Indiana daily times. [volume], December 31, 1920, Last Home Edition, Page 9, Image 9

About Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922

Image provided by: Indiana State Library

                
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When Horses
Were Telephones
A CENTURY AND A HALF AGO
PAUL REVERE MEASURED IN
HOURS THE TIME NEEDED TO
INFORM THE VILLAGES NEAR
BOSTON OF AN EVENT OF
STARTLING IMPORTANCE.
TOD AY, IN A S MANY MINUTES,
MESSAGES CAN BE DELIVERED
BY TELEPHONE 70 INDIVIDU
ALS OR COMMUNITIES,NO MAT
TER HOW WIDELY SEPARATED.
INCORPORATED UNDER THE
LAWS OF THIS STATE AND
ASSOCIATED WITH THE AMER
ICAN TELEPHONE AND TELE
GRAPH COMPANY, THE INDI
ANA BELL TELEPHONE COM
PANY IS STRIVING DAILY TO
MAKE ITS SER VICE TO HOOSIER
DOMMORE WORTHY OF APPRE
CIATION.
THOUSANDS of fingers are busy this very minute in the stupendous activity of joining the
two Indianapolis telephone systems —the MANUAL (old) and the AUTOMATIC.
They are busy in the personal interests of the men, women and children of this city, for no
public service comes in quite such intimate contact with the lives of us all.
Proceeding with the utmost caution, we hope to create this vast unity without the slightest hindrance in service to any
individual. When the work is completed, Automatic and Manual telephone subscribers can interchange calls, the
parties on either line using their own telephone instruments. Full information will be given through the newspapers
and other means of publicity regarding every step in this improvement.
Without an idle working'day IT WILL BE UNTIL NEXT SUMMER BEFORE THE COMBINED SYSTEMS CAN BE
THROWN OPEN TO USE, and the work of joining the two has been going on for many, many weeks.
Since the first steps in making this change have already been taken, there are several points affecting the present serv
ice that every telephone user should bear in mind.
To MANUAL <0ld) Telephone Subscribers
Your revised directory will be given you early in January. A
great many telephone numbers have been changed, through abso
lute mechanical necessity. If yours should be among the numbers
changed, kindly bear the inconvenience with the thought that it is
for the common good. In making each change we have kept as
closely as possible a semblance of the former number. For a suc
cessful union of the two systems each number must have four
figures. Therefore, all numbers having less than three figures
have been replaced by four-figure numbers, and a cipher (0) lias
been placed before three-figure numbers.
To meet requirements equally unavoidable, we have had to find new names
for three central offices. Thus, “North” becomes “Randolph,” “Prospect”
becomes “Drexel,” “Woodruff” becomes “Webster.”
It will be impossible for you to call Automatic subscribers over your telephone
until some time next summer, when you will bo notified.
If, for any reason, you have trouble in using your telephone, kindly call Main
9800 and (ask for Complaint Department.
INDIANA DAILY TIMES, FKIDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1920.
To AUTOMATIC Telephone Subscribers
Our telephone installers are beginning to place new dials oil all
Automatic telephones in Indianapolis. It will be flic first step in
joining your telephone system with the other, BUT IT WELL
HAVE NO EFFECT UPON YOUR USE OF THE TELE
PHONE AT PRESENT.
Spin flic dial as usual in calling your party. Pay no attention to
the letters of the alphabet which appear with the numbers in all
but the first and last holes. These letters will not come into use
until about a month before the Automatic and Manual lines are
connected, and you will be given complete instructions at that
f ime.
Do not try to call subscribers on the Manual (Old) line over your
own telephone until the combined directory is issued some time
next summer. You will then be notified that the two systems are
joined.
Any difficulty at present—although our careful preparations make
trouble unlikely—should be reported promptly to the Service De
partment, Dial 1606.
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