AN AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 10707, 1 September 1896, Page 2

AN AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE.

Those who have groaned in spirit at the never-ending vagaries of the telephone will welcome the announcement that. a M. Apostoloff has invented an automatic machine. It is exasperating, when one js in a hurry to catch a 'bus or train, b&t , must first communicate with someone through the telephone, to stand tor minutes beside the instrument before the little tinkle of the bell tells him that the I young lady in charge has deigned to notice his call. It is worse when he finds that after all he haß been put on! the !■ wrong subscriber, and a series of rings t folldws' before he can get the' right fl^nSber. by which time hei has lbsf; Ills train. . In fact; though the ' telephone Sb one, of those modern conveniencs&swith'out'.wlucb. 1 we wonder that Ye ever jived. ,U is at p times a mortification of the jlei&.'espe- » cially to the wearied new'spMtr ,^'dijibr 6n the night of an important Vace^ meeting, when all the town wants' to *nQw"'"the J winners and the " divvy "—especially the , "divvy." | M. Apostoloff V invention won't save the' unfortunate /journflwfc from that infliction, but* if, 'it* does what is claimed for it a vast atnouiipof j trouble will be avbided. ' It. is t 'ihu» ascribed :'-^ The automatic indi^tor attached to the receiver' iis furnjsß4a $W* four service inscriptions whioh ; abpear in r rotatioa: 'Off,' 'Oolli' Ring. up,' 1 wid - 'Are you there?' Thero'ftro atep^wo small numeral exhibitor* V,that on'.tha left jh for thousands and' hundredi, and that on the right is for These are controlled By a'buttb^,onj)reijia ing which thb fingers change untu |t||V quired numbers make theu? ippeanmoe Finally thore is a ♦ calP .butfo^Snffi a 'finish button. If a B r ubs(^ib^r|'A^wiiines to call up B, whdse'nuuiber, say, is 6432, he presses - the > ; button undep 6 the left exhibitor^tmtil ,the t*o s firtfc. figures"- (64;)^pptaK 3 c 'the'bUttbaurider th\pftexiffli«l 1 th 6 fignr^s 32 . A h»» placed .himself i auttmatwaliyj/in : communication with' B. f • <H« no# L fdnsb%s I ' the^toll'JbufJtd^^fla'feßd&ri^tn^^to A pB .lap "in tne^oraijpary^way.^fdp, Wwing ,Mm»elf^run gi ,up,,go,e4 ; to>;bJi ap>»»tßß, I and seeing the- word < Call' 1 on -hifc'teaiI: oAtor'he t»ueh^s lus'^wa « VIP I bst&x. j snd ihii 'c»uies\thi;>ordß?A^y|u i .there ?', to appear simultaneously o tt( b6fch * indicators. .. This lis the iignal.for the t#o | Bubsoribers to bbnverse la thd'« orSintry way until the touching of th'e v .buttoujby, 'eljh^r' of the jTqps^erfl eljpts aaiaoonneotion^Ti. ', ','.,'< '',,k;. ■/.''■ »^\,,h-\