NORTIT SHORE BREEZE 
HOW TELEPHONE TOLL BUSINESS IS HANDLED IN SALEM 
“Out of Town Calls" of North Shore Patrons Handled with Despatch. The Local Toll Station 
the Busiest. Center Outside of Boston 
Upper Pasel Shows Local Board; Lower Panel the Toll Board 
It may be interesting to know how 
toll business is handled at Salem, 
one of the busiest toll centers out- 
side of Boston. The exchange is get- 
ting ready for greatly increased 
business during the summer because 
of the large number of people who 
live during the hot weather along 
the North Shore. 
About July, 1908, Salem was made 
a toll handling center for all the toll 
business. from the following ex- 
changes: Salem, Beverly, Beverly 
Farms, Hamilton, Ipswich, Manches- 
ter, Magnolha, Essex, Danvers, Tops- 
field, Peabody and Marblehead; also 
a portion of the Lynn. toll ealls. 
Beverly, Lynn, Marblehead, Pea- 
body and Danvers are connected 
with the recording board in the toll 
room by eall cireuits through the 
Salem B positions on the local board. 
Hamilton, Beverly Farms, Manches- 
ter, Magnolia, Topsfield and EHssex 
connect their subseribers directly 
to the record operator by«means of 
ring down double track trunks. Ips- 
wich is a Class ‘‘C”’ office and passes 
its calls directly to the out toll 
operator. 
All inward business from metro- 
politan and suburban exchanges in 
Boston is handled by method ‘107, 
and passed through the B board in 
Salem, with the exception of Ips- 
wich, Essex and Topsfield, which are 
handled over the ring down trunks 
to the toll board. There is a tandem 
switch in Salem for Boston-Beverly 
ealls, Salem giving Boston an assign- 
ment and receiving one from Boston. 
The Salem toll board, located on 
the third floor, was installed in June, 
1908, and is- of the latest ‘pattern. 
There is a “0-position recording 
board and a 20-position toll board; 
also a two-position toll information 
desk and a small desk for the assist- 
ant chief operator, who has charge 
of the toll room. The strips of jacks 
from the different exchanges on the 
recording board are marked by ex- 
change names, and as soon as the 
recording operator has dismissed the 
subseribers, she orders the line held 
in the distant office, if magneto, or 
orders it up by eall circuit in Lynn, 
Beverly or Salem, putting the trunk 
number on the ticket. 
A messenger girl then takes the 
ticket to the operator handling the 
ealls for that point. If it is from a 
magneto tributary, the toll operator 
ealls for the line, whieh is bemeg held 
by the distant office, by means of 
one of the single-ended ring down 
eall cireuit trunks. In this way she 
is able to ring the subseriber direct 
and reeeive supervision when he 
rings; also the disconnect signal is 
given to the tributary office when 
the toll operator disconnects without 
ringing. 
The summer business, which be- 
eins the latter part of May and lasts 
until the first of November, is very 
heavy, the increase in load last year 
from February to August being 123 
per cent. Salem handled 49,700 
calls in August. Ten positions on 
the Salem toll board are equipped 
for handling Boston calls, method 
107, with two ealls cireuits and 28 
switching trunks, while Boston has ~ 
18 to Salem. The increased summer 
load means additional force in sum- 
mer and a corresponding cut in the 
fall. As this holds true in all offices 
in the district it necessitates train- 
ing students in all the offices early in 
the spring.—Telephone Topies. 
Telephone Directory. _ 
The users of telephones are noti- 
fied that the summer directory will 
go to press on the 21st of this month 
and all changes in the direetory are 
to be made before that time. New 
subseribers desiring to have their 
rames booked this year, should have 
this matter attended to. Orders 
may be given at any time to have 
telephones installed for summer use, 
te earlier the better, as the com- 
pany employees are very mueh rush- 
ed at this season of the year. Orders 
should be given in advance for this 
work, 
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