USA > Massachusetts > Tracing the telephone in western Massachusetts, 1877-1930 > Part 5
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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.,
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Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
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.
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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 Alarm 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
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Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
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. Brayton'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 & Son's office, M. D. & 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 & Co's store, David Roberts' music rooms, H. W. Brown & 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
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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, 43/4 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
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Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
substance, which common carriers refused to transport, and to devise methods for its use. He was referred to in the Transcript 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 & Greenfield Railroad Co., The Troy & Boston Railroad Co., and The Boston, Hoosac Tunnel & Western Railroad Co. These roads now form the Boston-Troy line of the Boston & 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 & 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 Telephone 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
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Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
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."
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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-
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Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
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
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Tracing 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 111/2 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-
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Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
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.
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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.
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