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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1964-11-12, Page 9• • • Ai • • When the telephone era dawned in Seaforth, this com- munity had been established for more than a quarter cen- tury, and had been incorporat- ed as a town for 10 years, but it was still an age that knew no horseless carriages, and scarcely dreamed of radio and television. It was late in 1884 when the first telephone exchange was opened here, in C. W. Papst's book and stationery store. There were only 15 telephones in that pioneer telephone system, and the switchboard, batteries, and other equipment were of a rudi- mentary type. That early hub of Seaforth's communications was located in the Cardno Block on Main St., not far from the location of the present exchange. From here Mr. Papst, the stationer, Seaforth's first telephone ag- ent, directed the business of The Bell Telephone Company of Canada in Seaforth for more than 16 years. Seaforth got on the telephone map the same year as the ex- change went into service, when a long distance line joined the town with Stratford, Goderich, Clinton and Mitchell. Today, the network that was beginning to take' shape then has been extended until a Seaforth tele- phone user can call across the continent as easily as across the street. One of the first users of long distance telephone service in Seaforth was the late M. Y. McLean, editor of The Huron Expositor, who called to Mr. Holmes, of The New Era, in Clinton, and W. Jackson, tele- phone agent in Clinton. Later he marvelled at the efficiency of the instrument on which Alexander Graham 'Bell had ob- tained patents only eight years previously. "Sitting in our office, we could hear the gentlemen in Clinton talk 'almost as plainly as if they were standing by our side." A long distance tele- phone call was a memorable experience then. By Jannary, 1885, when the first telephone directory con- taining Seaforth listings was is- sued, the number of subscrib- ers had fallen to 12. It is not surprising ,that three of the original telephone users decid- ed to dispense- with 'the "talk- ing box", because many people everywhere at that time were suspicious of the practice of talking across the distance over wires to someone they could not see and having the box "talk back." A few even branded it as witchcraft. Even . the more enlightened regarded the tele- phone as a mere scientific toy when it first appeared. " The twelve Bell Telephone With.• the completion of New Dial facilities, the Seaforth Area will now enjoy the latest • in telephone convenience. •We congratulate the Bell Tele- phone Co. on the facilities pro- vided and are proud to have been selected to cooperate 'n providing the electrical re- quirements in the new ex-. change. Wilber Brown •Electric LTD. 413 Romeo st: STRATFORD Phone 271-8772 customers whose listingap peered in the first' directory for Seaforth were; Armitage, A., Grain Merch- ant, Main St. Coleman, T. T., Salt Manu- facturer, Main St. Coleman, T. T., Residence, Huron Road. Dancey, L. E., Barrister, Main St. Grand Trunk Railway, Freight Office. Gray, Young & Spading, Salt Manufacturers, Main St. Great North-Western Tele- grap.h Co., Main St. Huron Expositor Printing Of- fice, Main St. Papst, C. W., Bookseller and Stationer, Main St. Sun Printing Office, Main St. Wilson, D. D., Egg Dealer, Main St. Wilson, D. D., Residence, James St. However, by April 30, 1885, The Huron Expositor reported that four more telephone, cus- tomers had been added in Sea - forth, and listed them as: "Com- mercial Hotel, Mr. Broadfoot's Office, Mr. John Beattie, resi- dence, Mr. William M. Gray, 'residence." Gradually the tele- phone gained in popularity aa progressive businessmen and residents found it a valuable aid in their business and social af- fairs. By the end of that year there were 27 telephones in service ifi Seaforth and vicinity. No telephone numbers were used in .those days. The opera: tors were expected to remem- ber how to make connections for each call on being given the, customer's name. Sometimes they would draw on their own knowledge of the itelephone users to redirect a call. Mr. "X" might ask to be connected. to Mr. "Ws" telephone, but the operator, knowing that Mr. "y" was at Mr, "Z's" office, would pass this information on to Mr. "X" and •connect Mr. "X" to Mr. "Z's" line. In the 80's this highly per- sonal service was possible be- cause there were fewer than 100 telephones in Seaforth dur- ing •the first 20 years of the town's telephone history, and in all Canada there were only a few thousand telephones. e people of Seaforth and vicinity began to rely more and more on telephone service. In 1902 the total' number of 'tele- phones here had risen to 70, That was the ,year that I. V. Fear, a druggist, succeeded Mr. Papst as local Bell Telephone manager, and the exchange was moved- from Mr. Papst's store to Mr. Fear's. In 1906 a "long distance" telephone, which pro- vided clearer transmission, was installed in Fear's store. By the end of 1907 there were 125 telephones served by the Sea - forth exchange; by 1920 the total had climbed to 203 to pass the. 200 -mark for .the first time, and by the end of 1927; the total passed the 300 -mark. . At first, the hours of tele- phone service were restricted. On weekdays the exchange was in operation • only between 8, a.m. and 8 p,m.; on Sundays, from 2 p.m. to '4 p.m., and on holidays, from 10 a.m. to noon and from 2 p,m, to 4 -p.m. Sea- forth's first century was more than half spent when, on April 1, 1910, 24-hour service was New Telephone Numbers EFFECTIVE NOVEMBER 15th FOR FIRE CALL 527-1100 FOR POLICE CALL • 527••1500 For CLERK'S OFFICE Call 527-0160 TOWN OF SEAFORTH Automotive experience would be . helpInul, but is not essential. In- terested parties plea,se apply to 136x '14121 Huron Egpositor. • 4.484 One year guarantee Priced £mm $7.95 up. AINTSTETT JEWEIZEM 11444 eras store m a smith vutage. Apply Harold jackson, Realtor, phone 474, or - Allah Campbell, Salesman, phone 884 vo- 3, Sea. kith. ' ' 14454 inaugurated. Since then -the exchange has been in 'Service -continuously on a round-the- clock basis. The Bell Telephone managers and local representatives il. Seaforth are remembered many 'present-day Seaforth resi- dents. Late in 1909, Mr. Fear retired and Miss Bell McKay, chief operator, took charge of the business office here. A few Months later E,. Denroche was named manager for Seaforth, with headquarters in Stratford. While Mr. Denroche was man- ager, the Bell office was moved to its location in the Cardno Block on Main S.treet, near the site of the first telephone ex- change in the town. J. F. Gib- son succeeded Mr. Denroche in 1912, and was succeeded in turn by J. J. Griffin. During the Great War, Miss M. J. Habkirk was appointed local representative in Seaforth to assist the manager. -She was succeeded by Miss Loretta M. McCormack in 1919. Three years later Miss McCormack was given the title "branch manag- er". In 1923, Miss M. Habkirk succeeded, - Miss McCormack, while J. M. McIntosh, manager in Stiatford,,had general super- vision over Bell's Seaforth of- fice. In 1939 Miss E. M. Cluff became local representative, and in 1940 P. 'D. Wilson suc- ceeded Mr. McIntosh as man- ager. H. H. P. Johnston suc- ceeded Mr. Wilson as manager early in 1945 at the time when Hoggarth was local representative. ' • In 1947 J. M. Goodwin, with headqularters in Goderich, -be- came manager for Seaforth; while Mrs. Hoggarth continued ..as local representative. In 1949, C. B. Symonds, of Goderich,' became manager here. While he held this position, the local representatives. were Miss Jean Armstrong and , M,iss Willa Hunter. In 1954, the present manager, W. W. Haysom, was appointed, and around the same time Miss M. Hudson became local representative. - On September 20, 1939, an important event took place in Seaforth when the new com- mon battery telephone system replaced the magneto system. This meant the end of the old crank style telephones. Mayor J. J. Cluff and the Council of that day were present at the cutover, and Mayor Cluff placed the first call over' the new equipment. During the Second World War, material and manpower shortages restricted telephone growth. However, after the war a period of unprecedented ex- pansion began. In less than 10 years the number of telephones in use in the Seaforth exchange area has increased from 373 to 737. To make this telephone growth possible, the Bell Tele- phone Company has repeatedly enlarged ` its facilities here. Switchboard positions were add- ed in the summer of 1951 and again in 1953. "CAN YOU HEAR ME, MR. WATSON" • Alexander Graham Bell speaks the fir,st words ever heard over the telephone in this scene from The Chord of Steel, story of the great inventor's early life, tobe seen on CBC - TV's The Serial on seven consecutive Thursdays through November and December. Bell is played by Paul Harding of London, Ont. Operators. Go When Dial Comes When the new dial exchange in Seaforth goes into operation Sunday morning, there will 'no longer be any telephone opera- tors located here. All local calls will be hand- led mechanically by intricate dial switching equipment , and long distance calls originating in the exchange will be con- nected by operators located in Clinton. Though the "voice with. the smile" will therefore pass from the scene in Seaforth, no perm- anent operators wishing to con- tinue in telephone Work will be released as a 'result of the changeover, according to W. W. Haysom, Aell Telephone man- ager for this region. "From the moment it was decided to carry out. • the. ehangeover, careful plans were made for the welfare of our op- erators," Mr. Haysom said. "A number of step a were taken to make sure that no permanent employees, who wanted to re- main in the service of the com- pany, would be out of work as a result of the changes." Any additional operators needed were hired on the un- derstanding that their employ- ment might be temporary. Op- erators contemplating leaving were invited to stay on until the time of the changeover and operators remaining were offer- ed transfers to other nearby centres. "Our company, as a matter of policy, always does all that is reasonably possible to assist Operators to re-establish them- selves at the time of a dial conversion," Mr. Haysom said. 2-bedmorn apartment, newly decorated, private en- tranee, Dennis Apartments, Welsh St. Contact Joseph Me. Connell, Seaforth. , 15-454 , • SEAFORTH WAS ONLY 58 YEARS OLD and telephones _had been used here fo only about 29 years when this photograph was taken in the Bell Telephone Exchange in 1913, Shown above, left to right, are Miss Hazel Stewart, later Mrs. WilliaM Plant of Toronto; Miss M. J, Habkirk„ Miss Belle McKay, chief operator, and 0. g. Elliott, messepger, who later became night operator. Names, No Numbers In 1884 Telephone numbers were not always used in Seaforth. In the early days of the telephone it was sufficient for a telephone user to tell the operator the name of the person he was call- ing" to have the connection made. • The first telephone numbers in Seaforth were assigned in 1894," and of the 78 telephone numbers then in use, six are still used by the same Bell•cus- tomers or their direct succes- sors. Listings in the 1894 and 1955 telephone directories for these surviving numbers fel- low: 1894 1 -'—Canadian Bank of Com- merce,. Main St. 36—Dominion Bank,. Main St. 41—Expositor Printing Of- fice, Main St. 4—G.T.R. Freight Office., 4-A—G.T.R. Ticket Office. 45—Queen's Hotel (Thomas Stephens & Son, Props.). 20—Waterworks, Crombie St. 1955 , 1—Canadian Bank of Com merce, Main St. 36—Toronto-Dominion Bank, Main St. 41—The Huron Expositor, Main St. 4—Canadian National Rail- way, Tickets, Main St. '45—Queen's- Hotel, Main St. 20—Public Utilities Commis- sion, Waterworks, Sub -Station and night calls, Vitoria St. I The secretary was telling her chums about her latest squab- ble with the boss. "And all I asked him," she said, "was, 'Do you want the carbon copy dou- ble spaced boo'?" Congratulations • On the completion of a New Dial Exchange to serve the Seaforth area. • We appreciate having had - a part in the carrying out of • the plumbing aid heating contracts- for the new build - Ron Saunders r • PLUMBING and HEATING • 142 Waterloo St. South STRATFORD Phone 271-5042 CONGRATULATIONS 1*; to the Bell Telephone Company and to the people of Seaforth on the completion • of new dial facilities. We are proud ,to have been chosen as general contractors for the modern. exchange building on Chalk Street. 4„. Pounder Brothers CONTRACTORS 45 Cambria Rd. - STRATFORD Phone 271-6220 •