Birth of a Telephone

[jsowers]

I found an article in the C&P Bell Transmitter from January-February, 1958, that was interesting to me, on how a 500 set was made. I wish the pictures were bigger and in color, but they're small and B&W. Still, it's interesting to see where the phones were made. The plant today is mostly vacant, I think. It's a huge place (see picture #1).

They were made on an assembly line, but unlike most anything made today, each one was hand done by many skilled hands. Camille, Aline, Ilsa, Ellen, Lois, Vera, Frances, Bill, Bea and Harold--where are they now? I often wonder when I'm taking apart a soft plastic phone with its original cords if I'm the first one to put a screwdriver to those screws since it was assembled. So the next time you take one apart, be sure to notice if Frances Moneymaker was the last one to touch those screws!

[cihensley@aol.com]

Thanks. Interesting.

Chuck

[paul-f]

Thanks, Jonathan.  It's good to be reminded that the Bell System was made up of real people.

Group Quiz:   How many spring cord wires did Frances Moneymaker attach to each transmitter using her compressed-air-driven-screwdriver?

[Dennis Markham]

Thank you, Jonathan.  I really enjoyed reading those pages.  It would be great to be able to see those images in more detail and in color, as you mentioned.

Paul I will say two wires were connected to the transmitter end of the handset.  The red and black spring cord wires.  The two white leads were connected to the U1 or U3 receiver element.

[Jester]

Would anyone else here like to have an example of that FW mold?

[Adam]

Group Quiz:   How many spring cord wires did Frances Moneymaker attach to each transmitter using her compressed-air-driven-screwdriver?

Well... I thought he was asking, like, how many millions...

But, it's a trick question, isn't it?

The answer is NONE.  Ms. Moneymaker never attached a spring cord wire to a transmitter.  She attached the wires to the transmitter CUPS.

[paul-f]

Well done, Adam!

I hope the caption writer on the original article was suitably chastised.

Another example of the Bell System being composed of real people -- who make real mistakes.