Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on January 28, 1956.
Wheeler Dial Phone Cutover Scheduled For Mid February
300 Patrons Receive New Type Devices
By ROLLIE BERNHART
WHEELER, Jan. 28ーSubscribers now serviced by the Wheeler exchange of the General Telephone Company of Indiana, Inc., will soon be using new dial telephones.
John H. Lorditch, of Valparaiso, GTC district commercial manager, announced today that official cutover ceremonies, from the old magneto phones to the modern dial system, is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 15, and 7 a.m.
Cost of the conversion project will be in excess of $60,000 before final completion, GTC officials reported. Three hundred dial phones have been installed in homes and business places.
The new dial telephones are the modern Leich instruments designed for either wall or desk type installation.
Work is still not completed, but officials hope to have the project ready for cutover next month.
Project Is Delayed
Lorditch stated that the conversion work program was temporarily delayed due to cable deliveries. However, rehabilitation and extension of outside plant facilities are now complete, with the exception of placing some aerial cable near the company’s central office building on Fifth street.
For the Wheeler project, approximately 21,000 feet of new cable, and 600,000 feet of new wire have been used in rehabilitation and extension.
In addition, approximately 9,500 man hours have been expended, Lorditch stated.
Operations at the old office building, located on Indiana 130, south of Fifth street, which presently houses the old manual switchboard, will be discontinued following cutover ceremonies.
To Issue Directories
Prior to the cutover date, temporary directories showing the new dial numbers, will be mailed to each Wheeler subscriber. These directories will also be mailed to East Gary and Hobart users, since “free service” to and from Wheeler to these points will be continued after the conversion.
A meeting is also planned at Wheeler High school gym Monday, Feb. 13, at 7:30 p.m., for all subscribers. Each Wheeler subscriber will receive personal invitations from the company to attend.
Purpose of the special session is to acquaint dial telephone users on the correct methods of operation. Demonstrations will be held and a question and answer period will be conducted by company representatives.
A movie, “Dial Comes To Town”, will also be shown at the meeting.
Lorditch reported one bit of humor which cropped up during the conversion program at Wheeler.
14 Exchanges
One subscriber seemed prone to insist that the old magneto type phone be left on the wall where it had been “cranked” for many years. Somewhat startled, the company representative said, “Why, aren’t you glad to get the new dial phone?” “Yes,” said the woman, “but I just had the room decorated.”
Wheeler is one of 14 exchanges serving 31,000 telephones in the Valparaiso district of GTC. others are Valparaiso, Hobart, Ogden Dunes, Chesterton, Kouts, LaCrosse, Wanatah, Hanna, Westville, Union Mills, LaPorte, Rolling Prairie and East Gary.
Surveys for future development in Hobart and East Gary regions are being carried on by five employees from the firm’s Lafayette headquarters, P.E. Platt, division manager reported.
As of Jan. 1, the General Telephone company included 72 exchanges, servicing 140,038 telephones. Plans to spend $5,800,000 in these exchanges were recently announced.
To Spend $313,000
In the Valparaiso district, $313,000 will be spent for new construction. Bulk of the local budget will be spent in the Valparaiso area with the total cost estimated at $182,300.
Cable relief is planned for east and north side residents which will give better service and add additional phones. This will cost $165,000.
Other projects in Valparaiso include miscellaneous pole work, costing $5,000, and installation of central office equipment to take care of the rural growth at a cost of $11,700.
In the Chesterton area, $20,500 will be spent for cable relief along the Valparaiso-Chesterton toll lead. In addition, $2,500 will be spent to build the lead on the Liberty township road and $5,000 is earmarked for pole construction.
Population growth in the Ogden Dunes area will force the spending of $64,500 for expending service there.
MRS. LAUREL DAVIS, of Wheeler, tests one of new dial phones installed by the General Telephone Company of Indiana, Inc., in the Union township community to replace the old magneto telephones. J.H. Lorditch, GTCI district commercial manager, above instructs Mrs. Davis in the proper use of the phone.
THE GTC BUILDING on Fifth street, north of Indiana 130 in Wheeler, where the new automatic dial equipment has been installed
CUTTING IN NEW lines to the equipment office center are Spike Shroyer, on pole; Walter Bickel, with rope; and Lyle Moore, installation and maintenance supervisor.
Old Vs. New Telephone Switchboards in Wheeler
TESTING NEW dial equipment and boards in GTC equipment office in Wheeler (top) are Ralph Clarke, left, and Roy Ransom. Below Mrs. Florence Campos (lower left) and Mrs. Marie Foreman, operators, work manual switchboard in old building. Old board will be dismantled after Feb. 15, cutover date.
