technology

ARE YOU THERE, OPERATOR?

Jeff Elliott Leave a comment

Gaye LeBaron’s recent Press Democrat column (June 28, 2009) laments the demise of real, live, telephone operators and makes a case for the return of their switchboards, while waxing nostalgic: “Operator! Just speaking the word opens a floodgate of memories. ‘Operator, get me long distance, please. Yes, I’ll wait. Thank you.’ It conjures up images of sensible, dependable, friendly women in headsets, sitting at their switchboards, controlling the pulse of the community…” As always, LeBaron entertains us, too, with great anecdotes from operators about their careers of making connections.

(At right: Telephone operators in 1906 Petaluma, when the town had about the same number of phones as Santa Rosa. Photo courtesy Sonoma County Library)

The beginning of the end, she writes, came with the introduction of local direct dial service in the years after WWII.* Maybe it’s a quibble, but that was the last step of a process that started way back in 1905, when the Sunset telephone company first insisted that callers must provide the operator with someone’s assigned number instead of just a name or address. As written here earlier, it may seem a small thing today, but it was a bit of a milestone in the history of the way we use technology, being probably the first time that an individual (as opposed to a location or an institution) was associated with such an abstract thing as a series of numbers. Once the rotary dial telephone was available nationally in 1919, it was only a matter of time before every Central Office had the switching equipment to make local operators obsolete.

Her column also reminded me of a 1906 humor item about the befuddlements some faced when asked, “number, please.”


* Santa Rosa had the “LIberty” exchange (which we’ve always used on our Comstock House calling cards, to the confusion of nearly everyone), Sebastopol had VAlley to match its 82x numbers, and Sonoma had WEbster for its 93x prefix.

MIGGLES HAD A TIME WITH TELEPHONE CALL

Mr. Miggles was trying to call up a friend who lived in a suburban town, says the New Orleans Picayune. Mr. Miggles looked up the number, then got central.

“Hello,” he said. “Give me Elmsdale two-ought-four-seven.”

“Elmsdale? I’ll give you the long-distance.”

Long distance asked, “What is it?”

“Elmsdale two-ought-four-seven.”

“Elmsdale two-ought-four-seven?”

“Yes.”

“What is your number?”

“I just told you. Elmsdale two-ought–“

“I mean your house number.”

“Sixty-five Blicken street.”

“Oh, that isn’t what I mean. Your phone number.”

“Why didn’t you say so?” Asked Mr. Miggles, who is noted for his quick temper.

“I did. What is it?”

“Violet Park eight-seven-seven.”

“Violet Park eight-seven-seven?”

“And what number do you want?”

“Elmsdale two-ought-four-seven.”

“What is your name?”

“My name is John Henry Miggles. I live at 65 Blicken street, Violet park; my house ‘phone is Violet Park eight-seven-seven, or eight-double-seven, as you choose; I am married; have no children; we keep a dog and a cat and a perpetual fern and a Boston fern and–“

“All that is unnecessary, sir. We merely–“

“And last summer we didn’t have a bit of luck with our roses. I tried to have a little garden, too, but the neighbors’ chickens got away with that; the house is green, with red gables; there is a cement walk from the street; I am 40 years old; my wife is younger, and looks it; we have a piano; keep a cook and an upstairs girl; had the front bedroom papered last week and I want to–“

“Did you want Elmsdale two-ought-four-seven?”

“Yes,” gasped Mr. Miggles.

“Well, the circuit is busy now. Please call again.”

But Mr. Miggles wrote a letter.

– Santa Rosa Republican, August 20, 1906

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THE YEAR 2000 PREDICTED

Jeff Elliott Leave a comment

What would the world be like in that far-distant year of 2000? Hard to believe, but apparently everything will be powered by electricity – which, of course, will be transmitted through air.

One of the more interesting evenings in early 1906 Santa Rosa was the presentation by “the Wizard of Electricity” Reno B. Welbourn, a popular science speaker on the Lyceum and Chautauqua lecture circuits. What he demonstrated were machines that are toys today and principles which now are shown at high school science fairs, but in 1906, this was all gee-whiz stuff.

The review that appeared in the Press Democrat was skimpy, but a fuller description of “In the Year 2000” appeared in the Aug. 6, 1910 Nebraska State Journal. Welbourn blew a whistle into a microphone to power a light bulb; used an early version of the fax machine to transmit a picture of the President; and what was probably the dramatic highlight of the show, used a magnesium flare to simulate the sun, powering a solar cell to drive a motor, likely similar to this model Stirling engine. Not that the future would be a utopia; Welbourn also demonstrated weaponry, including a noiseless gun equipped with a silencer, and showed how explosives could be detonated at a distance using a solar cell.

Little of this tech was cutting edge, even in 1906; some inventions were already a decade old or more, such as the photovoltaic selenium cell and the fax (which he probably called a “scanning phototelegraph“). What made the presentation unique was how he tied each demonstration into wireless technology, either radio or Nikola Tesla’s experimental near field power transmission.

The wireless electricity angle never came to pass because the effect didn’t really work beyond laboratory conditions (good demonstration video here) but that wouldn’t be known until years later, and Welbourn can’t be faulted for believing the kinks would be ironed out someday. And Tesla was eventually proven right, in a way; his predictions of a wireless global communications network sounds very much like the real world that came about in the 21st century.

But Welbourn did overreach in his predictions of how all this would be tied together. According to the Nebraska paper, “airships and trains might be driven with power generated miles away and sent through the air…in the future a traveler in the Andes, far away from home, might cook his supper over an electric stove deriving its heat from Niagara power.” The newspaper also reported, “Electricity was generated from sound and a light was made to glow with the force of sound. A motor was driven by the same force. The sound was made by a whistle and an acoustic engine which was in tune with the whistle made the wheels turn. ‘The time will come soon,’ the speaker declared, ‘when a man will play a fiddle on his back porch while the music saws wood.’ The light generated was shown in a small bulb.”

Welbourn was obviously a good speaker, a good scientist, and a man of wit. His lecture also included a demonstration of a water engine (probably an early version of Tesla’s bladeless turbine), and predicted it would be the power generator of the future. But, he reassured readers of the Santa Rosa Republican, “he did not want to create any uneasiness among the wood dealers in Santa Rosa at the present time.”

WIZARD OF ELECTRICITY
Reno B. Welbourn Will Speak Here on Thursday Night

“In the Year 2000” is to be the topic of the lecture in this city on Thursday evening by Reno B. Welbourn. Mr. Welbourn is familiarly known as the “Wizard of Electricity,” and it is said that this effort will be one that will be very attractive and instructive for old and young. It is one of the attractions of the Lyceum course. The lecture will be delivered in the Athenaeum.

“In the Year 2000” is Mr. Welbourn’s greatest work. It was prepared at the request of hundreds of people from all parts of the country. The invariable questions brought forth by the previous efforts, night after night, were: “Why not give is a bit of prophecy, and show us what scientists are doing for the future[?] Why not let us into the secrets of the laboratory that we may cross the borderland of discovery and see in the experimental stage the wonderful things which future generations will be most likely to make practical?” The American people have always craved prophecy. The magazines are full of it. They recognize that all progress depends upon the ability of the people to look ahead and see what is coming. And so it came about that “In the Year 2000” was produced; but it required five years of unremitting labor to do it.

During these five years Mr. Welbourn enlisted the attention of some of the greatest men of science in the world, and was fortunate enough to secure the personal assistance of Nikola Tesla, Lord Kelvin, Sir William Crookes, Signor Marconi, and many others both in this country and Europe. No better testimonial of Mr. Welbourn’s ability and standing could possibly be written. He prophesies that those things will be which must be. He meets the great problems of life face to face and shows, by the most wonderful experiments ever produced on the lyceum stage, how they are going to be solved.

– Press Democrat, January 2, 1906

“TWO WIZARDS IN ONE TOWN”
Welbourn Connects His Name with that of Burbank in Pleasant Manner

Reno B. Welbourn, the wizard of electricty, arrived in Santa Rosa this morning and is spending the afternoon seeing the city, and arranging his outfit for the entertainment this evening.

In speaking on various matters in his room today, he seemed pleased with the fact that he was in the city of Luther Burbank, and ended with the saying, “Two wizards in one town.” Welbourn is a very interesting person to talk with, and is full of the experiences he has had with meeting most of the great scientists of the world. Speaking of the entertainment he stated that since he started on this tour he has been compelled to eliminate many of the numbers of the program as at first announced, but that he has replaced them with numbers that are far superior to the others.

Considerable was said during the conversation about the statement that he would illustrate the burning of water, and he said that this feature of the program would be presented, and that whether it would be the coming fuel or not was not for him to say, though he firmly believes that it will be realized some day. However, he did not want to create any uneasiness among the wood dealers in Santa Rosa at the present time. He is a firm believer in the future of the electric energy and looks forward to the day when it will be the material used for the lights, cooking and heating purposes of the public.

– Santa Rosa Republican, January 4, 1906

ELECTRICITY IN YEARS TO COME
An Instructive Lecture Delivered by Reno Welbourn Last Night

There was a large and appreciative audience present at the Athenaeum on Thursday evening when Reno B. Welbourn, “The Wizard of Electricity,” delivered his lecture “In the Year 2000.” The lecture was an illustration of the development of electricity. All of the various uses to which wireless electricity has already been put in the commercial world was shown. Wireless telegraph, telephone, fire and burglar alarms, automatic signals and lights, and the transmission of power were a few of the wonders demonstrated for the benefit of the audience.

The lecturer also explained sound, music, and light power which would run a motor, and numerous other marvels of present day knowledge of electricity which he declared would be worked into practical use in the years to come.

– Press Democrat, January 5, 1906

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THE FIRST PORTABLE PHONE

Jeff Elliott Leave a comment

All but forgotten today, the first “portable” phones were used by train crews to talk to the nearest station in case of breakdown or emergency. William B. Glardon apparently invented, but did not patent, the idea that you could lean a pole against the telegraph lines to make a quick call from a stopped train. By WWI, the “telegraphone” — not to be confused with the earlier magnetic wire recorder, also called a telegraphone — was in wide use. Telephones were also permanently mounted on some telegraph poles (and probably carried the first prank phone calls). The “Telegraph Lore” web site has more pictures and details on this simple but effective technology.

RAILROAD PHONES THE LATEST THING
NEW FEATURE OF RAILROADING INSTALLED AT THE S. P. DEPOT YESTERDAY
Telegraph Wires Along Road Also Used For Phone Service — No Further Delays in Notifying Cases of Emergency

The Southern Pacific Railroad installed an emergency telephone in the Santa Rosa depot yesterday. This is a new feature to western railroading, but has come to be a regular feature of most of the eastern lines. The first trial of the system on the roads in this state was made in Southern California within the last three months and has proved a great success.

The idea is to use the telegraph wires of the road for telephoning in case of emergencies. The telephone compay uses its wires for telegraphing in addition to telephoning, and there is no interference in the use of the line for either purpose. The only other phone put in on this branch is at Napa Junction, which can be reached by the Calistoga branch and mainline at Suisun.

The passenger and freight trains are provided with portable telephones having extension rods. In case of unexpected delay, break down, or wreck on the road anywhere the conductor takes his phone, goes out and with the aid of the extension rod attaches his wire to the nearest telegraph wire. He is then able to ring up the nearest emergency office and tell them what has occurred and in turn may receive instructions as to what course to pursue.

The new system provides for instant communication from a disabeled train to the dispatcher’s office, and in case of need will often reduce the time of securing assistance by several hours. Under the old regime a man had to be sent afoot to the nearest telegraph office which in many case would be miles away.

– Press Democrat, August 25, 1905

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