Evening Star Newspaper, June 19, 1932, Page 72

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, JUNE 19, 1932 Early History of Telephone in Washington Looking Back to the Days When “Phones” Were a Curiosity and the Service Was George C. Maynard, first general man- ager of the national telephone exchange. BY JOHN CLAGETT PROCTOR. ENTRAL, you've cut me offi” II “Central, you've given me the wrong number.” “What number are you calling?” “I didn’t call any number, central—you called me.” And thus the conversation goes on all day over the telephone, and yet poor central must keep her peace to keep her Jjob. Did you ever call up the wrong number ard hang up the receiver before the party on the other end replied? Of course, ycu have—many times: and then the other party proceeded to give central a scolding for your mistake. In- deed. as an outsider, the writer can plain'y see that the public is responsible at least for 90 per cent of the errors attributed to the girls at the switchboard. How frequently have all of us, at some time or other, listened, attentively to some particular speaker with a bad enunciation, trying to find out what he was talking about, or paid the strictest attention to some singer on the con- cert stage or over the radio in order to catch the words of the song, which, though in Eng- lish, sounded as much like French, Italian or Greek as anything else, and yet we expect cen- tral to catch us the first time, just because we happen to know what we want to say, when the poor operator may not have the slightest idea. Has the public kept pace with the telephone? Perhaps not. And does the public appreciate the great improvements made in the telephone since it was first exhibited at the Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia? Apparently not. The writer's experience with the telephone dates back to 1833, when, to his knowledge, & certain Government building had its own switchboard, and it was perfectly permissible for the emplcyes if they so desired—and they frequently had that inclination—to call up the cafe within the building and order sent to their room all the lager beer and fried oysters they could possibly get away with. But the operation, though quite advanced at that time, was ot as perfect as we find it today. There were few, if any, desk phones at that time, and the cumbersome-looking phone box was placed somewhere conveniently on the side wall of the room or outside the room in the hallway. In calling scme one, the op- erator’'s attention was attracted by removing the receiver, as at present, and giving a little crank on the side of the box several vigorous turns, which rang a little bell, and when the con- versation was over, one ring was given to so inform the operator. Similar boxes are quite likely still being used in some rural districts. " ENTRAL,” in the early eighties and even later, was a bureau of information, and would tell you the Observatory time, where the fire was and many other things besides, but the operator was rarely overworked 30 or 40 years ago and had time to say a little bit more than just “thank you"—which, by the way, might still be reduced to “thanks” and perhaps Joczally cave 700,000 or more syllables a day and mean just as much. G-orge C. Maynard, who was early identified with the telephone in this city, was born in Ann Arbor, Mich.,, October 23, 1839, and was raisd upon a farm. At 14 years of age, after the death of his father, he secured a position with his uncle, William S. Maynard, who had copened a general store at Ann Arbor, and here his intcrest in the telegraph began, and he soon was able to take and send messages which, with added experience, led to his appointment in 1364 as military telegrapher in Washington. Washington was a busy place in 1864, and he no doubt found the Treasury Department clerks and other Federal employes drilling in uniform on his arrival here, but apparently theve was little use for their services at this time, cr subsequently, as Gen. Early was nct inclincd to make a second attempt at captur- ing Washington. Naturally we can assume he came in contact with Pre-ident Lincoln in the War Department telegraph office, and frequently saw him when he went horseback riding out to Soldiers’ Home, when he was generally guarded with Cavalry, and when he not infrequently stopped on the way to chat with Secretary Stanton on K street opposite Franklin Park, when the Secretary would greet him from the horse block so that ihe Presidecnt wopld not have to alight. And Really Slow—Former Subscribers and the First Exchange Operator. 812 Sixth street northwest, the house in which Emile Berliner lived when he made his telephone inventions. this was probably also true of others of his cabinet officers, including Secretary Seward, whose residence, which occupied the site of the Belasco Theater, was built by Commodore John Rodgers in 1831; became a boarding house and had as guests John Adams, John C. Calhoun and Henry Clay when Secretary of State, after which it became the Washington Club, where Philip Barton Key was stopping when he was killed by Representative Daniel E. Sickles. It was here that the murder of Mr. Seward was attempted by the assassin Payne on the same evening Booth shot President Lincoln. ANY will recall these old horse blocks or car- riage stones, which were much in use during the days of horse-drawn vehicles and when horseback riding was general. They were placed at the curb and were of assistance in getting in or alighting from a carriage, or in getting on or off a saddle horse. A few of these are still in existence, though at one time they were abundantly distributed all over the city, as were the hitching posts for horses, which are now regarded as relics. Sometimes the latter were of fancy design, such as Chinese and Negro boys and iren posts crowned with a horse’s head. One of these, the cast-iron figure of a China- man, about 3. feet in height, stood for many years in front of a livery stable on Sixth street northwest between Pennsylvania and Indiana avenues, having been erected there in 1862. During the Civil War, Gens. Grant, McClellan, Hooker, and other distinguished patrons of the stable tied their steeds to this hitching post. Indeed, to divert for a second, it is said that on the corner of Sixth street and Indiana ave- nue Gen. Robert E. Lee bade farewell to his old commander, Gen. Winfield Scott, when the former withdrew from the Union to join the Army of the South. 2 Regarding these hitching posts, an amusing story is told as having occurred in 1865, in the neighborhood of I axd Seventeenth streets northwest, when an Inebriated major in full uniform rode up to the curb, and, dismounting, threw the reins to the iron colored boy, appar- ently some 12 years old. On his return, with difficulty he regained the reins and mounted and handed a tip to the dummy—being too “full” to discern the ditference. But when the “boy” failed to reach fe? it, the major indulged in an oath and told the iron boy if he was too lazy to reach for it he should not have it. and stuffed it down in his pocket. After the war Mr. Maynard continued to reside in Washington and in 1878 the city directory contains the following advertise- ment: George C. Maynard, Telegraphist and Electrician 1423 G Street, Opp. Treas. Dept., Washington, D. C. And in 1880 we find: National Telephone Exchange, 1423 G Street N.W. George C. Maynard, General Manager. Wm. H. Barnard, Treasurer. Mr. Berliner at that time lived at 812 Sixth street northwest, and here he carried on his experiments which perfected and added to the success of the Bell telephone. His subsequent inventions included the microphone, and we are told that without his genius “telephony and radio would have been incomplete arts.” He came to Washington when he was 19 years old; married Miss Cora Adler, a Washington woman, and died here at the Wardman Park Hotel, August 3, 1929. He was a public-spirited citi- zen and for many years resided at 1464 Colum- bia road. In Washington the earliest telephone service on an exchang> system basis was established December 1, 1878. Subsequent to the first use of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor, and Thomas A. Watson, his assist- ant, in Boston, March 10, 1876. THE first telephone exchange in the District of Columbia was established about the first of December, 1878, according to officials of the Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Co., successors of the National Telephonic Exchange and the National Capital Telephone Co., which were tbe original companies doing business in Washington 50 years ago. The origin of the telephone in Washington came with the instal- lation of a private telephone line between the office of the chief signal officer of the Army and Fort Whipple, now Fort Myer, Va. in October, 1877, just 18 months after Prof. Alex- ander Graham Bell had received the patents on his telephone. This line was connected so that the signal officer or his aides could talk to offi- cers and their aides at the fort across the river. This was the first Bell telephone line established in the District of Columbia. Mr. Maynard, in writing about the history of the first telephone system in Washington in the From an early photograph. Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the Bell ll-ll'phunv. Electrical Review, January 12, 1901, concedes the establishment of the first telephone ex- change system to New Haven, Conn. One of the earliest telephone wires led to the Capitol Building, and another to the office of The Evee- ning Star, in 1877. On that year Congress assembled in special session October 15, and very soon after, it is reccrded. th= telephone agent, after considerable persuasion, induced an enterprising Star reporter stationed at the Capitol during sessions of Congress, to try the plan of sending the latest news to his paper Just befere the hour of gcirg to press. By July 1, 1878, Mr. Mavnard had installed more than 119 electric speaking telephones be- tween various Government departmental offices and business men in Washington began install- ing lines between their cflic and warehouses or stables, Some of these firms were Themas L. Hume, tclephone line connecting his grocery store, 807 Mark~t Space, with Tun- law Farm; G. W. Adams. connecting the office of the New York World, 515 Fourteenth street, with his residence. 1204 K street: U. H. Painter, connecting the Philadelphia Inquirer Office, 515 Fourteenth street, with his residence, 900 Four- teenth street; Baltimore & Potomac Railroad Co., connecting its passenger depot and offices at Thirteenth street and Pennsylvania avenue with its depot at Sixth street and Pennsyl- vania avenue; Washington Gaslight Co., con- necting its office at 411 Tenth street and the engineer's office, Twenty-sixth and G streets, and the company’s woerks, Twenty-sixth and H streets; Alison Nailor, jr.. connecting his livery stables, 1330-1338 E street, with his office at the Riggs House: Keyes & Co., connecting livery stables, 400-410 Fourteenth street, with offices at the Arlington and Willard Hotels; R. Cruit, jr., connecting livery stables at 1734 G street with his office at Welcker's; A. Saks & Co, clothiers, connecting stores at 316 Seventh street and at 921 Pennsylvania avenue; Wheat- ley Bros., lumber dealers, connecting offices at Seventh street corner Rhode Island avenue, Washington, and 27 Water street, Georgetown; Cropley Bros., grocers, connecting stores at 112 Bridge street and 165 Bridgz street. George- town; Johnson Bros., coal dealers. connecting offices at 1202 F street, Twelfth Street Wharf, and 221 Pennsylvania avenue southeast; F. K. Ward, Alderney Dairy, connecting offices at 629 E ctreet and 416 Third street; Jochnson & Beale, connecting offices of attorneys at law, 916 F strcet, with the recorder of deeds’ office, City Hall; Joseph H. Fletcher, grocer and coal dealer, connecting offices at Fourth and I streets and 1233 Fifth street: John Douglas, ficrist, connecting store at 719 Fourteenth street and gardens on Benning road: J. Brad. Adams, news depot, connecting officés at 814 F street and 527 Seventh street; Washington Brick Ma- chine Co., connecting office at 1505 Pennsyle vania avenue, with brick yards at H and Boun= dary streets northeast, and the Maryland Agri- cultural College, connecting the college build- ings with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad station. OVERNMENT departments which subscribed for private line telephone service were: The Executive Mansion, the State Department, Treasury Department, including the Secretary’s office, second controller's office, stationery divie sion, and the Secretary's residence; Interior Department, including the chief clerk’s office, stationery division, etc.: Post Office Depart- ment, including offices of the chief clerk, chief of special agents, topographer, blank agency, etc.; the Department of Agriculture, the U. 8. Senate, the House of Representatives, the Smithsonian Institution, depot quartermaster’'s office, Pennsylvania avenue and Fifteenth street, and Corral; surgeon general's office, Medical Museum, Patent Office, including ap- pointment room; gazette office, chief of draughtsmen’s office, chief of specification divi- sion, public printer, including offices of chief clerk, foreman of printing, record office, in U. S. Senate, and branch office in Treasury De~ partment; railway mail service, including supere intendent’s office, chief clerk’s office, city post office, Baltimore & Potomac Railroad, and Bale timore & Ohio Railroad; Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Treasury Department, including principal office, machine shops, and residence of chief of bureau; reporters’ galleries, U. 8. Senate and House of Representatives; metroe politan police headquarters, superintendent’s Continued on Thirtcenth Page ’