NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
19 
TELEPHONE TALKS 
Believing that exact knowledge promotes co-operntion, the New 
England Telephone and Telegraph Company is publishing a 
series of brief expositions of some phrases of tele- 
phony, for the benefit of itself, and, as it hopes, 
for the benefit of all telephone users. 
“THE LINE IS BUSY” 
One of the mysteries of ‘‘Central’’ 
to most telephone users is how the op- 
erator can tell so quickly when ‘‘the 
line is busy.’’ There are still a few 
people, perhaps, who believe that she 
does not know, but simply reports a 
number as busy to save herself trouble. 
But anybody who uses the telephone 
very much is perfectly well aware that 
the circuit is not reported as Seing in use 
unless it really is in use. It is ‘‘ good 
business’’ for the telephone company to 
establish conversation whenever it is in 
any way possible to do so; and nobody 
questions but that the telephone company 
is getting all the business it can. 
When you call up ‘‘ Central’ she 
connects herself with your line by means 
of a “‘cord’’ on the end of which is a 
brass plug that fits closely into the 
““jack’’ or switch socket in which your 
line terminates in the switchboard. 
The conn cting cords are arranged in 
pairs, and when you give the operator 
the number of the telephone with which 
you want to talk, she takes the second 
cord of the pair she is using for your 
call and touches the tip of the brass plug 
at the end of it to the “‘jack’’ of the 
line you require. If the circuit is al- 
ready connected up in some other part 
of the board, the operator hears a _ click- 
ing noise in her head telephone; then, 
of course, she reports to you that ‘‘the 
Jine is busy.’’ Ifthere is no warning 
Salem Safe Deposit 
Capital, $200,000. 
George C, Vaughn, Pres. 
E. Kendall Jenkins, 
John H. Linehan, 
Interest allowed on deposits 
' 
William E. Bixby. 
click when she touches the ‘“jack’’ she 
pushes the connecting plug in and rings. 
The telephone is frequently used in a 
great hurry, and sometimes a_ person 
whose mind for the moment is distracted 
neglects to ring off when he is through 
talking. The result is that ‘‘ Central ’’ 
does not get a signal to disconnect the 
call, and it may be a minute or more be- 
fore she finds out that the circuit is no 
longer engaged—which, failing to get 
any signal, she can do only by connect- 
ing herself with the line so she can_hear 
whether or not anybody is _ talking. 
Meanwhile, if anybody else calls either 
of the lines that were used in the con- 
versation they will, naturally, be told 
that itis busy. Such a state of affairs is 
undoubtedly the cause of quite a per- 
centage of the “‘busy reports’’ in some 
exchanges. 
A commoner cause of “‘busy_ re- 
ports’’ than most people realize is the 
Jarge number of subscribers who take 
party-line service. especially at their resi- 
dences. The particular person you 
want to reach may not be using his tele- 
phone when you call for it, but if there 
are other subscribers on the same cir- 
cuit the line may be busy just the same. 
And your friend may not know that it 
is. That is why sometimes when 
Central’’ tells you ‘‘ the line is busy ”’ 
your friend will say afterwards that he 
doesn’t understand how that could be, 
because he wasn’t using the telephone 
at all at the time you tried to call him. 
eat 
& Trust Company 
Salem, Massachusetts 
Surplas & Undivided Profits, $150,000. 
DIRECTORS $ 
Charles Sanders, Vice-Pres. 
William-H. Gove, Vice-Pres. William S. Nichols, Treas. 
Melvin Woodbury, 
Forrest L. Evans, 
BOSTON & MAINE R. R. 
In effect Oct. 7, 1907. 
TRAINS LEAVE MANCHESTER FOR 
BEVERLY, SALEM, LYNN and BOSTON 
{6 24, £727, ||731, £2759, ||834, £839, fz9 35, 
||10 21, £10 34, f11 33a. m. £1243, 131, 1135, 
2 28, £257, f419, ||451, £519, £642, ||6 43, 
|8 19, £906, ||9 49, £1009 p. m. 
W. MANCHESTER, BEVERLY FARMS, 
PRIDES and MONTSERRAT—f6 24, f7 27, 
7 31, £759, ||834, £839, £935, 1021, f10 34, 
f11 33, a. m. £1243, ||131, £135, 228, £257, 
419, 451, £519, £642, 6 43, 11819, £906, 
949, £1009, p, m. 
MAGNOLIA, WEST GLOUCESTER and 
ROCK PORT—f7 02, ‘f7.37, 907, £9 13, 
£10.14, ||10 53, £1142,a.m. +132, £308, 307, 
f414, f517, ||522, £554, 1622, ||654, f7 20, 
£807, ||812, £1021, {|10.37, £1214, p.m. 
TRAINS LEAVE WEST MANCHESTER FOR 
BEVERLY, SALEM, LYNN, and BOSTON 
f§ 27, (730, |I734, £2802, 837, £842. £2939, 
\|10 24, £1038, f1136,a.m. f12.46, ||1 34, f1 38, 
2 21, £300, £422, ||454, £522, f645, '\|6 46, 
}8 22, £909, 952, 11012, p m. 
BEVERLY FARMS, PRIDES and MONT- 
SERRAT—f6 27, £730, ||734, £802, [8 37, 
{8 42, £939, ||10 24, £1038, £1136, a.m. f12 46, 
|1 34, £138, ||231, £300, £422, ||454, £522, 
£6 45, ||6 46, 822, £9 09, ||9 52, £10 12, p.m. 
MANCHESTER, MAGNOLIA, WEST 
GLOUCESTER, and ROCKPORT—46 58, f7 34, 
1903, £909, £1010, ||1049° £1137, a. m. t1 28, 
£302, {/303, £410, £512, |[518, £549, £619, 
650, £716, £804, |[808, £1018, |10 33, 
f12 11, p.m. 
t Daily. f Daily except Sunday. z Boston only 
|| Sunday only. 
Detailed information and time tables may 
be obtained at ticket oftices. 
D, J. FLANDERS, CoM. BURT, 
Pass. Traf. Mgr. Gen. Pass. Agt. 
Location of Fire Alarm Boxes 
Manchester, Mass. 
31. Electric Light Station. 
33. Telephone Exchange Office. 
34. Summer Street, P. H. Boyle’s Stable. 
41. Corner Bridge and Pine Sts. 
43. Corner Harbor and Bridge Sts. 
52. Fire Engine House, School St. 
44. Corner School and Lincoln Sts. 
56. School St., opp. the grounds of the 
Essex County Club. 
61. Sea St., H. S. Chase’s House. 
62. Corner Beach and Masconomo Sts. 
64. ‘Lobster Cove.” 
Two Blasts, all out or under control. 
Three Blasts, extra call. 
Directions for giving an alarm: Break the 
glass, turn the key and open the door, pull 
the hook down once and let go 
JAMES HOARR, Chief, 
GEORGE 8S. SINNICKS, 
CLARENCE W. MORGAN, 
Engineers of Fire Department 
22 at 7.45 a.m., no school at John Price 
Primary School; 10.45 a.m., one session. 
22 at 8.00a.m., no school at any of the 
buildings; 11.00a.m., one session. 
Let us figure on your next order of 
PRINTING 
North Shore Breeze 
