The post office and its story : $b an interesting account of the activities of a great government departmentBennett, Edward
History
The post office and its story : $b an interesting account of the activities of a great government department
Bennett, Edward
Postal service -- Great Britain -- History
Adjoining the central hall are the phonogram and the tube switch rooms.
The former is set apart for telephone telegram business, and by its
means telephone subscribers may speak direct into the head telegraph
office. In this way they can dictate telegrams by telephone for
subsequent transmission by telegraph. Telegrams are also sent in the
opposite direction to certain subscribers who desire to receive their
telegrams by telephone instead of by hand delivery from the nearest
delivery office. The telephone circuits connecting the Post Office
Savings Bank at West Kensington with St. Martin's le Grand, and used in
connection with Savings Bank withdrawal telegrams, are also situated in
this room.
In the tube switch room are placed circuits which enable telegrams
received by pneumatic tube from the various branch offices to be
signalled to officers in the Metropolitan District through the medium of
the inter-communication switch which I shall mention later on. It also
allows for the reception of telegrams originating at offices of the
Metropolitan District intended for delivery from those offices connected
to the Central Telegraph Office by tube.
The counter and delivery rooms are also on this floor.
The first floor, with the exception of one large room used as the
telegraph school of instruction, is mainly occupied with the offices of
the engineer-in-chief and his staff and the chief medical officer and
his staff.
The second floor provides for the telegraph administrative offices, the
cable room, and for wires working to provincial offices.
The third floor is devoted to the large central gallery and its wings,
and here are placed the greater number of the provincial circuits. In
addition the wires set apart for news working and for special events, to
grand stands at race-courses, &c., are located here.
The Metropolitan and Home District circuits are on the fourth floor.
Now in order to combine the various floors so as to form practically one
immense gallery, it is of course necessary that there should be a rapid
means of communication between them. This is provided for by an
extensive system of pneumatic house tubes, which makes it possible for
telegrams to be circulated from point to point in the various galleries.
For instance, it is assumed that a telegram is handed in at the
Fenchurch Street branch office for transmission to Birmingham. This
would in the first instance reach the tube hall on the ground floor by
pneumatic tube. It would then be placed on the sorting table and taken
to the tube connected with the central circulation table in the
provincial gallery on the third floor. On arrival there it would be
further sorted and taken to the section in which the Birmingham circuits
are placed, and take its turn with other messages awaiting transmission
to that town.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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