DEVELOPMENT OF TELEPHONE SERVICE 491 



pened/' he said, " the vocal sounds were very much diminished, but 

 still audible. It seemed, indeed, like talking in a storm. Conversa- 

 tion, though audible, could be carried on with difficulty." 



On February 12, 1877, Graham Bell delivered a lecture on the tele- 

 phone at Salem, Mass., eighteen miles from Boston. At 10:55 p.m., 

 a reporter of the Boston Globe turned in his report by telephone and 

 this was the first newspaper report sent by telephone. Previous to the 

 lecture a wire was strung from the lecture hall to a telegraph circuit 

 connected with the editorial rooms. Then a single telephone was placed 

 on each end of the line. 



The telephones used in these pioneer lines were of the box magneto 

 type and intended to rest on shelf, table or desk. Several modifica- 

 tions of this form were made. An interior view of the form sent out 

 in April, 1877, is shown in Fig. 4. Then came the wooden hand 

 telephone (Fig. 5) in May, 1877. Owing to its resemblance to a well- 

 known kitchen utensil, it was promptly called c the butter-stamp tele- 

 phone.' It was such a decided improvement in shape and convenience 

 over the box telephone that it won its way from the start. Then came 

 the first of the electric-speaking telephone circulars. Three pages con- 

 tained endorsements by the press and scientists, while the first page 

 contained the following statements that appear unique in the light of 

 later knowledge : 



Fig. 4. Box Telephone, Cover Removed. 



The Telephone 



The proprietors of the telephone, the invention of Alexander Graham Bell, 

 for which patents have been issued by the United States and Great Britain, 

 are now prepared to furnish telephones for the transmission of articulate speech 

 through instruments not more than twenty miles apart. Conversation can be 

 easily carried on after slight practice and with occasional repetition of a word 

 or sentence. On first listening to the telephone, though the sound is perfectly 

 audible, the articulation seems to be indistinct; but after a few trials the ear 

 becomes accustomed to the peculiar sound and finds little difficulty in under- 

 standing the words. 



The telephone should be set in a quiet place, where there is no noise which 

 would interrupt ordinary conversations. 



The advantages of the telephone over the telegraph for local business are 



1. That no skilled operator is required, but direct communication may be 

 had by speech without the intervention of a third person. 



2. That the communication is much more rapid, the average number of 

 words transmitted a minute by Morse sounder being from fifteen to twenty, by 

 telephone from one to two hundred. 



3. That no expense is required either for its operation, maintenance, or 

 repair. It needs no battery, and has no complicated machinery. It is unsur- 

 passed for economy and simplicity. 



