the history of the telephone-第14节

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cial　tongue　and　ear　as　human　ingenuity　can　make　them。　They　have　persistently　grown　more　elaborate；　until　today　a　telephone　set；　as　it　stands　on　a　desk；　contains　as　many　as　one　hundred　and　thirty　separate　pieces；　as　well　as　a　saltspoonful　of　glistening　granules　of　carbon。

Next　after　the　transmitter　came　the　problem　of　the　MYSTERIOUS　NOISES。　This　was；　perhaps；　the　most　weird　and　mystifying　of　all　the　telephone　problems。　The　fact　was　that　the　telephone　had　brought　within　hearing　distance　a　new　wonder…　world　of　sound。　All　wires　at　that　time　were　single；　and　ran　into　the　earth　at　each　end；　making　what　was　called　a　〃grounded　circuit。〃　And　this　connection　with　the　earth；　which　is　really　a　big　magnet；　caused　all　manner　of　strange　and　uncouth　noises　on　the　telephone　wires。

Noises！　Such　a　jangle　of　meaningless　noises　had　never　been　heard　by　human　ears。　There　were　spluttering　and　bubbling；　jerking　and　rasping；　whistling　and　screaming。　There　were　the　rustling　of　leaves；　the　croaking　of　frogs；　the　hissing　of　steam；　and　the　flapping　of　birds'　wings。　There　were　clicks　from　telegraph　wires；　scraps　of　talk　from　other　telephones；　and　curious　little　squeals　that　were　unlike　any　known　sound。　The　lines　running　east　and　west　were　noisier　than　the　lines　running　north　and　south。　The　night　was　noisier　than　the　day；　and　at　the　ghostly　hour　of　midnight；　for　what　strange　reason　no　one　knows；　the　babel　was　at　its　height。　Watson；　who　had　a　fanciful　mind；　suggested　that　perhaps　these　sounds　were　signals　from　the　inhabitants　of　Mars　or　some　other　sociable　planet。　But　the　matter…　of…fact　young　telephonists　agreed　to　lay　the　blame　on　〃induction〃a　hazy　word　which　usually　meant　the　natural　meddlesomeness　of　electricity。

Whatever　else　the　mysterious　noises　were；　they　were　a　nuisance。　The　poor　little　telephone　business　was　plagued　almost　out　of　its　senses。　It　was　like　a　dog　with　a　tin　can　tied　to　its　tail。　No　matter　where　it　went；　it　was　pursued　by　this　unearthly　clatter。　〃We　were　ashamed　to　present　our　bills；〃　said　A。　A。　Adee；　one　of　the　first　agents；　〃for　no　matter　how　plainly　a　man　talked　into　his　telephone；　his　language　was　apt　to　sound　like　Choctaw　at　the　other　end　of　the　line。〃

All　manner　of　devices　were　solemnly　tried　to　hush　the　wires；　and　each　one　usually　proved　to　be　as　futile　as　an　incantation。　What　was　to　be　done？　Step　by　step　the　telephone　men　were　driven　back。　They　were　beaten。　There　was　no　way　to　silence　these　noises。　Reluctantly；　they　agreed　that　the　only　way　was　to　pull　up　the　ends　of　each　wire　from　the　tainted　earth；　and　join　them　by　a　second　wire。　This　was　the　〃metallic　circuit〃　idea。　It　meant　an　appalling　increase　in　the　use　of　wire。　It　would　compel　the　rebuild…　ing　of　the　switchboards　and　the　invention　of　new　signal　systems。　But　it　was　inevitable；　and　in　1883；　while　the　dispute　about　it　was　in　full　blast；　one　of　the　young　men　quietly　slipped　it　into　use　on　a　new　line　between　Boston　and　Providence。　The　effect　was　magical。　〃At　last；〃　said　the　delighted　manager；　〃we　have　a　perfectly　quiet　line。〃

This　young　man；　a　small；　slim　youth　who　was　twenty…two　years　old　and　looked　younger；　was　no　other　than　J。　J。　Carty；　now　the　first　of　telephone　engineers　and　almost　the　creator　of　his　profession。　Three　years　earlier　he　had　timidly　asked　for　a　job　as　operator　in　the　Boston　exchange；　at　five　dollars　a　week；　and　had　shown　such　an　aptitude　for　the　work　that　he　was　soon　made　one　of　the　captains。　At　thirty　years　of　age　he　became　a　central　figure　in　the　development　of　the　art　of　telephony。

What　Carty　has　done　is　known　by　telephone　men　in　all　countries；　but　the　story　of　Carty　himself　who　he　is；　and　whyis　new。　First　of　all；　he　is　Irish；　pure　Irish。　His　father　had　left　Ireland　as　a　boy　in　1825。　During　the　Civil　War　his　father　made　guns　in　the　city　of　Cambridge；　where　young　John　Joseph　was　born；　and　afterwards　he　made　bells　for　church　steeples。　He　was　instinctively　a　mechanic　and　proud　of　his　calling。　He　could　tell　the　weight　of　a　bell　from　the　sound　of　it。　Moses　G。　Farmer；　the　electrical　inventor；　and　Howe；　the　creator　of　the　sewing…machine；　were　his　friends。

At　five　years　of　age；　little　John　J。　Carty　was　taken　by　his　father　to　the　shop　where　the　bells　were　made；　and　he　was　profoundly　impressed　by　the　magical　strength　of　a　big　magnet；　that　picked　up　heavy　weights　as　though　they　were　feathers。　At　the　high　school　his　favorite　study　was　physics；　and　for　a　time　he　and　another　boy　named　Rolfenow　a　distinguished　man　of　sciencecarried　on　electrical　experiments　of　their　own　in　the　cellar　of　the　Rolfe　house。　Here　they　had　a　〃Tom　Thumb〃　telegraph；　a　telephone　which　they　had　ventured　to　improve；　and　a　hopeless　tangle　of　wires。　Whenever　they　could　afford　to　buy　more　wires　and　batteries；　they　went　to　a　near…by　store　which　supplied　electrical　apparatus　to　the　professors　and　students　of　Harvard。　This　store；　with　its　workshop　in　the　rear；　seemed　to　the　two　boys　a　veritable　wonderland；　and　when　Carty；　a　youth　of　eighteen；　was　compelled　to　leave　school　because　of　his　bad　eyesight；　he　ran　at　once　and　secured　the　glorious　job　of　being　boy…of…all…work　in　this　store　of　wonders。　So；　when　he　became　an　operator　in　the　Boston　telephone　exchange；　a　year　later；　he　had　already　developed　to　a　remarkable　degree　his　natural　genius　for　telephony。

Since　then；　Carty　and　the　telephone　business　have　grown　up　together；　he　always　a　little　distance　in　advance。　No　other　man　has　touched　the　apparatus　of　telephony　at　so　many　points。　He　fought　down　the　flimsy；　clumsy　methods；　which　led　from　one　snarl　to　another。　He　found　out　how　to　do　with　wires　what　Dickens　did　with　words。　〃Let　us　do　it　right；　boys；　and　then　we　won't　have　any　bad　dreams〃this　has　been　his　motif。　And；　as　the　crown　and　climax　of　his　work；　he　mapped　out　the　profession　of　telephone　engineering　on　the　widest　and　most　comprehensive　lines。

In　Carty；　the　engineer　evolved　into　the　edu…　cator。　His　end　of　the　American　Telephone　and　Telegraph　Company　became　the　University　of　the　Telephone。　He　was　himself　a　student　by　disposition；　with　a　special　taste　for　the　writings　of　Faraday；　the　forerunner；　Tyndall；　the　expounder；　and　Spencer；　the　philosopher。　And　in　1890；　he　gathered　around　him　a　winnowed　group　of　college　graduateshe　has　sixty　of　them　on　his　staff　to…dayso　that　he　might　bequeath　to　the　telephone　an　engineering　corps　of　loyal　and　efficient　men。

The　next　problem　that　faced　the　young　men　of　the　telephone；　as　soon　as　they　had　escaped　from　the　clamor　of　the　mysterious　noises；　was　the　necessity　of　taking　down　the　wires　in　the　city　streets　and　putting　them　underground。　At　first；　they　had　strung　the　wires　on　poles　and　roof…tops。　They　had　done　this；　not　because　it　was　cheap；　but　because　it　was　the　only　possible　way；　so　far　as　any　one　knew　in　that　kindergarten　period。　A　telephone　wire　required　the　daintiest　of　handling。　To　bury　it　was　to　smother　it；　to　make　it　dull　or　perhaps　entirely　useless。　But　now　that　the　number　of　wires　had　swollen　from　hun…　dreds　to　thousands；　the　overhead　method　had　been　outgrown。　Some　streets　in　the　larger　cities　had　become　black　with　wires。　Poles　had　risen　to　fifty　feet　in　height；　then　sixtyseventy　eighty。　Finally　the　highest　of　all　pole　lines　was　built　along　West　Street；　New　Yorkevery　pole　a　towering　Norway　pine；　with　its　top　ninety　feet　above　the　roadway；　and　carrying　thirty　cross…　arms　and　three　hundred　wires。

From　poles　the　wires　soon　overflowed　to　housetops；　until　in　New　York　alone　they　had　overspread　eleven　thousand　roofs。　These　roofs　had　to　be　kept　in　repair；　and　their　chimneys　were　the　deadly　enemies　of　the　iron　wires。　Many　a　wire；　in　less　than　two　or　three　years；　was　withered　to　the　merest　shred　of　rust。　As　if　these　troubles　were　not　enough；　there　were　the　storms　of　winter；　which　might　wipe　out　a　year's　revenue　in　a　single　day。　The　sleet　storms　were　the　worst。　Wires　were　weighted　down　with　ice；　often　three　pounds　of　ice　per　foot　of　wire。　And　so；　what　with　sleet；　and　corrosion；　and　the　cost　of　roof…repairing；　and　the　lack　of　room　for　more　wires；　the　telephone　men　were　between　the　devil　and　the　deep　seabetween　the　urgent　necessity　of　burying　their　wires；　and　the　inexorable　fact　that　they　did　not　know　how　to　do　it。

Fortunately；　by　the　time　that　this　problem　arrived；　the　telephone　business　was　fairly　well　established。　It　had　outgrown　its　early　days　of　ridicule　and　incredulity。　It　was　paying　wages　and　salaries　and　even　dividends。　Evidently　it　had　arrived　on　the　scene　in　the　nick　of　time　after　the　telegraph　and　before　the　trolleys　and　electric　lights。　Had　it　been　born　ten　years　later；　it　might　not　have　been　able　to　survive。　So　delicate　a　thing　as　a　baby　telephone　could　scarcely　have　protected　itself　against　the　powerful　currents　of　electricity　that　came　into　general　use　in　1886；　if　it　had　not　first　found　out　a　way　of　hiding　safely　underground。

The　first　declaration　in　favor　of　an　underground　system　was　made　by　the　Boston　company　in　1880。　〃It　may　be　expedient　to　place　our　entire　system　underground；〃　said　the　sorely　perplexed　manager；　〃whenever　a　practicable　method　is　found　of　accomplishing：　it。〃　All　manner　of　theories　were　afloat　but　Theodore　N。　Vail；　who　was　usually　the　man　of　constructive　imagination　in　emergencies；　began　in　1882　a　series　of　actual　experiments　at　Attleborough；　Massachusetts；　to　find　ou