[78-L] The Fading Sounds of Analog Technology

Steven C. Barr stevenc at interlinks.net
Sat Mar 5 19:34:51 PST 2011


From: "Rodger Holtin" <rjh334578 at yahoo.com>
Don't miss the party line, although 78-L gets mighty close to that 
sometimes, too.
>
When I was a children, in Waynesville, Ill's.. we were on a "party line!"
We were 3851 (one long); my grandmother (with whom I then lived)
was 3853 (one long, two shorts); the old lady who had 3852 (one
long, one short) picked up her phone whenever it rang!

However, many towns/villages were still on the old system
where one cranked one's phone...and "central"  replied with
"number, please?"

Phone directories showed numbers like "12 R(ing) 4 in many
small towns. I actually used a coin phone which had a crank
in place of a dial...one deposited one's nickel, gave the
crank a turn and an operator came on line with "Number
please!"

Steven C. Barr




More information about the 78-L mailing list