AUDICHRON TIME OF DAY ANNOUNCEMENT (JANE BARBE) - MUSEUM OF COMMUNICATIONS - SEATTLE

When we have the TIME!
By Don Ostrand

In the good old days before the Bell System split, one could dial a call and get the time of day. In Seattles 1929 directory it was Please dial or call Thorndyke-8900; in 1952, call Columbia-8900; and starting in 1958, call Time-4-8900. The AudiChron Company provided that service. Their leased equipment was installed in our central offices and dedicated trunks (circuits) from each CO allowed citywide access to the time-of-day announcement. The date that Seattles time-of-day started to use AudioChron equipment is unclear, but when the Bell System was split up the telephone companies no longer provided the service. A firm in Georgia, Electronic Tele-Communications Inc., bought the AudiChron Company and its equipment.

They were in the process of thinning out their old equipment and contacted the Smithsonian museum to donate some of the original AudiChron equipment dating back to the 1930s. The Smithsonian declined the equipment and referred them to our museum here in Seattle.

Would we like the equipment? Of course we would. Another very important part of telecommunications equipment has been found--or found us.

Now the equipment located in Norcross, Georgia needs transportation to Seattle, which is just about as far away as possible within these United States. This fact makes for another story.

As a member of two antique telephone collectors clubs, I for one have made many acquaintances and hosted tours with many visitors; our museum has become known worldwide.

In a back issue of the TCI (Telephone Collectors International) newsletter, I read very interesting articles by Allan David about the AudiChron Company and time-of-day machines. Allan has visited our museum and knows the extent of our desire to preserve telecommunications history.

My home phone rang, and who should be on the other end but Allan David. This was a very unexpected call.

Allan has working AudiChron equipment in his private collection and has provided working displays at collector club functions. He was aware that we wanted these machines and had a challenge in transportation. Allans profession is a long-haul truck driver and he happened to be about a day away from Norcross. He offered to pick up the equipment and haul it with him as he started his cross-country haul. He said he couldnt predict when we could expect delivery but it would be when he got the time.

The equipment was picked up and started its journey to Seattle. And on Friday, May 25th, he arrived with the AudiChron. Members of our crew met him at the museum, unloaded the equipment, mounted it in one of our bays and started restoration. And it works.

Thanks to Lori at Electronic Tele-Communications Inc, Allan David and our crew. Stop by and visit us, weve got the TIME!

Category:

Education

Tags:

• vintage telephone
• magnetic drum
• recorder
• telco
• telecom
• audichron
• Jane Barbe

[05Cinco05]

Mary Moore and Jane Barbe are my favorite voices of the recorded announcements from the bell system . . . those were the days. Did Audichron also provide the equipment for the intercept recordings? "The Number You Have Reached 4 4 5 - 8 9 8 8 Has Been Disconnected . . . No Further Information Is Available About 4 4 5 - 8 9 8 8" . . .

[museumofcomm]

Yes, they did and Jane would have recording sessions multiple times a year to do these. I can video tape the intercept in the #5 and #1 crossbar switches. Those switches also have troubleshooting ticket generators made by Teletype.

[OldGuy0003]

Very nice. How many tracks are on this device? Is the recorded voice in sync. with the video? How does it pickup the time when in continous motion over the drum and not stopping at any one point to play that fragment?

Thanks.

[museumofcomm]

There are three recording drums which can move independently and are removable. The camera is facing the hour and minute drums. You can see the playback head drop just as the time is read. I may update the video showing both playback heads dropping.

[ElmerCat]

It's very cool to see an Audichron system in operation, but I'm surprised you haven't mentioned that the voice on the recording is that of Jane Barbe, arguably the greatest telephone voice ever! "Please make a note of it!"

[museumofcomm]

She was (and still is to some extent) ubiquitous.

[ElectroMecca]

Wow, she's even a beautiful looking machine :-)

[thecooldude9999]

@05Cinco05 you mean the automated intercept system.

[imickey503]

ICONIC!

[jennifer86010]

I actually spoke personally to Jane Barbe..."The Time Lady". She used to live in Atlanta, GA, I was writing a song about "The Time Lady" and I needed to get her permission to record it. After our friendly conversation, I couldn't resist asking....Ms. Barbe, can you tell me what time it is? She said...."Oh, about half past......" Her voice was the most listened to voice in the entire world. It was an honor to actually speak to her. -Dennis Edwards Music

[mathewbailey08]

Otis Elevator used to make a magnetic drum message system called Elevoice that played voice messages concerning various modes of elevator operation.

Nowadays elevator operation messages are generated by computer or chips.

[douro20]

@douro20

Sorry I meant to say the 7A announcement machine; 7A was the first model of WE rotary system.

[douro20]

@Madness832

The 7A was an optical machine which used photographic film; very different technology.

[Madness832]

What does the WE 7A Announcement Machine look like? Similar? That's the one that was used for the intercept recordings.

[05Cinco05]

Do you have anything with Mary Moore? I liked her . . . although she was being phased out when I was a kid . . . I liked the way she emphasized her 5's . . . . and I used to trip out on the faint background noise that was present on the recordings . . . Miss those days . . .