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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1956-04-12, Page 11dependent telephone companies were formed and oonnected to Clinton. The subscribers of these companies were listed after Clinton and later with Clinton's: customers. The Tuckersinith Municipal Tele- phone System and McKillop Muni- cipal Telephone System continue to operate. The Goderich Municipal Tele- phone system was purehesed in 1954 by Bell, and assets of that .systemeare presently being distrib- uted among subscriber's, An 1909, Miss Kennedy became an .operater, a ,position: she held for ten years, until her )promotien to chief operator in 1919; c1; At -Bruceffeld By the end of 1909, a sub-office had been established at Brucefield, There were 153 telephones in use, among - them 83 business/ and 57 reaidence telephones, also stWo booth% Mrs. Mary Ls' Jordan (the for- mer Mary L. Walton), now 'night * = :a * • The "Bell" Agent Here In Gay Nineties SeeSeS:Igis-sas This photograph, taken early in the "gay 'nineties", shows the J. B. Rumball and Company Jewelry Store on Albert Street which also housed the Bell Telephone exchange.; Mr. Bumball had become the telephone company's agent here when he took over Mr. Robert W. Coat's Jewelry business. Less than two years after Mr. Rumball took over the business a fire gutted this building. Remaining stock and equipment was moved to temporary quarters across the street. Then, in 1892, new permanent quarters were located in the building on Albert Street which has served as telephone headquarters here up to the present. In the photograph, the wires which connected telephones with the exchange are visible running into the store above the door. Same Numbers Since 1894 Have Called Clinton Folk To "Answer The 'Phone" Imagine having the same telephone number for 61 years! It has been more than imagination in Clinton,. For at least five places' of business 'and one private residence it is fact. The com- parative listings for the 1894 and 1955 Clinton directories• are shown as follows: DECEMBER, 1894 10 'Malson's Bank, Rattenbury St. 35 'Grand Trunk R'y. Railway Stn. 35. Grand Trunk R'y.. Freight Shed. 4 News Record Printing Office A. M. Todd, Prop. .." 6 Rumball, J. B., Residence, Rattenbury St, 22 Shaw Dr., Office, Rattenbury St. 11 Doherty, W. & Co., Organ Man'frs., Raglan St. At least 16. of Clinton"s telephone numbers family, or place of business for a period of 51 OCTOBER, 1904 1 Bartliff, H. Restaurant, Albert 90 Brydone, W., Residence, Isaac and Joseph 11 Doherty, W. & Co,, Organ Mfrs, East 121 •Gibbings, B. J., Residence, Gibbings 35b Grand Trunk Ry., Freight Office 35a Grand Trunk Ry., Ticket Office 118 Hovey, J. E. Residence, Townsend 24 House of Re"fuge, London Road 117 Knitting Factory, King 99 McTaggart, M. D., Residence, Princess & Shipley (sic) 10 Molsons Bank Office, Ontario & Victoria 4 "News Record" Printing Co,, W. J, Mitchell, Prop,, Albert 6 Rumball; J. B., Residence, Rattenbury 109 Serutin (sic), J., Butcher 22 Shaw, Dr., Physician, Ontario 106 Sovereign Bank, Albert 72 Torrance, J., Inspector, Hduse of Refuge, Huron: , . MAY, 1955 Bank of Montreal, 'Victoria St. Canadian National Rly, Ticket Office, King (St.) ' Clinton News-Record The Home Paper With the News Fine Commercial Printing Albert ,(St.) Rurnball, Mrs. C., Rattenbury Shaw, Dr. J. W., Physician; 22 Rattenbury Sherlock-Manning Piano Co. Ltd., 11 East (St.) have been used to signal the same individual, years as the comparative listings here show: MAY, 1955 Bartliff Bros., Bakery & Confectionery, Albert 1 Brydone, Mrs. William r. Isaac 90 Sherlock Manning Piano Co. Ltd, East 11 Gibbings, B. 3., r Gibbings 121 Canadian National Rly. Ticket Office, King 35 Hovey, 3. E. r. Townsend 118 Huron County Home, London Rd. 24 Clinton Hosiery Mills Ltd., Mary 117 IVIcTaggart, Mrs. Edith r. Shipley 99 Bank of Montreal, Victoria 10 Clinton News-Record, Albert „ 4 Rumball, Mrs. C., Rattenbury 6 Scruton (sic) Miss Emily, Huron 109 Shaw, Dr. J. W., Physician, Rattenbury 22 Royal Bank of Canada, Albert 106 Torrance, 'Miss Maude, Ontario 72 10 35 4 6 ton News- 11 THE NEW ERA—Mt YEAR THE NEWS-RECORD-75th YEAR No, 15—The HOMO roper With the Hewn cl,INTON, ONTARIO, THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 1956 Second Section,-Peges 9 to 16 CLINTON'S TE EP NE HISTORY These days, if you .asked person hia occupation and. he Wormed you he was an iron plough maker, or that he made carriages, or worked as a saddler, perhaps' you would grin and say, "Sure, we know . . And I made frock coats." But at about the time 'telephones first arrived in Clinton these were all commonly practiced trades. Clinton was as anxious as any other town or city to coma to grips with this "mysterious." instrument -known as the tele,. phone and as early as July 1879, - a pair of hand telephones. *ere pat into use here. The hand telephones were leased to James A. Yuill, for service be- tween . what were then known as' the American; Express and Domin- lOn Telegraph office, and Messrs. Glasgow, Macpherson and Co's. ''Works in Clinton. This was al- most a year before The Bell -Tele- phone Company of Canada was in- corporated. During 1880, when Charles Fleetford Slow, founder of The Bell Telephone Company of Canada, was officiating as vice-president, the Dominion Telegraph Cornpany was purchased. All private line and other subscribers, were notified to the effect that rentals accruing were to be paid to The Bell Com- pany. • One of. 32 At that time, Clinton was one of 32 original exchanges, or agen- cies, officially listed. The. Bell Telephone then owned and operats ed more than 2,000 miles of wire, with. more. than 2,000 customers ' and in addition had some 200 pri- vate lines of from one-quarter mile to five miles in length. Clinton's first Bell Company ag- ent was W. H. Ransford, in the year 1881. However, before the end of the year, William Jackson was appointed agent, The switch- board was installed in December, 1881, in a corner of William Jack- son's Gent's Famishing Store. Long Distance In 1884, a long distance tele- phone line was constructed from Stratford to Goderich, through Mitch•ells, Seaforth and Clinton. In January, 1885, what was believed to be Clinton's first telephone directory listed 11 subscribers. It was a pocket sized booklet, and the Clinton. agency was described 'as follows: Clinton Agency 24-Hours-A-Day Central Office' - Victoria street May 1, 1899 was a particularly Office open from 8 a.m. to 8 happy day for Clinton residents. p.m., weekdays; 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. They learned that for the first on Sundays; 10 a.m. to. noon; and tirrie• they were going to receive 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on holidays. 24-houi-a-day telephone service. W. Jackson, Agent. The directory for November 1900, showed "continuous service," and Subscribers: listed 85 telephones. Cunningham, John, Express Agent. The previously constructed Clin- Doherty, W. & Co., Organ Factory. ton-to-Wingham long distance line Fair, James, Flour Mill, Ferran, Macpherson & Hovey, was improved considerably in 1901. Foundry. Before the 1903 construction sea- Grand Trunk R'y. Station. son ended a line was built con- G r e at North-Western Telegraph necting Clinton. with Hensall. Co. Office; Son Enters "Bell" Huron News-Record, Printing Of- The Bell Telephone career of fice. Raymond 3. R. Rumball started Jackson, Win. Gents' Furnishings, in 1905, when as a lad in his early New Era, Printing Office. teens he entered into the comp- Ransford, John, Residence. any's service as a night operator at Ransford, R, Residence. the Clinton exchange. His father's Ransford, R., Salt Works, health was failing at that time and 'his mother was assuming in great- A newspaper carried a report on er degrees the duties of acting November 5, 1885 stating that the local manager. nevi' telephone line between Lon- don, St. Marys, Mitchell, Seaforth, Mrs. Clara Georgina ;Sumba 'officially was appointed manager Clinton and Goderich, "and' the line from Strafford to Berlin and at Clinton on, February 1, 1907. Guelph via New' Hamburg and The late Lily Lorraine Kennedy had joined the Clinton staff a Baden, are finished and now open for business."1 As a result ref this month earlier as a part-time caper, long distance' hook-up, December, ator, embarking on what was des- 1885's Clinton directory 'listed 25 tined to be a lengthy career of customers. service to the community. J. B. Rumball, formerly local "Bell" Was Sideline manager, died in January, 1908. He Clinton received a new Bell had served. almost 17 years with Telephone agent when, in 1887, the the Bell Telephone Company of switchboard was transferred to Canada. Robert W. Coat's jewelry Store At the start of Mrs. C. Rumball's on Albert Street. Like' his pre- service, the exchange occupied decessor, Mr. Coats carried on his space at' the rear of that family's own business and served as' an jewelry store. The operating was agent as a sideline. Early the carried out on a part-time basis. following year, Bell Telephone But in 1909, the store was removed head office announced company and the entire premises were agents were to be styled "local acquired for company use, managers" effective. immediately. During 1908 and 1909, three in- Shortly before the close of 1889 a, highly important change occur- red, which was destined to bring a well-known Clinton family into lengthy and distinguished service 'with The Bell Telephone Company of Canada. 3. B. Rumball, a man Fire? Then Dial 2.3421 For Help A new fire alarm number — 1-1Unter 2-3421 — will go into use in Clinton; and. the method of handling fire Calla will change coineident with the cutover to dial service early April 15. When the fire number is dialed it will ring telephones in the homes of four members of Clin- tort's fire department, at leant one of whom Will be available to take the call. Extra (one-way sets) are installed in the homes of Fire Chief Grant Rath, Alec l'. Cud- More, Dennis. Bieback and Torn, Twytord. The alarm also will ring in the town hall. The fireman who answers will find out details of the fire and Will press a' button, to sound the ' fire alarm, informing other fire. Men to report to the fire fighting equipment, * operator in the Clinton exchange, jedned the staff in 1917. She work- ed, for 11 years before 'her mar- riage and returned following her 'husband's (Morley Jordan) death in 1945, Due to ill heal* Mrs, Rumball was temporarily relieved of her post as Clinten's Bell manager in 1919, Her son, Raymond Rum- ball, who by this' time had become local manager at Goderioh, was ap- pointed acting manager for Clin- ton. Praise Lineman Praise from Clinton for the quick thinking of a Bell Telephone section lineman and his assistants, was-recorded in the September 1923 issue of the company's official magazine, "The Blue Bell". The report stated that on the morning of July 12. (1923), W. H. Hadfield, member of Bell's London staff, and his team, were working near Exeter when an automobile containing five men and a boy, overturned, pinning the complete party beneath the wreckage. The telephone men quickly righted the car and administered' First Aid to the occupants, who were then able to return to 'their homes, The late Dr. 3. W. Shaw, father of the boy, wrote to "The Blue Bell" the following letter: "Your 'foreman and his men, seeing the accident rushed over and immediately released my boy and, I have no doubt, saved his life. I wish to convey my sincerest thanks and gratitude to them for their prompt and intelligent as- sistance in administering First Aid." Makes Record In 1927, a record for fast long distance calls was probably estab- lished in Clinton when Major Sloan put through a call from this' town to: his brother in Oakland, Calif- ornia, and was pleasantly surpris- ed to get necessary connections made within 17 minutes. In those day, this was considered service of the first order. The operator plac- ing the call here was Miss Jessie Kress' (now Mrs. Joseph Hart, Rattenbury Street East, Clinton). Unusually Stable. From 1907 until the first - full year of the depression in 1930, the number of telephones' in Clin- ton gradually increased and fin- ally reached the 347-mark. Only 40 telephones ware taken out be- tween 1930 and 1935, and, before the Close of 1939, the number had been restored, Clinton was ob- viously an unusually stable com- munity. The Bell Telephone in Clinton suffered a loss: in December, 1932, when Mrs. Clara G. Rumball, •local manager, was granted one month's leave of absence, prior to her re- tirement on January 1, 1933. She had served the company in• this capacity for about 25-years. Mrs. Rumball continues to live on Rat- tenbury Street West, near the new exchange building. The Clinton telephone directory for December, 1932, listed J. M. McIntosh as district manager, with Miss' L. Kennedy as local representative. Mr. McIntosh was located at Stratford, where he also resided. Miss Kennedy attended to local business details under his' jurisdiction. During the year 1936, the Clin- ton exchange put through a total of 1,310,000 local calls and 30,000 long distance calls, The News- Record ran a report about Clin- ton's telephone staff in November, 1937. At that time there wore seven operators—three to a shift-- handling about 3,900 calls daily. Change To Battery On July 5, 1939, the town of Clinton held its breath and await- ed with excitement the beginning of a brand new era in local tele- phone service. On that date a changeover from the crank-style of telephone to common battery system was successfully effected. As befitted the occasion, 'the ffret local calls were put through the new system by Mrs. Clara Pantiball and Mrs. W. Jackson, the wife of Clinton's second Bell agent, An item in The Bell Company's "Telephone News", dated Septem- • her, 1939; paid tribute to Miss Lily Lorraine Kennedy, had served more than 30 years with the com- pany as. operator, chief operator and 'local' 'representative, Clinton's 1940 telephone direct-. dry listed P. D. Wilson as, manager at Stratford replacing Mr. Mc- Intosh. Miss Kennedy was still in charge of local telephone business, RAE Switchboard Toward the close of 1941, the completion of a new circuit on the Clinton-Seaforth long distance line was reported, also re-arrangement of existing facilities, providing an additional circuit to. Toronto, Clin- ton had acquired a new air train- ing school by 1941. The school was equipped with an 80-line switchboard, The Bell Company's "Telephone News" explained in May, 1942; that, with demands for residence telephones at a peak, camps, de- pots and air schools, also plants and offices serving war industries, still had to be given priority. Equipment reserves were steadily diminishing despite the recondi- tioning and reusing of every' last piece ,of apparatus. The general public was asked to contend with the inconveniences as part of its contribution to victory. Clinton residents understood and willingly co-operated to work out just solu- tions to the telephone problem .- within .the community. The Clinton directory for Jan- uary, 1945, listed H. H. P. John- ston as. Bell's Stratford manager, with jurisdiction over the Clinton office, Miss Kennedy, the local representative, retired on' Christ- mas. Day, 1944. She was succeed- ed by 'Miss Helen J. Taylor. Early in 1947, J. M. Goodwin Was listed as Bell Telephone man- ager for Goderich, with general supervision of Clinton. Miss Taylor was still local representative. Mr. Goodwin was succeeded in 1949 by C. B. Symonds who became the new manager for Goderich. Clinton's Jubilee The 75th anniversary of Clin- ton's incorporation as a town was marked ina1950. The population of Clinton then was around 2,000. In the Jubilee issue of the News- Record, dated August 3, 1950, C. B. Symonds, Bell Telephone man- ager said that seven switchboard' positions were in 'operation here and an asferage of 5,500 local and 450 long distance' calls passed through the local switchboard every day. A Bell Telephone collection agency was opened in Clinton in 1951. This meant more space was available in the exchange building for new equipment. From then on, all accounts were paid at the W. C. NewCombe Drug Store on Victoria. Street and business mat- ters were referred to the Bell of- fice at Goderich. Veteran Dies Sad news reached Clinton' in November 1951 when reports car- ried the death of Raymond John Ross Rumball, Born in 1891, he started work for The Bell Tele- phone Company of Canada in his 'teen's and' later became one of the youngest Telephone Pioneers on record. Shortly before his retire- ment he was officiating as general plant placement supervisor for the Bell Company eastern area. He had served the company for 45 years. Clinton's population in 1954 was reported to have risen to 2,575. There were 809 households in the town, ten manufacturing plants and 67 stores. The number of tele- phones in service in Clinton amounted to 1,494, including 33 mobile telephones. There have been, several inspir- ing developments in the telephone industry since Clinton first helped to pioneer it more than 70 years ago, With the changeover to dial now only a matter of days away, clearly The Bell Telephone Comp- any of Canada is playing its part in keeping alive the motto of the town — "Where Service is an Obligation". Mrs. F. Bozak Wins $66 In Saturday Afternoon 'Draw A' ten percent coupon on Sat- urday afternoon netted Mrs. nor- once Rozak Clinton, a total of $66.63, when she was lucky at the Appreciation Day draw sponsored by the Clinton Merchants. This leaves a total of $674,66 in the Treasure Cheat for next week, from which some lucky person may win. $33713. Even a five percent coupon Will bring $33,73 from 'the Chest, who had learned the watchmaking and jewelry craft from Mr. Coats, bought. out the latter's business, taking over ..the telephone agency at the same time. Into Present Location Less than two years after he had taken over the local manager- ship, a fire gaitted Mr, Rtunball'e store and telephone office. As. much stock and equipment as pos- sible was cleared to safety and temporary quarters' were set up across the street. In 1892 a build'- ing was erected on Albert Street which has housed the etelephone office (later the exchange) up to the present day. With Mr. Rumball as local man- ager, the Bell business' in Clinton swiftly improved. Toward the end of 1892, 39 telephones were in use in the community. At about this time, certain interests' were en- deavoring to introduce a system of automatic telephones into parts. of Ontario, with little success. Clinton's increasing prominence was demonstrated when, between 1893 and 1894, the telephone num- ber system was introduced. ',Prev- iously calls had been placed by asking for the person wanted by • name. • Clinton is sine of the few towns in the world that can boast of an active general practitioner having had the same telephone number for more than 61 years. The vet- eran physician was 'Dr. J. W. Shaw. Dr. Shaw was listed first in the. December directory for 1894, with telephone number 22, at his office on Rattenbury Street. This same listing appeared continuously in Clinton directories until 1955, the year of his death, and up until cut-over to dial, next Sunday, that number still reaches his' late resi- dence. "Bell" Operators, Many Will Remain For Long Distance Calls Mrs. Peter (Vivian) McKenzie, Mrs. Ruth Knox, chief operator; Mrs. Ivan (Marjorie) t:ebbett,' Mrs. lennet'h (Shirley) Malkinson, Joyce Perdue, Agnes 13i8k01), loan Craig, Wirmie Raymond, Mrs. Ronald (Gloria) Paterson, Mrs. irons (Phyllis) Hoggart, Mrs. Robert (Pauline) Mariaghan. Absent from the picture are Mrs. Cordon (Connle) Hamilton and Mrs. Cordon (Donna) Sutcliffe, These are the operators who have been: 8dt-1/Mg •Clinten telephone users through WI Telephone's manual exchange on Albert Street, At 2.01 on April 15 the manual exchange will be "tut" out of service and the intricate dial apparatus will take over the jib of connecting :manual telephone calla. Many of the girls will, however, remain. as 11 ell operators in Clinton, handling long distance calls and service calls' at switchboards on the tap floor of the new exchange building an Rattenbury Street. Left to right are: Mrs. Ted (Kay) Ryder, Shirley Cooper, Mrs. Sill (Beth) Chowde r Mrs, rred (Jean) Anderson, Leola Taylor, Mary tneri: MacDonald, Mrs, Mary ,Torciatt, Mrs, Prank (Margaret? C'antelon,