Electrical Engineer, May 20, 1899, page 676:
Telephony at the Garden.
One of the most tasteful and at the same time one of the most useful exhibits in the garden is that of the New York Telephone Company, who occupy the same triangular corner fronting the Madison avenue entrance as they had last year. The first thing that catches the eye is the "Sign of the Bell," a lofty arch within which hangs a big blue bell upon which picked out in letters and lamps is the now famous advice: "Don't travel; telephone." The whole space is upholstered in deep blue and white, from the rails to the back board and the name of the company over all. At the front, under the bell is placed an interior exchange board with forty drops connected up, serving as an exchange for the exhibition, the telephones being located in the leading exhibits all over the building. Operators are in charge all the time, as well as uniformed attendants, who answer questions and distribute some very effective literature. Behind this part are grouped four silence booths which are at the free disposal of the public, either in the way of getting an idea of the way the work of an exchange is done right through from speaker to speaker, or for regular business and social intercourse. The exhibit is a great centre of attraction.
In addition to this, the New York Telephone Company has placed a transmitter with horn over the Estey organ driven by electricity in the west balcony, and the loud speaking receiver with double horns is hung up in the Mimic Theatre several yards away in the basement. There the music from the organ is distinctly audible. During the present week, the receiving theatrophone is being connected up with some of the theatres so as to receive vocal and instrumental music from them. Last year individual receivers were used, and they were too few owing to the rush to secure them. Now a large number of people can stand or sit under the loud speaking theatrophone, which has also the advantage of being thus placed in a quiet corner of the show instead of on the noisy main floor.
Another novel and beautiful constituent part of the exhibit is the Bell radiophone, with improvements by Mr. Hayes, of the American Bell Telephone Company. With the aid of a general electric searchlight and an eighteen-inch mirror some most interesting experiments in transmitting speech and music on a beam of light have been made, and when the delicate organism is rightly adjusted, the results in transmitting across the hall are surprisingly good. The public will probably participate fully this week in the results obtained.
The telephone exhibit, etc., has been organized by Mr. Herbert Laws Webb, and is under the general charge of W. E. Huntington and S. D. Brewster.
