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POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



clearing-out drops or other improvements that facilitate rapid service 

 on the part of the operator, it was considered a remarkable piece of 

 workmanship in its day, and prospective investors in telephone sys- 

 tems traveled from various states to inspect Mr. Coy's equipment and 

 to study the working method of this first of all telephone exchanges. 

 The switchboard used in the Meriden exchange, opened a few clays 

 after the New Haven exchange, is now preserved in the Smithsonian 

 Institution at Washington. It is similar in type to the New Haven 

 board, and was designed by Mr. Coy. The switchboard used in Rich- 

 mond, Va., as late as April, 1879, had six dials on its face, ' each circle 

 about ten inches in diameter, formed by thirty-nine numbers.' 



Service from Mr. Coy's board was supplied after the following 

 fashion. On the shelf was a large induction coil with a manually 

 operated buzzing attachment (Fig. 7). This calling device was known 



Fig. 7. 



as ' Watson's squealer ' and also as ' Coy's chicken,' for the shrill squeal 

 it sent out over the line could be easily heard in all parts of a large 

 room. When ' Central ' desired to call a given subscriber on a party- 

 line, as No. 5, for instance, on party-line No. 8, the operator connected 

 this buzz-box to line No. 8 and sent five long squeals over the line, 

 which would be the signal for subscriber No. 5 to come in on the line, 

 and for the others to stay out. 



For the use of his subscribers in New Haven, Mr. Coy hung the 

 mahogany or rubber-encased hand telephone on a steel hook screwed 

 into a black walnut board (Fig. 8) which he attached to the wall of the 

 subscriber's room or office. Binding posts for wire connections were 

 fastened to each corner of this board, with a simple strip type of light- 

 ning arrester connecting the upper two posts, line and ground. Near 

 the center of this board and bridged on to the grounded iron telephone 

 circuit, was a circuit-break push button for the subscriber to use in 

 calling ' Central.' Below the push button was inscribed the number 

 of the telephone. 



Primitive as this outfit now appears, if was considered a luxury 

 in 1878 that many were glad to have, and practically constituted the 



