In large cities like New York and Chicago, the operating rooms are very
large. For instance, the main operating department of the Western Union
Telegraph Co. in New York City has 1000 operators. This picture shows
an operating room. The men and women sit in opposite sides of long
tables. On the tables are the keys and sounders by which they send and
receive the messages. Each operator has a typewriter, or “mill,” as he
calls it, on which he writes off the message as it comes to him over
the wire.]
[Illustration: MAIN SWITCHBOARD.
The picture shows a main switchboard in a large operating room. To this
come the ends of the wires from other cities, and to it are connected
the wires from the instruments in front of the operators. By putting
plugs, attached to each end of a wire, into the sockets in the board,
any wire can be connected with any operating position, or several local
circuits can be connected up with a main line from the outside.]
[Illustration: A THOROUGH SYSTEM MUST HANDLE THE MESSAGES