According to Walter Auld, author of Voices of the Island, "soon after the invention of the telephone, Lemuel, Robert and William Mellett, living in Souris as owners and operators of a tinsmith shop, designed a workable telephone to connect the Mellett home to the residence of Caleb Carleton.
This curious, primitive telephone used a combined transmittal and receiver type speaker. To talk, one spoke and listened on the same unit, the transmission of voices being carried by vibration over a taut wire between the two homes"[1]. It is thought that this invention was the first instance of a telephone in the Souris area.
The Telephone Company of Prince Edward Island was formed in 1885, and in 1888 the government installed lines to service rural areas. That same year Hooper's Drug Store installed a public telephone[1].
In an interview in January 1952, Colonel Dan MacKinnon said he left school and went to work for J.H. Hooper, druggist, in a small shop next to the J.G. Sterns store. Hooper was the agent for the Telephone Company at the time. As recorded in the interview: "It was in the time of all iron wire. Hard to hear. My hearing was better than Hooper's so I generally operated. The calls to Souris were mainly long distance at that time"[2]. Souris is listed as a toll line station in the 1899 PEI directory[2].
In the year 1900, the telephone exchange was moved to the west corner of Main and Prince Avenue, in the home of Mrs. Richard Seaman, where she and her daughter Minnie Seaman took over as the operators[2][1].
The office was moved to the home of Ms. Josie McQuaid in 1934, and remained there until 1939 when it was moved to the home of Mrs. Roy Crockett who became the agent, presumably until 1957, where it is recorded that Mrs. Bruce Stevenson operated the lines from the Crockett residence for one year in 1958[1].
The Souris exchange, October 1971. Catherine MacIntyre (left) and Minnie Kimber, operator.
Soon after, the office was moved to the residence of Mr.s James Poole. Unfortunately, in March of 1959 a fire destroyed the Poole home, including two magneto switchboards and all the associated equipment. The office was then returned to its former location at the Crockett residence with Mrs. Catherine McIntyre working as the agent until dial conversion took place on 17 October 1971[1].
Prior to dial conversion, a new office building was built on Sterns Avenue which was to provide the new dialing service for 845 telephones which were connected through the Souris exchange. The cost of this conversion was $400 000[1]. An official opening dinner was held at the Royal Canadian Legion to celebrate the conversion, and at the dinner mayor Charles MacPhee placed the first long distance phone call to mayor Dorothy Corrigan at City Hall in Charlottetown[1]. Those who were in attendance were invited by plant superintendent James Cameron to tour the new building and see first hand the modern switching equipment in operation.
Retiring staff of the South Lake exchange. From left to right are Mary Mossey, agent, Tillie Coffin, operator, Bernadette Murphy, Island Tel service advisor, Frances Mossey, operator, Margaret O'Brien, operator
Telephones had been operating in Souris for over 85 years at that point, and special mention was made to the operators who had worked so diligently over the years, and who were now retiring, including Mrs. Catherine McIntyre, Ms. Paula MacDonald, Mrs. Bernard Clinton, Mrs. Douglas Coffin, Mrs. Lorne Sutherland, Mrs. Norman Kimber, Mrs. Sterling MacDonald, Mrs. Heather Cheverie, and Mrs. Gerard McCormack[1].
In 1983 the Island Telephone Company installed its 75,000th phone in the residence of Cecil Rose, of North Lake[3].
Phone numbers in Souris begin with 687; for example the phone number for Souris Regional School is 687-7130. The first cell phones in the area were on a 969 exchange, however cell phones now may also use the 215 exchange as well. All phone calls made in Prince Edward Island must now use the area code 902 before any call can be placed.
Party Lines[]
Unlike today, where most people have their own individual cell phone, and even as a precursor to the standard land lines of several years ago, party lines were many people's first introduction to the telephone. Just like in a home, how if several land line phones were connected they would all ring to signal an incoming call, on a party line all the homes on that line would ring to signal an incoming call. By sharing the line, costs were greatly reduced and phones were made affordable.
In order to know who the phone call was for, you would listen for a series of rings. For example, if the MacDonald house was being dialed, you would hear one long ring, then two short ones. This alerted everyone else on the line that the call was for the MacDonalds. Each home had a unique ring. However, there was nothing preventing the other people on the party line from quietly picking up their phone and eavesdropping on the conversation. This was common practice, especially by women wanting the latest gossip, and it was always best to assume that one was being listened to.
As Dave Hunter, of the Island Register, explains, "for many years, the telephone was not only a necessity, but also great neighbourhood entertainment! Rural lines were party lines for many years. Each subscriber on the line had a unique ring, i.e. two longs, or one long, one short, two shorts, etc. This system was called "coded ringing"[3].
"The phones of every subscriber on the line rang at the same time, and it was great sport to listen in to the conversations of everyone on the line. There were still party lines in the country in P.E.I. until quite recently, [however] the number of subscribers on each party line gradually reduced, and party lines were finally eliminated across the Island around 1997"[3].
To elucidate the humor which could arise from the use of party lines, the following stories have been included. And while they are not specifically from Souris, the very same situations occurred here as well.
Robert Davidson, of Belle River, writes that "a story is told in our family (Compton, Belle River) of a business man, Myron by name, from Massachusetts who was married to one of our family. They were on an annual visit to the Island one summer in the 1950s and staying with family. Myron, ever the businessman, had a need to telephone his office in the States. He used Dan Compton's party line 'phone.
The connection was bad due to all the eavesdroppers and their breathing noises. Myron announced to all on the line "I don't mind your listening, but stop wheezing" The listener, although on the line secretly, promptly answered in defense "I'm not wheezing!" thus giving away their lurking presence. We always got a chuckle on the retelling of the story"[3].
W.L. Carl Myers, of Halifax, and a former St. Lawrence resident, writes that "as in many Island communities, monthly Women's Institute meetings were family events in St.Lawrence (West Prince). While the women gathered in the living room for their meetings, husbands and children socialized in the kitchen. Associated with the meetings was food for all, contributed by each member.
The day before one "Institute Meeting", while talking to a friend on a party line this woman stated that she was at first puzzled as to what food item she would bring to the meeting. However, she said her son found a large nest of eggs in an abandoned barn, and that she was bringing egg sandwiches. (The expiry date of these "vintage" eggs was open to speculation). After that nights Women's Institute meeting, the host found egg sandwiches stuffed under every sofa, and in every nook and cranny. A solid testimony to the number of committed "listeners" on the party line in this community"[3].
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Auld, Walter C. Voices of the Island: History of the Telephone on Prince Edward Island. Nimbus Publishing. 1985. Print.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Townshend, Adele. Ten Farms Become a Town. Souris, PEI. 1986. Print.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Hunter, Dave. The Telephone on Prince Edward Island. The Island Register. 1 September 2005. Web. 2 January 2018.