USA > Massachusetts > Tracing the telephone in western Massachusetts, 1877-1930 > Part 8
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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-
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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
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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.
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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
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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 News-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
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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 11. 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
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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."
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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-
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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 & 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. Fisk, who uttered this plaint in his paper of July 17th: "Why don't Palmer have a telephone line connecting with Springfield and our neighbor- ing villages? Up in Berkshire County nearly every town is sup- plied with these modern methods of communication, and it would seem to be about time that something was done in that line here."
Three months passed without anything being done, how- ever, and then the Boston & Albany Railroad decided to con- nect with this private line system, according to the Journal of October 16th: "Telephones are soon to be placed in the Boston & Albany depot and freight house in Palmer, connect with the New London Northern freight office, and through that with Monson, Ware and Three Rivers."
These articles may have caught the eye of an official of the Central Mass. Telephone Co. Anyhow, on November 27, 1880, the readers of the Journal were greatly pleased to read: "An officer of the telephone company has been looking over the ground the past week with a view to connecting this place with Boston and Springfield by telephone. Such an arrange- ment would be a great convenience to our business men, but it is not yet known whether it will be brought about. A step in this direction, however, has been taken, in the purchase by the Central Mass. Tel. Co., of the old Atlantic & Pacific Tele- graph Co.'s wires between Springfield and Worcester, and communication will soon be opened between those cities."
A couple of weeks later this telegraph line was put into telephonic use, but the telephone company must have decided it wasn't feasible to connect anyone at Palmer to the line.
However, it wasn't long before the company decided it
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might be better to have an exchange in Palmer, and it must have given Mr. Fisk great satisfaction to publish under the "Palmer and Vicinity" column the following paragraph on April 9, 1881: "The Central Mass. Tel. Co. is putting in wires preparatory to opening an office and establishing the tele- phone service in this place. The central office will be in the store occupied by W. R. Milligan and F. D. Barton, where a switch-board has already been put in, and the village will be canvassed in a few days by Chas. F. Fish and George A. Rice for the subscribers. The Central Mass. Tel. Co. controls the territory between Springfield and Boston, outside of the large places, and owns the old Franklin telegraph line, over which its messages are conveyed. When the Palmer office is opened, conversation can be carried on with Hartford, Springfield, Holyoke, Chicopee, Indian Orchard, Ludlow, North Wilbra- ham, Worcester, Boston and numerous intermediate points, and before long nearly every town on the line of the railroad will doubtless be connected with the system. The charge for five minutes' conversation with other towns will vary some- where from 15 to 75 cents, according to distance. Subscribers can, of course, talk with parties anywhere on the same circuit (exchange) without extra charge, and as Monson and Three Rivers are on the same circuit with this place, there will be no charge for those places. There are now 400 telephones in use in Springfield, 277 in Holyoke, 800 in Worcester, and so on, and our business men will probably not be behind those of other places in availing themselves of the advantages of this wonderful instrument. Connection has already been made with Springfield and conversation has been carried on with Hartford with perfect ease and distinctness."
Again on April 30th another report was given:
"The telephone company have put up several new posts in Main Street this week to support the wires, and are stretching the wires and putting in instruments for the subscribers, who now number 18. The company have decided to have their central office in a room by itself and have engaged a room in Commercial block, over Brooks' jewelry store, for this pur- pose."
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The date of the official opening of the Palmer Exchange was May 1, 1881, and this milestone in the history of the town was reported in the Journal's weekly issue of May 7th:
"The work of putting up the telephone wires and instru- ments in this place has been completed and all are now in working order, with 38 telephones in this district-21 in this village and 17 in Monson. The State Primary school will have an instrument before long, and others will doubtless be put in the village, as people become acquainted with its advan- tages. Mrs. Emma Weeman will have charge of the central office in Commercial Block, with E. W. Plumley as assistant."
Reference has been made to the New London Northern Railroad. The section from New London to Palmer via Nor- wich, Willimantic and Stafford Springs opened in 1850 and its projection to Belchertown, Amherst, Millers Falls and Brattleboro was completed in 1853. It now constitutes the lower extremity of the Central Vermont Railroad. In the days when its Palmer freight office was the center of the private telephone systems, it was mentioned in the Journal quite fre- quently for its excursions to Mount Tobey in Sunderland and to Martha's Vineyard.
The switch board having been installed, and a capable lady engaged to operate it day times (there was no Sunday or night operator until later) and look after the office with the help of an able assistant, there remained the task of connecting the new applicants to the central office. The first report of such activity appeared in the May 28, 1881, Journal: "Another telephone wire has been put in between Monson and Palmer this week, to accommodate the increasing business, and a wire has been run to the State Primary School. (Later the site of the Monson State Hospital.)
The next week's Journal reported that Foskets' Mills had been connected, and parties in Brimfield were talking of hav- ing the line extended to that village.
On June 18th it was reported that the new Monson line was in operation with the following subscribers: Dr. Geo. E.
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Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts
Fuller, Monson House, Charles R. Dudley, Greens Hotel, and G. W. Burdick.
The Journal carried a sparkling article in the July 2nd issue about old demon lightning, which played such havoc until subdued by better lightning arrestors: "People will do well not to attempt any conversation over their telephones during a thunderstorm, or immediately before or after one, unless they want to find out how lightning tastes, or perhaps receive a shock of electricity in their ears. The lightning plays around in the wires quite freely during a storm, and talks through the telephones in a snapping and crackling voice that suggests the wisdom of allowing the electric fluid to monopolize the wires for the time being.'
The first of September, poles were being drawn to Wales to connect with the Brimfield line to Palmer, and telephones were to be put in at E. Shaw's office, E. D. Shaw's office, Hub- bard Bros.' store, E. Cady's store and Royce Hotel. They ex- pected to get them running the next week, when a long felt need would be supplied. The completion of this job was given in the Sept. 24th paper: "The telephone boxes are now put in, and everybody wants to talk, much to the annoyance of old operators on the line."
There followed a courteous and considerate act, which seemed to herald the approach of the millenium, and which was recounted in the Journal of Sept. 10th: "The poles of the American Rapid Telegraph Co. have been re-set through the town this week, to carry the wires further from the telephone wires. This has had to be done for a large part of the distance between here and Boston, as well as on other parts of the line, the current on the Rapid wires being so strong as to interfere with telephone communications over the other wires."
The line to Brimfield was strung in quick order, and seemed to be appreciated according to the Journal: "Four telephones have been put into running order here within about a week. They prove at once to be of value to the community in bring- ing speedy news from Palmer, Springfield and elsewhere. The citizens of the town appreciate its benefits."
Up to this time, the Palmer exchange had belonged to the Central Mass. Tel. Co. However, on Sept. 17, 1881, the Re-
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publican announced that the Massachusetts Telephone Co. had been chartered with $150,000 capital in shares of $100. A month later, more information appeared about this new company: "The Massachusetts Telephone Co., the prominent members of which have a controlling interest in the Hampden Telephone Co., of Springfield, has succeeded largely to the business of the Central Massachusetts Co., the Southern Worcester and the Orange telephone companies, and owns the main line from Boston to Springfield, with branches to Clin- ton, Medford, and Milford, besides the various local systems of the old companies. The only exchange between Springfield and Boston not under their management is the one in the towns near Worcester. The company is also building lines from Worcester to Southbridge, from Palmer to Brimfield and Wales, an extension of the Milford line to East Douglas and new lines from Worcester to Boston, and Athol, and Gard- ner to Fitchburg. The principal men in the management are Charles F. Cutler, Willis M. Ranney, Joel C. Clark of South Framingham, George L. Phillips of Boston, C. A. Nichols of Springfield and George S. Trowbridge of Newton."
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