stockbridge. He began in Fall River in 1879, and spent about two years in that section of the state. He installed the first tele- phone in New Bedford, at the "City Yard," and also made the first changeable connection for the line over the drawbridge, just out of New Bedford. After a short period in Boston, with the Bay State Telephone Co., Mr. Goodwin went to Pittsfield."
Charles A. Raymond, who had been in charge of the Pitts- field exchange for two years, resigned his position the first of November to go into the Third National Bank as a clerk, which position he held before joining the telephone company.
George C. Millard, the founder and manager of the North Adams exchange, was transferred to the county seat to take Mr. Raymond's place.
There appeared to be quite a brisk demand for telephones, according to the Republican: "The telephone company ob- tained 10 new subscribers in Lee this week and some in Lenox. They will be connected with the Pittsfield exchange." On De- cember 8th it was reported that 35 instruments were added in Berkshire County during November and that the message re- ceipts exceeded last month's by $50.
Joel C. Clark seems to have departed from Pittsfield, the following Transcript item of Nov. 16, 1882, refering approv- ingly to his successor: "J. B. Gardner, the new Western Mas- sachusetts Manager of the Telephone Company, is making many improvements and helping the business noticeably."
George H. Bliss, the inventor and head of the Bliss Tele- phone Signal Co., having been relieved of his responsibilities as President of the Western Mass. Telephone Co., now had more time to devote to his inventions: "George H. Bliss is spending the winter in Boston, where he is introducing his telephone signal. He is also experimenting with an attach- ment for long distance speaking, which works well between
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Boston and Providence, and he is working on a special switch- board."
An urge to advance the toll line program now possessed the telephone management. On Jan. 20, 1883, this Pittsfield news was printed in the Republican: "Distinct conversation by telephone between Pittsfield and Greenfield by way of North Adams and Jacksonville, Vermont, was carried on the other day. When the line is finished to Springfield communication to Pittsfield will be experimented with that way. The com- pany's experience with trunk lines as a source of profit is quite encouraging because it requires no more operatives, and the line between Berkshire and Springfield direct will, no doubt, be built in the spring."
Another item about the plans for pole lines appeared in the Republican of Feb. 5, 1883: "The telephone company ex- pect to put up 300 miles of wire in Berkshire in the spring, and the smaller towns like Tyringham, Hancock, Lanesboro and some in Southern Berkshire, through which a trunk line is to be built, are each to be given a station or small exchange. The line to Springfield from Pittsfield is to be begun as soon as possible and connection from Pittsfield to Albany by way of New Lebanon is talked of."
J. B. Gardner remained only a few months as General Man- ager of the Western Division, leaving Pittsfield Feb. 5, 1883, to take a position in New York as an expert electrician. George C. Millard, Manager of the Pittsfield exchange, took Mr. Gardner's place.
Dennis McCarty, telephone repairer, and Joseph Wood, telephone clerk, were employees of the Company at Pittsfield.
Improvements to telephone switchboards were pointed out March 13, 1883: "The telephone company have put into the Pittsfield Central office two new switchboards, with spring jacks and Deland plugs, which will reduce the time of making calls nearly one-half. The work of changing all the wires was done in one night."
The Republican of March 23, 1883, related that a central office had been established in Lee: "The Lee telephone ex- change has now 32 subscribers, which include Stockbridge and Glendale, with an office in G. H. Heath's store and night and
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day service. It is to be extended to Housatonic and Great Bar- rington, with an exchange in the latter town, about the mid- dle of April. From there Egremont, Monterey and New Marl- boro will be reached. The tariff between Pittsfield and Great Barrington will be about 20 cents. The Western division, which is Berkshire, has added since last November 116 tele- phones, 7 being acquired by the purchase of the Jacksonville line, and 32 have been put in this month; a separate wire also run from Pittsfield to Lee via Lenox and Lenox Furnace."
The fact that there was no mention of a tariff between the Pittsfield and Lee exchanges is an indication that the Lee ex- change was a branch system, which, upon payment of the Pittsfield rates, entitled their subscribers to free calls to Pitts- field.
Dalton was reported April 19, 1883, as having 18 telephones.
At last, a direct toll line between Pittsfield and Springfield was started, although taking a different route than first planned, which was recorded in the July 7, 1883, Republican: "The telephone company which will connect Springfield with Pittsfield passing through Lee as the nearest route (the old stage route by the way of Chester and Becket) began work there last week working east. Work has been going on from this end for some time." A later report, issued August 29th, stated that the telephone company was pushing their work and expected to connect Berkshire County with Westfield and Springfield in a few weeks.
The Pittsfield-Springfield toll line was completed towards the end of September, 1883, and obviated the necessity of be- ing routed through Jacksonville, Vermont; Shelburne Falls, and Greenfield to reach Springfield.
The Pittsfield-Albany line via New Lebanon was spoken of as completed by the Adams Transcript of October 4th.
The Republican refers to the telephone treatment rendered Southern Berkshire: "The Pittsfield telephone exchange will probably remain under the same management after the con- solidation of companies. It is to be hoped that they will give the people better service in the Southern parts of the county. It is now impossible to communicate with the Southern towns on Sunday except for a few hours in the day."
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A continuation of the telephone progress in the Pittsfield Exchange area, under the New England Telephone and Tele- graph Co., will be found in Chapter 15.
NORTH ADAMS EXCHANGE
Following the sale of the Western Massachusetts Telephone Co. to the Bay State Telephone Co. on Sept. 13, 1882, the North Adams exchange came under the watchful eye of Joel C. Clark of South Framingham. Mr. Clark was made Manager of the newly created Western division, with headquarters at Pittsfield, which comprised the exchanges of Pittsfield, Lee, North Adams, and Adams. George C. Millard, who had started the North Adams exchange, with the assistance of William F. Orr, was continued in his position as Manager.
The new telephone rates, which the management put into effect in Berkshire, seemed to please the North Adams sub- scribers; the Adams Transcript mentioning that the rates were very satisfactory and old subscribers were returning and new ones were constantly coming in. The rates were $10.75 a quarter for business places and $8.25 a quarter for residences, with discounts for prompt payment. A new feature was the sale of a $12.50 due bill in telephone messages for $10.00.
A fortuitous event occurred at this time, although North Adams was not to receive the benefit of it until a little later. It was reported by the Adams Transcript of Oct. 12, 1882: "W. H. Stedman of this town has received the appointment of inspector of the Worcester telephone exchange. It has 800 telephones and is owned by the Boston and Northern Tele- phone Co., one of the largest telephone companies in the country."
An important item appeared in the Republican of Nov. 13, 1882: "George C. Millard, Manager of the North Adams tele- phone exchange since its establishment, has been appointed Manager of the Pittsfield exchange." Charles A. Raymond, for two years in charge of the Pittsfield exchange, had resigned to resume his financial career with the Third National Bank of Pittsfield.
The new manager selected to take Mr. Millard's place was
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the aforementioned William H. Stedman. Mr. Stedman came from Newfane, Vermont, to North Adams in 1872 and entered the jewelry business. He was mechanically gifted and of an inventive mind. His first telephone work had been a con- tract made with the Western Mass. Telephone Co. to rewind coils and repair bells, which usually suffered somewhat from electric storms. He also built several switchboards for this company, all of which gave good satisfaction.
It was said that while in Worcester inspecting telephones he received a telegram from General Manager Downs of the Bay State Telephone Co .: "Go to North Adams on the next train, take charge of the exchange and build it up from the roots to the limbs."
In 1882, two operators were employed, and according to a later Telephone Topics, "all that was required of the man- ager then was to set poles, string wires, put in telephones, keep the books, make out and collect bills, and do the inspecting and repairing, and operate for the operators if they wanted to take a few hours off."
A plant project of benefit to this community was spoken of in the Adams Transcript of November 16th: "The work of extending telephone lines from Shelburne Falls to Greenfield is nearly completed." North Adams was, of course, connected with the Jacksonville, Vermont, Exchange, and, at that point, with the North River Telephone Co.'s line, which extended from Jacksonville to Shelburne Falls. As soon as this Shel- burne Falls-Greenfield project was completed, there would be a through line from the Berkshires to Greenfield and other points east.
"J. B. Gardner, who succeeded Joel C. Clark as Manager of the Western Division, was reported as making many im- provements and helping the business noticeably: "The North Adams office will have three switchboards and operators, in- stead of two, shortly. Telephones have been placed in Dr. Millard's drug store, S. B. Dibble's house, W. H. Stedman's house, and in the Freeman office at Adams. Burlingane and Darbys and C. H. Cutting have private wires."
An ambitious toll line project was described in the Tran- script of Nov. 23, 1882: "The Boston and Northern Telephone
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Co. is building a trunk line between Boston and North Adams, and before a great while North Adams people can communi- cate with Bostonians by telephone. The trunk line will take in Greenfield, Fitchburg and other places. It is also expected that the company will build a line to Hoosick Falls and then to Northern New York."
North Adams seemed to be the center of considerable tele- phone activity. On December 9th the Transcript carried this news: "The Bay State Telephone Co. have bought out the Jacksonville and North Adams Telephone Co. for $20 a share. Elmer J. Bullock continues as President, W. H. Stedman of North Adams is Supt. A young North Adams man bought a large amount of the stock some time ago and made $200 on its sale."
The North River Telephone Co. was also sold to the Bay State Telephone Co., according to the December 14th Tran- script, thus giving the latter company the ownership of the telephone line from North Adams to Shelburne Falls, which it was extending to Greenfield.
The Adams Transcript, in whose building on Bank Street, North Adams, the telephone company conducted its growing business, surprised its readers on December 21 by issuing a larger newspaper-at no extra cost.
On Jan. 11, 1883, this newspaper reported the telephone census: "There are 128 telephones in use in North Adams against 90 a few months ago. There were 13 new ones put in at Pittsfield and neighboring towns last month and 9 in North Adams alone."
"The telephone wires are completed to Greenfield,"-thus announced the Transcript of Jan. 25, 1883,-"and now North Adams people can talk with Greenfield, Springfield, Gardner, Shelburne Falls, Westfield and even with Fitchburg and Worcester. Manager Stedman talked with men in all these places in one day lately, to test the service."
The telephone line in Williamstown was extended to Sweet's Corners in February, and a public station was installed at the home of D. J. Sweet, Postmaster of the village, which accommodated a long-felt necessity in and around Sweet's Corners-according to the Transcript.
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