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CELEBRATION The Bell connection in the year 1884 By WALTER The opening of the Bell Telephone exchanges in George town Acton in November of ISM was greeted almost casually The Acton editor reported a satisfactory social chat with his counterpart and went on In the next issue lo com that nothing had been done to a street lamp broken sometime previous by Bells careless employees But why should anyone at least In Acton get excited about the arrival of the Bell monopoly when just two years before this another telephone had been Invented locally Actons Early Day attributes the Invention to Stafford and Bob While was never mention ed In the contemporary accounts of the new wonder shortly after It was patented he did take six months leave of absence from his post as the Grand Trunk Railway station agent Most of the credit however was heaped on Cyrus V Stafford a old teamster who announced patent in December 1B82 Other men mentioned In connec tion with the new enterprise Henry Hill who came home from Buffalo to manage the office and A Selwood and James Mat thews who took up the rights to market the new product ACOUSTIC TELEPHONE Staffords Acoustic Telephone was described as being on en tirely new principle being on a wire without battery or electricity in any form It was HP Moore claimed much clearer on short distances than the electric telephone and thus was Ideal for private lines say from home to office or factory or from hotel room to front desk To demonstrate its value a line was in stalled between Moores newspaper office and J E McGorvlns drug store another line between Mat thews post office and bakery and a third demonstration line in London Ontario All three attracted considerable attention and much helloing en sued While the Stafford Acoustic Telephone ultimately failed be competitive because it couldnt be Integrated Into the general telephone network It certainly took the edge off the enthusiasm with which Bell was later greeted The new Bell agencies had been established in Drug Store In Acton and J Jackson stationery and furniture shop in Georgetown Within a year these men had Installed 14 phones in Acton and all of in Georgetown and Glen Williams The new service was prln a business tool Acton having only two residential Installations at Bcardmores and Moores and Georgetown three John and Joseph Barber and S Goodwill lo It is not surprising that the Barber brothers so readily took the telephone into their homes Apart from their pioneering work with electrification just before the Acton version of the telephone was an they had petitioned Bell to establish a local agency In both places medical men were early subscribers as were the railway companies and newspaper offices Thus It Is Dot surprising that he major advantage was seen to be the direct coin munlcatlon with Guelph Hamilton Toronto and other ties FirjtQrokeu Come To Booth No 1 1 1 And See Us At The BIG CELEBRATION Happy Endings Begin At First Choice MountainviewRdN Georgetown Ontario 8731339 MEET THE AUTHORS EDNASTAEBLER SCHMECKS APPEAL Just Published FOOD THAT REALLY SCHMECKS MORE FOOD THAT REALLY SCHMECKS COUNTRY COOKING at its Beat Saturday at BOOTH Georgetowns JIM CLEMMER Books For The Business Person THE V I P STRATEGY LEADERSHIP SKILLS FOR EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMANCE Published Last Month a Saturday a p Sunday at BOOTH 333 OXBOW BOOKS 10JMAKSTS BURGER KINGS CANADA Sure there are SOME sculptures that we cant take credit f or SEEYOUALLATTHEBIG Canadas Leading Sculpture Foundry 14 Armstrong Ave Georgetown 4579501