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Singing WiresSinging WiresSinging WiresSinging WiresSinging WiresSinging WiresSinging WiresSinging WiresSinging WiresSinging Wires
Volume 18, Number 11 November 15, 2004
NewsletterNewsletter
Telephone Collectors InternationalTelephone Collectors International
Inside this issue . . .
DON'T FORGET TO RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP FOR 2005! SEE RENEWAL FORM INSIDE.
The Dutch Universal Telephone TYPE 65by Remco Enthoven
Since the invention ofthe telephone, there hasalways been a large varietyin shape and appearance ofthe telephone apparatus. Ifone considers that walltelephones used in a localbattery system need to haveroom for two rather largecells that provide themicrophone current, onecan imagine that such anapparatus will be fairly largein size.
Apparatus for centralbattery systems can bemade much smaller becauseof the lack of mentionedcells and a generator thatwas used to signal theoperator at the startand end of a call.
Due to a relativelysmall market (e.g.compared to Germanyand the United Kingdom),Dutch PTT was forced to ordertelephones from variousmanufacturers that produced a variety ofphones.
Besides the different telephones,different parts also had to be in stock in orderto repair or refurbish the apparatus.Therefore telephone repairmen were forcedto carry a large supply of different parts withthem as they didn’t know what type oftelephone was going to be present at thesubscriber’s premises.
Because of their huge needs, telephonecompanies in Germany and the UnitedKingdom could demand technical and
design standards and the manufacturersthat could and would meet these demandswere allowed to supply.
In the early 1960’s, technicians of theDutch PTT started the development of astandard telephone that differs only in thedesign of the body of the table or wallversion. The inside of both table and walltelephone (electrical characteristics) is thesame and the handset (acousticcharacteristics) is the same.
Summary of TCI Board Action Pg 8
TCI Dues Structure, 2005 Pg 8
A Collector's Online Adventure -Finding Hidden Treasure Pg 9
The Norfolk Cutover Ceremony onNovember 9, 1919 Pg 10
"The Telephone Settlement" Pg 12
Buy-Sell-Trade Pg 13
Henry DreyfussIndustrial designerand the father ofmodern telephonedesign.Pg 4
The 2004 Fall EnfieldRegional Show[and photos]Pg 7
The Book on BlakePg 11
Antique Telephone ShowComing Up Soon!
Southeast Regional ShowJanuary 15, 2005
See Page 6 for details . . .
NOVEMBER 2004 TCI SINGING WIRESPage 2
Gerald Neal, ’06, [email protected] Kotke, ’07, Vice [email protected] Corcione, ’06, [email protected] Conklin, ’06, [email protected] Goff, ’07, Membership [email protected] Aydelotte, ‘07, [email protected] Fierce, ‘05, [email protected] W. Howard, ‘[email protected] Mattingly, ‘05, BOD314-921-6877 ext 31John Novack, ’07, [email protected] Schelthoff, ’05, [email protected] Sims, ’06, [email protected] Stettler, ‘05, [email protected] Tubbs, ‘06, [email protected] Magnus, Switchers [email protected] Massey, Editor Singing [email protected] [email protected] & Bev McFadden, Editor [email protected]
TCI Phone: 801-849-6520
TCI Leadership(Name, Office, E-mail, Phone)
They adopted a large simplification ofrepair, maintenance and revision activitiesby:
a. Extensive standardization, whichled to a large reduction in thevariety of spare parts needed.
b. Improvement of quality of partsresulting in a lesser faultpercentage.
c. Constructing the apparatus insuch a manner that parts can beeasily replaced which minimizeson-site repairs.
In 1965, a new standard telephone wasbeing developed by Dutch PTT in close co-operation with the German manufacturer,Krone: The T 65.
The T 65In 1966, the newly developed standard
telephone T 65 (T stands for Tafeltoestel /table phone, 65 for the year the developmentended), was introduced to the public, ingrey.
The phones are made of an ABS, anunbreakable plastic, and have a lightgreenish grey color.The dial, bottom plate, and connection cordsare cream colored. The insight and studies ofthe Dutch professor H. Mol from Rotterdamplayed a major role in the design of thetechnical part.
Fe Ap 61 (1961)
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The German firm, Krone, designed thecase. There is some talk of plagiarism, as theT 65 looks very much like the new phone ofthe German Bundespost, the Fe Ap 61 (1961),
but also resembles the Dialog (1962), madeby Ericsson Sweden.
LM Ericsson Dialog (1962)The T 65 was produced by German
Krone (located in Germany) and underlicense by Dutch Ericsson (located in Rijenthe Netherlands), NSEM (NederlandseStandard Electric Maatschappij, located inThe Hague the Netherlands) and HEEMAF(Hengelosche Electrische En MechanischeApparaten Fabriek, located in Hengelo theNetherlands).
The make is only recognizable on theoutside by the trademark of themanufacturer on underside of the bottomplate. On the inside, the manufacturers usedtheir own parts that were made to meet thespecifications of the Dutch PTT. Forexample, Krone and Ericsson used their owndials, NSEM used an ITT dial and HEEMAFused the Krone dial.
The construction of the Krone dialmechanism is very different from other dials.It uses an ingenious mechanism thatcontains two small metal balls which operatethe pulse contact instead of the cogwheelthat is normally used.
NOVEMBER 2004 TCI SINGING WIRES Page 3
T 65
The W 65 was also developed in closecooperation with the German firm, Krone.The design of the W 65 makes it possible tohang the handset on the site of the telephone
Und
ersi
de o
f the
T65
The T 65 was designed with maximumcomfort for the user in mind. The phone wasmeant to be moved moreeasily and therefore is muchlighter than itspredecessors. In order tomake the phone moreportable, it is fittedwith a handle on theback. In addition, theweight of thehandset has beenreduced by half, makingthe phone easier to use,especially for the handicapped.
The volume of the ringer was adjustablefrom the level of a buzzer to loud ringing.
The small hatch on the underside of thetelephone makes it is very easy to connectvarious ancillary equipment such as anexternal ringer, mother-in-law receiver,counter, recording machine, automaticdialer, and speaker phone, without openingthe telephone itself.
The T 65 type telephones have a specialprovision that makes it possible to connecttwo T 65 type telephones to a publictelephone line in a special manner. In Dutchit’s called a “tweeling” or“tweepuntschakeling” which translatesinto “two point” or “twin connection”.
This configuration consists of two T 65type telephones connected together withnothing more than copper wire, both phonesring on incoming calls and when a call isanswered with one T 65 the other one isexcluded from the conversation. In Englishit´s called “extensions in parallel withprivacy arrangement”.
The white button, on the Type T 65, isthe so-called “earth (ground)” button. It is
the forerunner of the “flash” button* (whichmomentarily opens the line) which is for usein connecting a caller with someone else ona PABX.
A special GDK (Gelijkstroom DruktoetsKiezen / DC current pushbutton dialling)
version of the T 65 was produced for usewith a PABX that was developed by
Philips.The T 65 had to be rented
from Dutch PTT by thesubscriber for a monthlyfee. Today telephones in
the Netherlands no longer need to be rented;it is allowed to connect any telephone aslong as it is approved.
During the second quarter of 1967, thenewly developed standard telephone W 65(W=Wandtoestel/ wall phone), wasintroduced to the public, in grey.
W 65
Drielingtoestel Type T 65Colored versions of the T 65 were
introduced in the Arnhem telephone districton October 1 1972.
At the introduction, the T 65 “de Luxe”was available in five colors: Emerald green,azure blue, ruby red, ivory, and orange.
Only the table model (T 65) was made inother colors than grey.
The colored T 65 “de Luxe” becomesavailable nationwide on October 15 1973.
W 65
Colored T 65´s in ruby red, orange, emerald green,azure bleu, black, ivory and mocha
Article to be Continued in Next Month's Issue
in order to facilitate ashort interruption ofthe conversation.
At the end of1970 the new“Dr ie l ing toes t e lType T 65”(Drieling=Triplets)was introduced to thepublic, in grey. TheDrielingtoestel Type T65 was a system providingdirect access from any one of three stationsto an exchange line, with signalling betweenstations.
NOVEMBER 2004 TCI SINGING WIRESPage 4
Ericsson telephone, which preceded andinfluenced the WE302
It’s impossible to overestimate theimportance of the work of Henry Dreyfuss,and his associates in his design firm, HenryDreyfuss Associates on modern design.Henry Dreyfuss called himself an “industrialdesigner,” a phrase that evokes steel millsand automobile assembly plants. In fact, hiswork was far more centered on what we nowcall “the user” – the average person usingthe item he designed. His autobiography,published in 1955, is must reading foranyone who wants to understand this man.He was a creative genius, a leader, and aperson for whom design was intended toserve his fellow man. Designing for People,published in 1955 by Simon and Schuster,was itself a striking bit of design work, withwonderful hand-drawn sketches in themargins, clear fonts, and plenty ofillustrations. Its title really summarizes whathis career concerned: people.
It’s useful to start a discussion of HenryDreyfuss with his own words. In reply to thequestion, “How do you start an industrialdesign problem?” he answered:
“We begin with men and women and weend with them. We consider the potentialusers’ habits,physical dimensions,and psychologicalimpulses. We alsomeasure their pulse,which is what I meantby ending with them,for we must conceivenot only asatisfactory design,but also one thatincorporates thatindefinable appeal to assure purchase. TheGreek philosopher Protagoras had aphrase for it, ‘Man is the measure of allthings’” [Designing for People, Simon andSchuster, 1955, p. 219].
Dreyfuss pioneered the use ofergonomics. This required the measurementof thousands of people to create anexceedingly precise set of standards onwhich his firm would base all designs.
Consideration ofusers’ physicalc h a r a c t e r i s t i c sincluded not only theirmeasurements butsuch dimensions asthe amount ofpressure that feltcomfortable in, forexample, pressing abutton. Dreyfuss’extremely exacting andthorough set ofstandards waspublished originally as“The Measure ofMan” and later “TheMeasure of Man andWoman.” This book isstill in print and isavailable as a CD database (see http://www.hda.net/).
The beauty of Dreyfuss’ designs is thatthey are so omnipresent that they havebecome part of our surroundings. Howmany of us have used the circular goldHoneywell thermostat without wondering
who designed it? Thiswas, of course, a Dreyfussdesign, and one still in usein millions of homes. Heand his firm designedthousands of householditems (yes, including thekitchen sink) but it is thetelephone that appears tobe the item about which hewas most proud. He wrote,“Of all the magic of modern
civilization, the telephone seems to me themost wondrous achievement.” He spoke ofthe “wonderful democracy of thetelephone” as a technology readily availableto all. The telephone, said Dreyfuss, is “apersonal thing.”
Henry Dreyfuss’ involvement withtelephone design began with his design ofthe WE302 for Bell Telephone in 1937. Unlikeother designers, he insisted on being
Henry DreyfussIndustrial designer and the father of modern telephone design.
Jonathan D. Finder, MD
involved in the design of the phone “fromthe inside out” and thereby created a designin harmony with the engineers of BellTelephone Laboratories.
The design of the WE302 was notDreyfuss’ finest achievement. Rather, it washis first major work. He began with a designproblem, which was combining the dial,handset, and switchhook with the contentsof the “subscriber set” (bells and network).The WE202 or B1 handset mounting with itsE1 handset was, despite my fondness for theset, a rather awkward design. The handsetwas oversized and cumbersome, and heavyto hold for a prolonged period. The baseused a single plunger. One has to bear inmind that Bell was behind the curve when itcame to creating a “combined” set (with abase containing all components, requiringno subset or “ringer box”). Several othertelephone manufacturers had combinedsets in use well before 1937 when the WE302came out – including the Kellogg 925, theStromberg Carlson 1212, the AE #2Monophone, as well as several Europeanphones. Dreyfuss worked with BellLaboratories to create the first combined setfor the Bell System. He used the same kindof dial (3 inch dial) as was used by the
Western Electric Model 302
NOVEMBER 2004 TCI SINGING WIRES Page 5
WE202, allowing for reuse of an expensivecomponent. In both the WE302 and the B1handset mounting, the dial was mounteddirectly to the shell. Both sets originally hadcast metal alloy shells (later the WE302would be made of an early plastic, celluloseacetate butyrate). Interestingly, his designborrowed strongly from a bakelite telephoneof the same era, the Ericsson desk set (seefigure). Dreyfuss always used thecompetitors’ models in creating a newdesign, and the combined sets of Europewere a good starting point. Comparing theWE302 to the Ericsson model, both sets hadconcave sides, both models had the dialmounted to the case, and both models hadthe ringer mounted to the base. The majordifference was in the components, designedby Bell Labs. The transmitter was much moreforgiving of being used at different angles,and the network was much smaller andcompact enough to fit inside a compact base.It would be only 10 years later that Bellassigned Henry Dreyfuss Associates thetask of creating a new telephone to replacethe WE302.
Dreyfuss by this time had establishedhis “five points” of design: “…firstconvenience of use, including utility andsafety; second, ease of maintenance; thirdcost of manufacture and distribution;fourth, merchandising and competition.And last, but not least, we considerappearance.” These factors would becritical in the creation of a new telephone forthe Bell System.
In researching the design of a newtelephone, Henry Dreyfuss actuallyaccompanied telephone repairmen on theirrounds, in order to see first hand howtelephones (still considered a newtechnology) were being used and the kindsof problems faced by the installers (coveringthe first and second points above). Thisresearch actually led to an awkward momentthat he described in his autobiography:
"Because placement [of the telephonewithin the home] had a bearing on design, wehad to determine what people did withphones, and that is why the telephonecompany permitted me to act as arepairman’s helper when he went on hisrounds. My research ended abruptly whenI went up in the service elevator of anapartment house and was ushered through
the kitchen into the living quarters of a familyI knew. There was my hostess of a previousevening greeting me in some confusion andseemed surprised that a man who hadrepresented himself as an industrialdesigner should be repairing telephones."
Design flaws in the WE302 led to aproject to create an entirely new telephone,one that would look modern, be easy to use,and have a design that would stand up to theprojected life-span of a telephone of 20years. The dial porcelain, in which the rednumbers and black letters were inside thedialing space, tended to have the numbersworn away – particularly the 1, which wasrubbed by the user’s finger with every turnof the wheel. The flaws in the WE302included its handset. The triangular shapeof the F1 handset was awkward to hold andhad a tendency to twist in the user’s hand.The lack of a flat surface made it hard to layagainst one’s shoulder to free up one’shands.
The process of designing the G handsetis well documented in Russell Flinchum’s
biography of Dreyfuss, Henry Dreyfuss,Industrial Designer: The Man in the BrownSuit (Cooper-Hewitt, National DesignMuseum, Smithsonian Institution & Rizzoli,New York, 1997). In it, Flinchum depicts themany stages that the G handset wentthough, as the design team used countlessdrawings and models of wood, clay, andplaster to create the final product (seeFigure). They relied upon theirmeasurements of people to establish theoptimal distance between head and ear. TheBell Labs engineers gave them the idealdistance from transmitter to mouth, based onthe new T1 transmitter. The resultingproduct was somewhat rectangular in crosssection, therefore much more comfortable touse, and also lighter in weight, also easingcomfort for the use.
Flinchum points out that what wasstriking about Bell’s interest in upgradingtheir telephones with the customer in mind(and therefore using the services of HenryDreyfuss Associates) was that Bell had anear monopoly on the telephone at that time.
Wooden prototypes of what would become the G handset,as created by Henry Dreyfuss Associates
NOVEMBER 2004 TCI SINGING WIRESPage 6
Therefore they had no true financial incentive to improve services– yet they continued to do so. Their long relationship with HenryDreyfuss Associates truly speaks to a desire to provide excellencein service.
Interestingly, the design of would later be known as the Ghandset was complete and patented before the rest of the telephone!
Southeast Regional ShowSaturday, January 15, 2005
Maitland (Orlando area), FloridaThe show is at the Maitland Civic Center inMaitland, Florida (Three miles north of Orlando.)
The show hours are from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
In MemoriamIn MemoriamIn MemoriamIn MemoriamIn Memoriam
Patent # 151, 614 was issued in 1947 for the “design for a handtelephone” to Henry Dreyfuss Associates, Pasadena, California.
The base design was created after consideration of manyfactors, including those discovered by Henry Dreyfuss as he maderounds with the telephone repairmen. They created a telephone inwhich the dial would be mounted to the base, allowing for much morerapid replacement of broken cases. The shape of the case changedfrom convex to concave – a drastic design difference. The height ofthe telephone base was lowered very slightly to give the phone asleeker appearance. The numbers and letters were moved to theouter aspect of the dial, made larger, and a dial plate was designedin which the letters were molded full thickness so that they could notwear off. Yet the early models of the 500 revealed a disappointing
result: dialing speed and accuracy was actually poorer than thosemeasured on the WE302! It was discovered that the blackfingerwheel spinning over a black background made it difficult forthe user to find the finger hole for the next number. This problem wastackled by Bell Labs and led to the modification of the dial plate toput “aiming dots” in every finger hole. This modificationsignificantly improved dialing speed and accuracy. In addition the500 was the first Bell telephone that allowed the customer to adjustthe loudness of the ringer. Some of these changes were made witha cost-consciousness – having the user adjust the ringer reduced thecost of sending repairmen out to the user’s home to make thisadjustment.
Dreyfuss’ firm would go on to create hundreds of designs forthe Bell System, including the Princess phone, the multi-linebusiness sets, telephones for military use, countless telephonebooths, packaging and graphics that appeared on the telephoneboxes. The 500 was the most successful model ever produced by theBell System. Western Electric could barely keep up with demand.The 500 was used for 45 years and many are still in use today – alla tribute to the genius of Henry Dreyfuss.
Henry Dreyfuss appeared on the cover ofForbes Magazine on May 1, 1951 with the caption:
“Designer Dreyfuss: simply genius” The board of directors and theentire membership of TCI wishes toexpress our sincere sympathy to
Paul and Bev McFadden, oureditors emeritus, on the death of
Bev’s father on October 31.
Our heart felt condolences alsogo out to TCI board member RussFierce and his wife Alice, on the
passing of Alice’s mother.
NOVEMBER 2004 TCI SINGING WIRES Page 7
I always feel a little down in the fall as the days get shorter and theweather becomes colder. First, there are the dreaded “fall chores” to do.Cleaning gutters, raking leaves and converting the tractor from a lawnmower to a snowplow are not my favorite activities. Then, it’s time to gointo a virtual hibernation and work on telephone projects in the basement.There are those who are dreaming of the ski slopes and other winteractivities but, for me, it’s time to go into hiding until the spring.
I look back on all of the telephone shows of the previous summer andthink to myself that it was a great year indeed. Then the thought hits me:It’s not over yet! There’s one more chance to get out and look for antiqueand vintage telephones while enjoying the company of other telephonecollectors.
Bill Provencher’s fall regional show in Enfield, Connecticut, is theperfect way to end a season of shows. It is certainly among the larger ofthe regional shows and draws attendees from diverse parts of the country.In size, it approaches the proportions of a national show but it still has theinformal feel of a gathering of friends.
There was certainly a good mix of antique and vintage telephone itemsfrom Jonathan Katz’s table of fine desk stands to piles of tools, spare partsand obscure devices that were guaranteed to warm the heart of anyswitcher who was in attendance.
I’m sure that everyone will agree that Bill deserves a round of applausefor his latest show. I consider it the “dessert” of the telephone collectingseason. Let winter come! It won’t be long before Bill serves up the“appetizer” in the spring!
(Of course, if one likes to snack between meals, there are two finewinter shows to look forward to in Maitland, Florida and Mason,Michigan.)
The 2004 Fall Enfield Regional ShowBy Paul Wills
A typical view of a portion of the show floor.
Left: A display of John Larose’s amazingly detailed miniaturepaper weight telephones. Above: George Gaynor and JimDay comparing notes.
Obviously, there was something of interest for everybody.
NOVEMBER 2004 TCI SINGING WIRESPage 8
Summary of TCI Board ActionSunday, October 17, 2004
Summarized and prepared for the newsletter by Gary Goff
The following items were approved/accepted:
Labor Day Show, Erlanger, KY: Net Profit: $1,829.58
Approved Spring Show, 2005 location: Lancaster, PA, June17-19, 2005. Show to be hosted by Paul Wills and JohnNovack. It was also determined that the Spring, 2006 showwould be held in or around St. Louis, MO. Frank Ruffino andChris Mattingly are looking for appropriately priced venues.
Approved the Labor Day Show, 2005, Erlanger, KY(Cincinatti). Ray Kotke will be the host.
Approved membership rates for 2005 (12 months) for allmembership categories. See accompanying article belowtitled "TCI Dues Structure, 2005".
Directed the newsletter editor to publish a new membershipdirectory/roster with members of record as of March 1,2005. The directory/roster is to be distributed at the sametime as April newsletters.
Discussed/approved a series of resolutions to bring By-Laws up-to-date with past and present practices. ResolutionH will have the greatest impact on TCI operations in that itreduces from 14 to 9 the number of Board members by July1, 2007. This is accomplished by term limits and a reductionof open positions.
Approved a 2005 TCI budget in the amount of $16,578 witha conservative projected income of $16,750. The incomedoes NOT include any show profits from 2004 nor does itinclude any anticipated 2005 show profits.
TCI Dues Structure, 2005Here are the rates for the full year for each category ofmembership.
Electronic Newsletter only $25
Mailed Newsletter- U.S (includes E version) $36Canada Printed (includes E version) $41Abroad Printed (includes E version) $44Electronic Switchers’ Quarterlyis $8, Printed SQ $15Spousal Dues $10
NOTE: Be sure to pay your dues no later than March1, 2005 if you wish to be included in the new directory/roster.An 1892 vintage Western Electric Folding Vanity
belonging to Pete Blanshard
Above Pictures: A plethora of desk stands on JonathanKatz’s table.
NOVEMBER 2004 TCI SINGING WIRES Page 9
My cell phone rang one day last winter and it was a man claimingto have some old phones, located in Jamestown, CA – deep in theheart of the Sierra Nevada mountains (aka Gold Country). This wasone of the first calls in response to my ad, and I immediately startedgetting visions of NOS blue 302s this guy had inherited from his dadthe lineman. But then he started talking about old black phones withpatent numbers and promised to send me Polaroids in the mail. Hedid, and I later drove up to the mountains and gave him cash for astash of nice 202s and a dial candlestick he’d collected when he wasyounger.
Over the next few months, I received hundreds of similar calls– and emails — from all over the country, from people with old phonesthey wanted to sell. Colored 302s, dial candlesticks, rare and commonwoodwall phones, phone booths, even a Strowger and a potbellycandlestick (wow!). Each new call and email was exciting – offeringthe promise of the ultimate prize that would never appear on eBay orin an antique shop. Most of the calls were from folks who’d inheritedantique phones and wanted to sell, but didn’t know how to sell themon eBay (most people don’t).
How did I tease these hidden gems out of the woodwork? Readon and I will reveal all. As a public service, I’m going to pass alongthe details that will enable anybody with a little time and inclinationto bypass eBay and tap electronically straight into that huge treasuretrove of phones we all know is lurking out there.
But lets start at the beginning – how did I discover thisopportunity? Well, say your grandfather had an old phone and youwant to sell it, what would you do? You might get online, go toGoogle, and type in “Monophone” or whatever it said on the bottomof the phone. You’d then get a list of results pages – websites —and maybe some ads on the right hand column. We’ve all seen thoseads – usually for something we don’t need, so we ignore them.
What I noticed one day was that when I typed in ‘Monophone’or ‘Western Electric Telephone’ into Google, no ads came up – justblank space. So I started to wonder how much it would cost to putmy own ad there, offering to buy antique telephones. And I foundout that it’s actually pretty cheap, and effective, and you don’t needto be a big company to do it.
The way Google’s ad program, called AdWords, works is thatpeople can submit their own ads online, using just a credit card. It’svery easy to do, and you can see exactly what the ad will look likebefore it runs. The best part is that you don’t pay each time the adis shown, but only when the ad is clicked (it’s called ‘pay forperformance’ advertising). So you’re only paying for ‘qualifiedleads,’ or good prospects. (By the way, I don’t work for Google, orown any of their high flying stock)
So I held my breath and wrote an ad, and then signed up for abunch of keywords – everything from “pay station” to “blaketransmitter.” I sat back and watched my ad run, and waited for thecalls to come in. How much did I pay each time my ad was clicked?
Between five and twenty cents per click, depending on how manyother ads were vying for space on the same page. If there were otherads, the top ad spot went to the highest bidder, the second to the nexthighest, and so on (Google lets you set a maximum you’re willing topay per click – in my case 20 cents). I also set my maximum weeklybudget at $10 (Google will stop running your ad once you’ve hit yourweekly maximum), but I don’t think I ever exceeded $5 per week.
Google gives you a great “dashboard” to track all of this (seescreen shot with this article), and its pretty fun to watch and seewhich keywords get clicked the most (most action is on theweekends). Its pretty addictive.
Also– I almost forgot – I had to build a web page that said ‘I buyantique phones,’ and which told people how to get in touch with me(when people click on your ad, they go to your web page). I got fancyand got an 800 number for an extra $5/month from my phone company(the dreaded SBC), because I thought it would make me seem morelegit. But I actually found that the better inquiries were the ones thatcame in by email, because it was easier to ask those people to emailme a picture of their prized phone (and more likely that they’d havea digital camera or scanner).
When I found a phone I wanted to buy, it was a matter ofagreeing on a price with the seller and convincing them to ship it tome before sending payment. This proved easier than I expected (Ifound UPS COD to be very effective here) – although some peopleare clearly just fishing for an appraisal, and have no intention ofselling their phone. One tip I can give you is that it helps to havepictures of various types of antique phones on your web page – toestablish credibility with the seller that you actually are an antiquetelephone collector/buyer.
So if you’re adventurous and have the time, give it a try – reachout into the attics via the long arm of the Internet and find those gemswe all know are still out there! If you’ve got the time and willingnessto experiment with the computer, it’s a lot more fun than just watchingeBay.
Why am I letting this cat out of the bag? Sadly, I’ve gotten toobusy in my day job to spend time doing it. So I wanted others –hopefully some TCI members – to share the fun. You can get startedby going to Google, clicking on ‘Advertising Programs’ at thebottom of the screen and then ‘Google Adwords’ at the top left sideof the next screen. Then follow the instructions, or check out thedemo. Good luck – and drop me a line and let me know how it goes!Dave ([email protected]).
A Collector’s Online Adventure –Finding Hidden Treasure
By Dave Margulius
TCI Web-Sitehttp://www.telephonecollectors.org/
TCI Group Web Page ...Open to the public, not just TCI members.To subscribe, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/singingwires then followthe sign-up directions and soon you’ll be part of 500+online subscribers to the TCI Group.
NOVEMBER 2004 TCI SINGING WIRESPage 10
In “Decisive Moments inTelecommunications History: The BellSystem’s First New Automatic Dial System”published in the September and Octoberissue of Singing Wires, the question wasraised as to whether J. J. Carty, AT&T’s chiefengineer and a strong opponent toautomatic dial telephone service hadparticipated in the cutover ceremony for theBell System’s first new dial system inNorfolk. Thanks to the diligent research byfellow antique telephone collector RussCowell, we now have the answer.
Russ, who lives in Williamsburg, VAlocated an article in the archives of NorfolkLedger-Dispatch from its November 10, 1919edition titled “Norfolk Telephone UsersBecome Their Own Operators.” It describesthe first call that inaugurated this new 11,000line dial system, the first of its kind placed inservice by a Bell System operating company.For such an historical milestone in thehistory of the Bell System, it is difficult toimagine a lower-key ceremony.
The first call was made, not by Mr. Cartyor by anyone of great prominence, but byCharles E. Ashburner, Norfolk’s citymanager, to C. Fred Bonney, the local districtmanager of Chesapeake and PotomacTelephone Company of Virginia. In order tomake sure somebody else wouldn’t make thefirst call, the telephone lines of both of thesegentlemen were switched over from the oldmanual system to the new dial system a fewminutes before the general cutover tookplace. Mr. Ashburner dialed the numberfrom the library of his home, with members ofhis family as the interested audience. He hadgiven careful attention to the newspaperadvertising and brochures the C&PCompany had provided its customers onhow to use the new dial telephone, he waswell prepared and the call was completed onthe first try.
He lifted the receiver, listened for thedial tone, then proceeded to dial, placing hisfinger in the place indicated by the first digitof the number, bringing the dial around to thefinger stop and releasing it, letting it run back
by itself. Mr. Bonney answered in just a fewseconds and they talked about the newsystem, the city manager telling thetelephone manager that he had no difficultyin getting him and that he could hearperfectly. Then their conversation turned toother matters. Neither had prepared astatement for the occasion. They discussed,among other things, the recent visit of Mr.Ashburner to an Italian warship that hadvisited the Norfolk Naval Base. Mr.Ashburner then said that his daughterwanted to try out the line. He said good-byand hung up the receiver.
Little Martha, who had stood beside herfather’s desk during the conversation, cameforward and dialed Mr. Bonney’s number.The dialog that followed was interestingindeed. “Hello, Mr. Bonney. How are you?How do you like the new system?”
“All right. Daddy says he won’t have tocuss so much now.”
“Well, he’ll have reason to get hisreligion back,” replied Mr. Bonney. Thisstatement provides a clue as to why in thoseearly days the automatic telephone wasdescribed by some as the “girlless, cusslesssystem.”
Then Miss Cora, Mr. Ashburner’s otherdaughter, tried her hand at dialing and oncemore Mr. Bonney answered. They talkedabout telephone service in general and MissCora proudly told him that she had used theautomatic system before, “in Ohio.” It musthave been an Independent Company phone.
The newspaper article describes indetail how the Strowger automatic systemworked: “When Mr. Ashburner took off hisreceiver the act of so doing operated theprimary line switch associated with line No.22516 (Mr. Ashburner’s number),depressing a plunger and extending the callto a similar piece of apparatus known as thesecondary line switch. The secondary lineswitch plunger was automatically operatedand the call extended to a first selector, atwhich time the circuit was in readiness for thedialing operation, which was indicated bythe dial tone in the receiver. This dial tone,
as you will have probably found out foryourself by the time this appears in print, islike the buzzing of a bumble bee or other largeinsect.
“You -MUST hear dial tone. If it is notheard when the receiver is removed, itshould be replaced for a couple of seconds.The first digit dialed by Mr. Ashburner wastwo. The wipers on the first selector wereraised to the second level of the multiplebank by the two impulses started by thedialing. The wipers were then automaticallycut in on the multiple bank and the callextended through the wipers and themultiple bank contacts to a second selectorwhich repeated the operation for the seconddigit when that digit was dialed. The secondselector extended the call to the thirdselector which took care of the third digit.
“With the dialing of the third digit thecall was extended to the wiper contacts of aconnector which had access to the multiplebank contacts of the line being called. WhenMr. Ashburner dialed the fourth digit of Mr.Bonney’s number (24194) the wipers of theconnectors were raised to the 9th level of themultiple bank and there waited for theimpulses started by dialing of the four, thelast digit of the number, by advancing thewipers to the fourth contact in the multiplebank.
“With the completion of the call to thispoint, Mr. Bonney’s bell was rung andcontinued to ring until Mr. Bonneyanswered. While the bell was ringing, Mr.Ashburner was notified of the fact by avibrating sound in his receiver.“When Mr. Ashburner hung up his receiver,the circuit which was built up was takendown automatically and the connector,selectors and line switch apparatus returnedto its normal, or first position, in readiness forother calls.”
The article went on to explain that all ofthis takes but a few seconds, that the samethings happens with each of the thousandsof calls put through every day and thathundreds of calls are clicking their merry waythrough the apparatus at any particularminute.
The anonymous author of the NorfolkLedger Dispatch article wondered howmany people went home from the movies andsat up until midnight and one minute afterthat time started to dial a friend’s number. It
THE NORFOLK CUTOVER CEREMONY ONNOVEMBER 9, 1919
Roger Conklin
NOVEMBER 2004 TCI SINGING WIRES Page 11
also mentioned that all of the telephones inNorfolk had been replaced with new dialphones, with one exception: The public paystations were not changed. This means thatNorfolk’s pay stations continued to bemanually operated and without dials, withthe caller being connected to an operatorwho completed the call after the caller liftedthe receiver and deposited a 5¢ coin. Thiswas a common practice in early automaticexchanges.
No, neither J. J. Carey nor AT&T’sfamous president, Theodore Vail, werepresent for this ceremony. Nor wasAlexander Graham Bell or Thomas A.Watson, both of whom had been broughtout of retirement to join Mr. Carty and Mr.Vail in the inauguration of transcontinentallong distance service a few years earlier onJanuary 25, 1915. The names of any officialsfrom Automatic Electric who might havebeen there were left without mention.Having fought tooth and nail againstadopting the automatic dial system inventedby Almon B. Strowger, the school teacherturned undertaker who epitomized theglories of the Independent telephonecompanies in their battle against the mightyBell System, this was likely not a day of greatcelebration at AT&T headquarters at 195Broadway in New York. More than probablyit was a day of mourning. But for AutomaticElectric Company, manufacturers of theNorfolk switching equipment and the dialsinstalled on the Western Electric telephonesin Norfolk, it must have been a day of victory,vindication and great rejoicing. The mightyBell System had finally bought its long-rejected automatic system. Bell Systemhistories rarely made mention of this event.Where it is mentioned, the details are scant.Probably the most detailed description isfound on page 554 of “The History ofEngineering & Science in the Bell System –The Early Years, 1875-1925,” published byBell Labs and edited by M. D. Fagen. ButBell’s attitude did change as it signed thatsame year of 1919 the first of a series of 3separate 5-year contracts with AutomaticElectric to supply its Strowger SxSequipment for its small and medium cityexchanges, and successfully brought intoservice the first of its own Western Electriclarge-city fully-automatic panel systems inOmaha, Nebraska on December 10, 1921.
On a very coldJanuary evening thiswinter, the director andstaff of TheM a s s a c h u s e t t sHistorical Societywelcomed thedescendants of FrancisBlake and their guests toa reception in honor ofthe publication of a bookentitled “Francis Blake:an Inventor’s Life.” Theauthor, Elton W. “Toby”Hall was present to signcopies of the book, and aroom of the historicalsociety was arrangedwith a display ofphotographs taken byFrancis Blake.
Photographs? Yes,for those who associateFrancis Blake with theinvention of themarvelous transmitterthat boosted thefledgling Bell Companyon its corporateascension, therevelation of many otheraspects of Mr. Blake’sinventiveness andintellect are a delightfulsurprise. The man whosent Thomas Edison and the WesternUnion Company packing when Edison’ssolid carbon transmitter threatened tounseat the Bell System, possessed thenature of a tinkerer. His interests extendedalso to arboriculture, politics and outdoorrecreation.
Born in 1850 in Needham, MA, Blakebenefited from family connections and agregarious personality to land a positionwith the U.S. Coastal and Geodetic Surveyat the age of 16. From 1868 until hisresignation in 1878, his work focused on
The Book on BlakeReprinted by permission of The Pole Line –
A Publication of The New England Museum of Telephony May 2004
the telegraphic determination oflongitudes in various parts of the world.
His marriage to Elizabeth L. Hubbardin 1873 brought a financial stability thathad eluded his own family. Elizabeth’sfather, who owned hundreds of acres ofland in Weston, MA, offered thenewlyweds a house site within theHubbard family compound,“Woodlands.” Francis chose a site highon a plateau above the Charles River withviews of the Blue Hills, and of the Bostonand Albany tracks running below.
NOVEMBER 2004 TCI SINGING WIRESPage 12
Secure with his abilities, and now his place in the world, Blakeproceeded to construct his dream house. Working with architectCharles McKim, the result was an elegantly detailed structurewith piazzas, towers and fancy shingle and brickwork that set thestandard for the “shingle style” of American architecture. Blakenamed the place “Keewaydin”, the Massachuset Indian word forthe northwest wind. Although aesthetically grand, it was also alaboratory for more of Blake’s experiments.
It was here that Blake experimented with building a bettertelephone transmitter. In a room originally designed for billiards,Blake constructed a machine shop. He worked on improvementsto both Edison’s phonograph and transmitter, choosing toconcentrate on the latter. On October 18, 1878 at the offices of theBell Telephone Company in Boston, Blake’s transmitter wasdeclared better than anything else available by Bell’s assistant,Thomas Watson. By 1886, 25,000 Blake transmitters were in usethroughout the world and the value of Bell Telephone stock wassoaring.
Free to continue experimenting and tinkering, Blakeconstructed a steam-powered waterworks at Keewaydin, and aninnovative heating system for the structure. He added suchdiversions to the estate as a bowling alley and a theatre, andentertained sumptuously.In 1884 he purchased his first camera, and his curiosity andinventiveness were challenged again. With the help and adviceof his friend, William deYoung Field, Blake set up a dark room atKeewaydin and began developing his talents as a photographer.The estate became a backdrop for his studies, and family, friendsand workers became his subjects. Re-discovering the focal-planeshutter he made improvements to it, and to the lenses heemployed, enabling him to create exceptional high-speedphotographs of people and animals in motion.
Francis Blake died in 1913 and Keewaydin was demolishedin 1965 to make way for a development of 20 new homes. Thebeautiful grounds had been devastated when toll booths for theMassachusetts Turnpike were constructed in the 1950’s, doingaway with Blake’s brook and duck pond and the view he hadcherished.
Charles and Sandra Galley had the honor of representing TheTelephone Museum at the January reception in Boston. Thanksto an invitation from Rosamond Blake, the inventor’s greatgranddaughter, and the consideration of Matthew and PeggyStrong, the Galleys were able to be present as William M. Fowler,Jr., director of the Massachusetts Historical Society praised theBlake family for their stewardship of the Blake papers. Charles andSandra had the pleasure of meeting Rosamond’s parents andviewing the exhibit of Blake photographs.
A staff member confided that when he came to work at thesociety’s library several years ago, he thought Toby Hall was afellow staff member because he seemed to be there all the time-as it turns out, researching the book on Blake.
“Francis Blake: An Inventor’s Life” by Elton W. Hall ispublished by The Massachusetts Historical Society and can bepurchased online at www.masshist.org/shop/books.cfm and atbookstores.
"THE TELEPHONESETTLEMENT"
BOSTON DAILY ADVERTISERPublished 125 Years ago on Oct. 25, 1879
The rival and conflicting interests in the various telephonepatents have at last been harmonized, and Professor Bell ismaster of the field. The stockholders of the National BellTelephone Company met in this city yesterday, and ratifiedthe compromise by which all matters in controversy wereterminated. The Western Union Telegraph Company,acting for and on behalf the Gold and Stock TelegraphCompany, the American Speaking Telephone Companyand the Harmonic Telegraph Company, agrees to withdrawfrom the telephone business in the United States, leavingthe field entirely clear to the company operating under theBell patents. All persons who hold rights from othercompanies will be licensed under these patents. TheWestern Union further agrees to allow the Bell TelephoneCompany a percentage on the telegraphic businessreceived through its instruments, and to cooperate to theextent of its power.
Under this adjustment the Bell Telephone Companyacquires all the telephonic inventions of Elisha Gray ofChicago, of Thomes A. Edison, of George M. Phelps, andall others who had assigned their interests to the WesternUnion or other allied companies. The right to connecttelephonic district or exchange systems remainsexclusively with the Bell Company, which will also licensethe Western Union to use the telephone for transmittingtelegraphic messages. The compromise thus not onlysecures freedom from litigation and control of all the patentsnow out for the purpose of transmitting human speech, butestablishes harmony of interests between the WesternUnion and the new company, which must be of inestimablevalue to both.
The sum paid by the Bell Company to secure this mostsatisfactory settlement is not stated, but is presumed to bea large one; and from a commercial point of view it is moneywell invested. The national Bell Telephone Company wasformed a very short time ago, with a nominal capital of$850,000 in shares of one hundred dollars each. The last saleof shares was at seven hundred dollars, though thecompany has not yet paid a dividend. The large earningshave been used partly in extending the plant and partly inlitigation, which at one time threatened to make this, likeother valuable patents, a painful and costly possession.Now that litigation is ended and the world is all before it, theBell telephone has a future of fame and fortune in store forit - not surpassed by any of the great discoveries of our time.
NOVEMBER 2004 TCI SINGING WIRES Page 13
Jerry Williams104 N. ChicagoSalina, Ks. 67401-2534Tel: 785-825-0578E-mail: [email protected]
FOR SALE1. Walnut Western Electric 301 fiddlebackwith red bar mag and pony receiver. $400.002. Oak Stromberg Carlson larger fiddlebackwith brass bottom receiver. $375.003. Oak Swedish American fiddleback withmarked receiver. $375.004. Oak Monarch fiddleback $375.005. W.E. Drop switch candlestick nickel is ingreat shape on the phone $175.006. W.E. Queen Bee (PFFCT) with red barmag. $295.007. Walnut Standard of Madison 2 box$425.008. Whispering mouthpiece with a sliver outof the front portion of the glass. Can berepaired though. $200.00--All phones shipping will be extra.
Cliff Sullivan4902 West Monte Cristo Ave.Glendale, Az. [email protected]
FOR SALE1. A/E mini-networks $6 each . 10 or more $5each.2. A/E small ringers $3 each3. W.E. brown coiled modular handsetcords,standard size $5 each. 10 or more$3.50 each.4. AT&T Windows and Instruction cardsfor single slot Coin Phones (new inpackage) $5 each.--All plus postage
This newsletter is published by DavidMassey & Renee Durham for TelephoneCollectors International. The opinionsexpressed in this newsletter are those of themembers of TCI and do not necessarilyreflect those of the publishers orTelephone Collectors International.
Send ads, articlesand photos to:
David Massey2853 Spicewood Lane
Kennesaw, GA 30152 USAE-mail:
[email protected]: 770-426-5715
Photos should be submitted in highresolution JPG format.
Article and Ad deadline is the end ofthe month prior to publication month.
Please send corrections orsuggestions to:
JEREMY WALTERS121 Skyway DriveVallejo, CA [email protected]
WANTEDStill looking for a service manual for the
Electronic Secretary model LP-TD C. I knowat least one person has one, as I missed it atthe Dearborn show last year. I’ll gladly payfor copying costs and your time.
Always looking for different types ofearly dialers and answering sets, includingthe Electronic Secretary that used a wirerecorder.
Ron Knappen (Phoneco)608 582 2263 Fax -4593Email: [email protected]: www.phonecoinc.com
FOR SALE1950’s (dated) 22gg. two single-
strands twisted together 1500-ft rollsunused N.E. plastic coated. Get wired up!Weighs 6 lbs: 5 lbs w/o coating. I’ve beenstripping for the copper @.90 a lb (as of 8-4) Seems wasteful. Offering them for $4.00ea. Store price is likely over $10.00. Bepatriotic and preserve these 200 rolls.Become a historical figure!
Steve Flocke440-442-3957 evenings ESTor e-mail [email protected]
WANTEDInformation, connection diagrams,schematic or operations manual for APCSubscriber Line Test Unit Model 1311. Iunderstand Automation Products Co. wasbought out by 3M. Let me know what youhave, I will pay for copies.
The incorrect telephonenumber for Russ Cowell wasshown on page 8 of the Octoberissue of Singing wires.
To obtain a suitable-for-framing copy of the November10, 1919 Norfolk Ledger-Dispatch “Norfolk’s NewAutomatic Telephones Are Nowin Service” announcement (seescanned copy on page 10 of theOctober newsletter) , pleasecontact Russ by telephone at757-258-5308 or by Email at:[email protected].
CORRECTION:
ITT TELEPHONE INSTRUMENTMAINTENACE MANUAL ON CD
High quality scans from original papercopy published in 1968. See ad in lastmonth's Singing Wires for details andordering info.
Stewart Warinner16262 Goshen Rd.Montpelier, Va. 23192Tel. 804-883-5082E-mail: [email protected]
WANTEDDiagram for Operators talk circuit on amanual cord board to be used with a W.E.52A head set jack. Operator is singled onthis swbd. by a drop down tab at cord circuit
| Buy | Sell | Trade |DON'T FORGET TO RENEWYOUR MEMBERSHIP EARLY TOINSURE YOU WILL BE IN THE
2005 ROSTER!
NOVEMBER 2004 TCI SINGING WIRESPage 14
| Buy | Sell | Trade |
CD SET INCLUDES THESE 3 DISCS:Bell System Memorial CD - "Surf" my entirewebsite without being connected to theInternet (www.BellSystemMemorial.com)Bell System Multimedia CD - Full of greathard-to-find audio and video files on the BellSystem and other telephone topics.Bell System Documents CD - Contains PDFfiles of selected BSP sections for the mostcommon WEco telephones plus BellTelephone magazine articles, poster scans,catalogues, training manuals, and more!
Great gift idea! Available on standardsilver CD discs for $22 or on archive qualitygold CD discs for $25 (normally $30 and$33 respectively).
Prices include shipping to USA andCanadian addresses. Please add $2.00 foroverseas addresses. For details seewww.bellsystemmemorial.com/cds.html.
To order, send money order or checkpayable in US dollars to:
David Massey2853 Spicewood LaneKennesaw, GA 30152
Or you can pay using the PayPal onlineservice by sending funds in US dollars [email protected].
Bell System Memorial CD SetHoliday Sale!
(Sale ends December 31, 2004)Special Sale for ATCA/TCI members
Bell Logo is a trademark of the Regional Bell Operating Companies
Gary [email protected]
FOR SALEReproduced rubber bottom cover
gaskets for AE round base, AE 34 and AE40 desksets. I have sold hundreds of thesereplacement gaskets or seals andcustomers appear to be very happy withthem judging by the return business. Thecost is $10 each, to your door. Any over thefirst one are $9 each.
Bell Sytem tape measure, in MINTcondition. Appears to be NOS. This is thesmall, round celluloid unit with clothmeasuring tape. The Bell logo is on oneside and a female telephone operator onthe other. Cost is $75 plus shipping.
Automatic Electric Type 32 miniaturesubset. This is a rare item, not manyaround. It measures approx4.5 x 2.5 x 2.5and was made to be used as the “guts” forany AE wall or deskset that did not haveinternal induction coil. There is no ringerin this small bakelite box. Cost is $35 pluspostage.
AE 40 “Butler’s Handle,” the “U”shaped handle that snaps into two holes inthe plunger appliances in the cradle, underthe handset. I had one dozen of these castand plated. They are very nice. The costis $35. each plus postage.
TRADE OR CASHBashlin Telephone Disinfector, NOS,
in the original small box, complete withoriginal disinfectant paper filters. Thisitem is for TRADE for some other nicetelephone attachment or specialmouthpiece or device. Trade and cashworks too!
WANT TO PURCHASEUnique telephone attachments, such
as a telephone dial locking device, the typethat fits over the entire dial and not just intoone finger hole. Western Electric OST orpony receivers. Original green W.E.receiver cords, pin ends. 1921 Bell Logoporcelain signs, 11x11 size, mint condition.
Jonathan D. [email protected] Beverly PlacePittsburgh, PA 15206
FOR SALENovus Plastic Polish. The best plasticpolish made.* Novus #1 (cleaner and final polish) $5 per8 oz bottle* Novus #2 (cream polish for plastic,bakelite, painted metal) $6 per 8oz bottle* Novus #3 (cream polish, for plastic withfine grit to remove scratches)
$7 per 8 oz bottle.All plus postage.
Paul [email protected]
WANTEDTeleconcepts EveWE 332 or 334 with receiver volume controlon hookswitchWE 500 in Mahogany Brown565L keyset with turnswitch in rightmostposition (exclusion key) See http://users.rcn.com/phonestore/wanted.html
HOUSE OF TELEPHONES
• HANDSET CORDS• DESK STAND CORDS• LINE CORDS• TRANSMITTER CORDS• COILED HANDSET CORDS• CORDAGE - Cloth-Covered Tinsel• RECEIVER CORDS - Two Conductor
For detailed pricing, product and orderinginformation, call us or visit our website.
House of Telephoneswww.houseoftelephones.com(325) [email protected]@aol.com
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Join or renew by March 1, 2005 to be included in the
2005 Telephone Collectors International Membership Roster.
CONTEST! I need a comical caption to go with this photo for next month’s newsletter. Something like "Maybe if we increase the loop current from the central office it would heat the wires up enough to melt the ice". The top ten suggestions will be printed in the newsletter with the creator's name and the winner will receive a free 1968 ITT Telephone Instrument Maintenance Manual on a 24K gold reflective layer CD disc. Send your creative comical caption to [email protected] before November 30th. Sorry, no snail-mail entries this time. Good luck!
David Massey, Editor of Singing Wires
